What does the name Gauntlet Hair mean and how did you guys get together?
It’s like a long bowl-cut, kind of like The Ramones had.
It all started in Chicago when we were 19 or 20. We had a rehearsal space up there. It was just us messing around and experimenting. Gauntlet Hair wasn’t solidified until we hit Denver, but it all started in Chicago.
How did you end up on Dead Oceans?
We just ended up talking to Phil through our manager Matt. It was when we moved to Denver a year ago. We just talked with him for a really long time. We really liked everything he had to say about the label.
Are you excited to be going on tour soon?
Yeah, totally. Practicing for it has been a lot of fun. It’s great to see people’s reactions to some of the recreations of our songs. It’s very validating. After the first few shows everything really comes together.
How does it feel to play the new songs live?
A big part of this album was the process of writing these songs with the live show in mind. We kind of just went for it. We layed down as many tracks as we could. Basically, the live stuff has been completely recreated. It feels very comfortable though. We added a few members to the band to fill the sound out.
Did adding new members change your dynamic?
We brought in friends of ours, not just random strangers. It’s really comfortable. We’ve all hung out for a really long time. We really gelled with them. There was no ice to break. We actually just brought in a new guitar player. He’s a really cool guy and he’s doing a great job.
How long was the recording process and who were some of the major influences for this album?
We took a long time. We recorded it in my grandmother’s basement. The actual recording took about two weeks or so. The rest of the time was mostly fixing and editing. There weren’t any pre-conceived ideas going into the studio. We came in with demos to record but we scrapped them. We started over from scratch.
When we write we don’t really listen to music. There’s no definite influence. It’s hard to say. We were just doing our own thing.
Was it a conscious decision to not listen to as much music as you were recording?
Yes. When you hear a song and you really dig a part, you can subconsciously take the idea. Sometimes you don’t even realize that you’ve ripped something off. We try to get away from any influence when recording.
How does it feel to finally have a full-length album coming out? Are you nervous for people to hear it?
It’s awesome. It’ll be great. We really stretched out the times in terms of releases. Hopefully people will be satisfied. I think the only thing that’s making us nervous is the amount of time we took to record it. All the ideas were very spur of the moment. That’s probably the scariest part about it. I think we’re pretty confident. It came out better than we had hoped.
What’s been the response from people who have heard the album?
I think they like it. Right now it’s only been people from press or the label. It’s been pretty positive though.
You guys seem really confident in the record.
We don’t want to be overly confident in anything. I think we’re fairly confident that it’s worth listening to though.
Browse Interviews
Alphabetized Listing
Most Popular Interviews
View Profile Picture
View Blog
View Signature
Posts: 17,039
Follow This Interview
Brandi Carlile - 06.08.12