Editors Note: Welcome to our brand new quarterly addition to GoGirlsMusic.com
GoGirls in Headlights! We are excited about being able to provide you with just one more perk to being a GoGirls Elite member with this feature where we will handpick
one of our members every February, May, August, and November to be interviewed
by our newest and very talented addition to our writing staff, Mark Fisher. Our first feature interview is with the ever evolving band G-Spot..I'll step aside and let Mark tell you alllll about 'em...
Annette Warner -Editor-GoGirlsMusic.com
G-Spot first caught my attention awhile back when front woman Gail Silverman sent me Experience the Pleasure. While I enjoyed the album, it never managed to sound "comfortable" or exactly right to me. When G-Spot's latest offering, Come Here, Go Away, appeared in my mailbox I was excited to hear how the band had evolved. Nothing could have prepared me for what I would hear. Come Here, Go Away is a raw, passionate, and often off kilter riot act disguised as an album. G-Spot have evolved into a loud, in your face, take over the world rock band and they have never sounded better! I caught up with Gail Silverman to find out more about the new album and here's what she had to tell me.
Mark Fisher: How are you these days Gail?
Gail Silverman: I'm actually doing great - over the Holidays I did a Yoga & Nutrition Retreat in Costa Rica at a place called Pacha Mama - it was really awesome and rejuvenating - so now I am back and ready to rock! Super busy as always trying to balance all the various facets of my life - you may not know this but in addition to being the lead singer and songwriter and doing all the marketing, promotion, booking etc. for G-spot, I also have a day gig doing marketing for the Tribeca Film Festival and am a Kundalini Yoga teacher. It's pretty crazy and I hope to find more time this year for the things I am most passionate about and make them a bigger part of the equation!
MF: Let's get right into the new album. Come Here, Go Away is a lot different from Experience the Pleasure. This album is much more experimental and in your face. What led to this new, more aggressive direction for your music?
GS: I think part of it is just my natural evolution as I grew as an artist and a singer. Actually our live vibe has always been much more hi-energy & in your face then our recordings and on the first record and EP we weren't as successful at catching that live energy. On this album I think we really found the right balance. Also my tendency is to write songs that are a bit quirky and I do a lot of writing on the acoustic guitar, in the past its been harder to get across to the band where I want the song to go so we'd end up with songs that were very disparate, one more rock, one more pop, one more funk etc. This time I really wanted to finesse and find a more consistent sound and get a bit harder. I think having Lorraine Ferro as a Producer on the album and also doing some of the co-writes really helped solidify the direction of the record and helped bring the vision to life. Plus thematically the material lends itself to something a harder, more experimental to get the points of the songs across. For instance with a song like "Hey Creator" - that was originally written acoustically and has a more spiritual tone, I think you need to get creative/experimental with it in order to make it fit with the rest of the vibe of the record & the bands sound & keep it interesting.
MF: Are you concerned at all about how fans of the last album may receive it? It's a lot less "pretty" sounding…It seems like a big gamble in some ways.
GS: Not really, so far the feedback has been really amazing on this record, from the fans to the reviewers to radio. Again at our live shows fans always seem to gravitate towards the heavier stuff, so I think most people are enjoying the change. Also there are still some pretty songs like "Beautiful Face", "Hurts Like This", "Call on You", they just have a little edge to them now. I guess there might be a few people out there that find the new album to be too much. But the fact is I've never had an interest in being the sweet singer/songwriter girl like Jewel or Dido (not that there is anything wrong with that it's just not my vibe right now). I've always preferred the harder rock full band sound and attitude. Ultimately with the quality of this record overall I think we have more fans to gain then lose. And who knows what the next record will bring? I think you have to make music from your heart and if that means that your vibe changes throughout the years - that's life. It's no fun to write the same music over & over - and ultimately I think fans appreciate it, even though it may take a little getting used too. I know it's that way for me with some of my favorite artists.
MF: This album sounds like you poured every ounce of energy you had into it! Did you feel drained at all by the time you finished it?
