GutterLIFE
📷 Martin LaVey
By: Mary Welch
On Friday, April 13th, GutterLIFE released their album Radio Silence, and I asked the band a few questions about it! The album consists of 12 great tracks, one featuring Control Records artist Lexxe, and “Awake” being my favorite because of its energy. Listen to it at the end of the interview!
M: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! You are a punk band from Long Island - What else do we need know about you?
We’ve been keeping pretty busy preparing for the release of this new record. We just finished our tour with Carousel Kings and landed at The Launch Music Conference in Lancaster, PA. A festival that our label (CI Records) runs every year, and tonight we will be having our album release show alongside War On Women at the Lizard Lounge.
M: From your new album Radio Silence, what is the top track you are most excited for the world to hear?
Definitely excited for people to hear the song “Walk Alone.” For us, this is a more personal track, and the country folk feel of the song definitely shows a more diverse side as a band.
M: How did the name Radio Silence come about, and about how long have worked on this album?
'Radio Silence' is the best way we could describe an almost three year period of not releasing any music while we worked on perfecting these songs at home. We never slept on this band. We just kept quiet until we had something we were ready to give to our listeners. We are extremely particular about what we put out.
M: How would you say your writing/production process has changed from the start until now with your most current music?
This band actually started as a solo project by our vocalist, Matt VanRossem. The first EP was just him and a drummer, and the Don’t Sleep EP that followed was basically the same thing with the addition of Frank “Bones” Laudicina (Afterparty) producing and playing bass. Our guitarist (Andrew Nicolae) and bassist (Matthew Kelly) joined during the final stages to lay down some of the vocals on that EP.
What makes the new record different is that the music is now written and played by the full band and has a little bit of everyone’s influences, which gives us a broader spectrum of sounds and ideas, as well as a more polished sound, in our opinion.
M: What has been the most awarding moment so far in terms of GutterLIFE’s success?
The most rewarding moment so far in this whole process has been the last two days the album's been out. We’ve received a ton of support from everyone, and we just feel a huge weight lifted off our shoulders knowing we don’t have to worry about our core followers hating what we put out on this album. The response has been overwhelmingly heart-warming and uplifting.
M: What can we expect from GutterLIFE in the rest of 2018?
Expect more tours, videos, merch, laughs & surprises from GutterLIFE. We are always plotting our next move and never sleep on this band.