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 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM guitarist/vocalist BRIAN FALLON takes a moment to speak about the upcoming tour and ‘the boss’ with DAN RIDLEY.
If the press is to be believed (and we are, trust me) The Gaslight Anthem are to be heralded as punk rock prodigies. With their 2007 debut, ironically dubbed Sink Or Swim, receiving widespread acclaim and coveted support slots with the likes of The Draft and Against Me, perhaps it fair to assume that the New Jersey quintet are on the cusp of greatness. Now set to embark on their first ever Australian tour in July, the band could be forgiven if it all went to their heads; but this is apparently not so.
“Not even in our wildest dreams did we really think we would be able to tour intentionally”, frontman Brian Fallon declares. “For all these people to call us, for even you to call us and want to do an interview that’s amazing to me. To think that in a place that I’ve never been that my band is liked? That’s just mindblowing.”
Perhaps what is more mindblowing is Brian’s genuine sense of joy at being able to perform. Having already spent the last two years touring, it would not be surprising to find any band feeling a little ragged and longing for a change of pace. Criss-crossing America and then taking the plunge across the Atlantic to Europe is a bold feat for any fledgling act. When asked about whether the band has any reservations about the intensity of touring, Brian is quick to overwhelm any doubts with his enthusiasm.
“We’re really liking it”, he exclaims “I mean we have pretty much been on the road straight for two years and so far no one is showing any sign of wear. We’re okay. I think we are just having a really good time. We’re just glad everybody is letting us play so much.”
With a sound that many believe bears traits that are unmistakably ‘New Jersey’, the band are the first to admit they draw a heavy influence from hometown hero Bruce Springsteen. Their intense ballads and rousing anthems share an undeniable connection with ‘the boss’. As Brian explains, it was all part and parcel of growing up in the Garden State.
“My mother listened to it as I was growing up all the time. I think that as I grew up in New Jersey on the Jersey Shore by the ocean it got stuck in there and won’t come out. It’s just become a part of what we do. We look up to Bruce Springsteen like he looks up to Elvis. That’s just the epitome of everything that is good about songwriting I think.”
And true to the working class ethos that Springsteen embodies, The Gaslight Anthem have modest ambitions.
“I think that we would love to be able just to continue sustain ourselves,” he jokes. “Basically if we can eat every day, sleep and play then I think we are all right. As long as we can maintain that I think that’s okay. If anything else happens more than that, then great. If not, then that’s okay too.”
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM play Thriller at Rosie’s Tavern with A Death In The Family on Saturday July 26. New album THE ’59 SOUND will be out in August through Resist. For more info go to www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem
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