GS: Not so much when it was over, that was more of a relief! But sometimes the process was incredibly draining -I really did put a lot of energy and resources into it and sometimes it was really taxing and balancing that with a day gig, etc. Sometimes I'd work all day and then I'd be in the studio until 2 am and then at work the next day - so it was kind of crazy! Also I am not the best person in the studio, I tend to have a short attention span and I move fast in my life, so things like recording that can take longer then expected and be very repetitive can drive me nuts! Recording is not my favorite part of making music I tend to prefer the performing and writing side a lot more. Also my producer was really meticulous and pushed really hard to get the best vocals and the maximum emotion out of me at the same time - so there were a few times I almost strangled her! Even though it was tough at times, took longer, and cost more then I expected, ultimately it was worth it and we made a great record! Plus we did have some fun times in the studio as well and its exciting hearing the songs and album finally come together! And, of course, being able at the end to share it with the world!
MF: I really enjoy the fact that you talk a lot on this album about women and how they are perceived in the world today (IE objects of lust that are supposed to act slutty and be thin and blonde). Do you feel that you have been overlooked because you don't have the "cookie cutter" look the labels/management/booking agents want? If so, are there specific instances that come to mind?
GS: You know I haven't really gone after a major deal -so far I've taken the total Indie route, so I haven't really had to encounter that first hand. Not to be narcissistic but I do get a fair amount of attention for being sexy in that "voluptuous" sort of way and my performance persona is very inviting and provocative. For me its more bothersome that so many artists today are being signed, promoted and supported by major labels and the industry and they just don't seem to have a heck of a lot of talent or individuality. It's more about their looks and being cookie cutter and really young. It's not like you die once you hit 30. It bugs me when I know so many talented bands and artists that are working their asses off and just not getting the recognition they deserve. Of course that is what the song "Revolutionary" is all about and that's also one of the main reasons I started Revolutionary Records. It's also why I created showcases like Girls Rock & Girls Rule, so Indie artists could work together to create some more exposure and recognition. I think there is a big hole right now in major label music and radio. You just don't hear much unique rock music, especially from female fronted bands.
MF: When you were writing and recording this album, what did you feel that you wanted to get across with it? Were there one or two things that you really wanted to pound home to listeners?
GS: Honestly I never write that way. I tend to write from the perspective of what I am dealing with in my life at that point. Most of my songs and inspiration come from my heart and songs are my medium of expression. If there is a theme or feel to a record that reoccurs on the album, it's mainly because that's what I was processing at the time rather then a conscious statement that I was making to listeners. I think the best you can do is write from your heart and use your own voice and hope someone can relate their own experience to it and find something meaningful in the song. I think people tend to deal with similar, emotions and experiences in life so if you write and perform from that perspective you'll hit a nerve somewhere with someone!
MF: Did you approach the recording process for Come Here, Go Away differently than you have before?
GS: This was the first time I worked with a producer on both recording and arranging the songs. Also we did a lot of prep work and rehearsing before going in which was new for me as well. Also really trying to create a consistent sound across the album and being conscious of that in the arrangement, song selection, etc. I think it paid off well though. My dream is still to make a record in like a month or two, you know go in and immerse yourself in the process, rather then having to do a weekend here and a day there. Maybe on the next one!
MF: The song "Hurts Like This" is one of the hardest hitting songs on the album lyrically, in my opinion. Would you mind telling us a little about the thoughts/inspirations behind that song?
GS: Are you going to make me go there again?! - Seriously it's a very personal song about someone I loved very intensely & deeply and the pain of the experience when things didn't work out the way I expected them too. I was going through tremendous pain & heartache when I wrote it and fortunately, or unfortunately depending which perspective you take, that often makes for the most intense and hard-hitting songs, but also it is what often touches other people. You want people to feel the emotion when they hear it, like in REM's Everybody Hurts, you just listen to that song and you feel it and know what its like to be in that place. Everyone's been there at some point.
MF: In a lot of ways the lyrics on this album lead me to believe that you have given up on love. Would you agree with that?
GS: That would be correct. My last relationship, though painful at the end, taught me what it truly means to really love somebody. I've cared about people in the past, but this was different then anything I'd ever experienced. Some people never have a chance to connect to another human being in that way - its very special and sometimes it hard to imagine it with a different person, but I certainly would like to believe that it could happen again. Between that experience and my Yoga practice I work to keep an open heart and an open mind.
MF: To you, what is more important: What you mean when you write the lyrics to a song or what the listener takes from them?
GS: I guess I'd have to say that it's a combination of both. The lyric starts from inside me and reflects my feelings/emotions/experiences, but of course as I said before I am always hopeful that my expression of that will touch someone else. Music does that for me, sometimes I hear someone else's song and I think wow that's exactly how I feel, almost like I could have written it. I think all artists ultimately hope their art will be meaningful to others who hear it.
MF: I also found it interesting that you placed a Yoga mantra at the end of the CD after a disc riddled with confusion, frustration, and anger. Can you tell us a little about why you chose to do that and what you feel it adds to the overall feel of the album?
GS: Well as mentioned I am a Kundalini Yoga teacher. I got more into the practice as I was dealing with some of the things expressed on this album and it was really a helpful tool for me. Plus I was still going through my teacher training while recording the album and it was important to me to bring those two worlds together. When I first started Kundalini training I was really worried how this very intense spiritual process & practice was going to blend with my rock and roll world. But one weekend we did a morning Sadna (a very early morning practice that has a lot of chanting and music) and I brought my guitar and sang and played the Yoga chants and I wasn't sure how (still not exactly), but I saw it was possible to merge these two parts of myself. It was important to me to share this with my listeners. It was also really cool how when we were recording "Hey Creator" the mantra you hear at the end of that song (which is the same as the one at the end of the album) happened very spontaneously during the recording session & was the perfect ending. But I also wanted to have something on the record that someone could actually use in their own meditation practice if they wanted too so that's why the 11 minutes at the end as well as the meditation to tune-in and tune-out (which we always do in Kundalini Yoga practice).
MF: You have been around the indie music block a time or two now. What one or two lesson(s) have you learned that you feel have been most valuable to you?
GS: I'm sure this is all going to sound really cliché, but if something is your passion then stick to your guns even when it seems there are obstacles everywhere. Find some people to surround yourself with that will always be supportive you'll need them when things get rough. Practice, work on your craft - you'd be amazed what you can accomplish. Remember a bad review is just one person's opinion! Try to have fun, after all that's why we get into this business in the first place because singing, writing and performing is fun - it's easy to get wrapped up in all the other stuff and lose sight of that.
MF: How conducive has the indie music market been to touring for you? Are you able to regularly tour?
GS: One of my main goals for 2005 is to tour. We dabbled in doing gigs outside NYC the summer before last (before we started working on the new album) and it was a blast, outside NYC people are friendly, the press is easier to deal with etc. I think you have to hit the road at some point if you really want to grow your audience. The challenge for me has been that it's much harder to tour with a full band then as a solo singer/songwriter. More expenses - also living in NYC I don't own a car so you have to rent transportation etc. and often you aren't guaranteed that you will even cover your expenses. Mostly it is the financial challenge more then anything - So if you know anyone that wants to sponsor a really hot up & coming band let me know! I definitely am going to try and make a couple of at least short tours happen for us this year. We'll let you know when we have some concrete dates! I also want to start doing satellite showcases for Girls Rock and Girls Rule in cities near NY and partner with local bands in those areas in anticipation of eventually doing a full tour of that event.
MF: Thanks for your time. The album is a lot of fun. Do you have any parting thoughts for Go Girls Music readers?
GS: Buy G-spot's new CD "Come Here, Go Away" at www.gspotband.com - come to our shows - tell your friends. Sorry couldn't resist the shameless self-promotion. And keep rockin' girls because I think it's time for women to be the center of the music scene & take over the rock n roll world! And remember all we ask is that you "experience the pleasure" …NOW GO AWAY!
