Austin Sound

The Gary is a band that takes you by surprise - from the odd band name to their equally dubiously titled debut EP, Chub, the band seems to be provoking listeners to not take them too seriously. That may be the case, but their music demands attention. With a melodic assault of Trey Pool’s jagged guitar and Dave Norwood’s ominously monotone, deep vocals, the Gary fillets Nineties college rock into a brooding drawl that quakes and shivers with furious, if understated and tightly wound, intensity. Already working on their debut LP, the trio has shared one of their new recordings with us below, and you can experience them live this Friday, June 26 at the Scoot Inn with the eclectic lineup of local popsters Hollywood Gossip and the caustic garage folk of David Israel.

Profile: The Gary

Year Formed:

Summer 2008

Members/Instruments played:

Dave Norwood: bass/vocals, Trey Pool: Guitar, Paul Warner: Drums

Former Bands/Side Projects:

Paul & Dave were both in Rossi Mission. Paul also plays guitar and sings for We’ll Go Machete, and Trey plays guitar and sings in Sad Like Crazy.

Albums:

“Chub” EP, Cedar Fever Records, 2009(www.cedarfeverrecords.com). There’s an LP coming out on Cedar Fever in Fall ‘09.

Influences:

Smog, Minutemen, The Ex, Peter Jefferies, GBV, Captain Beefheart, Dog Faced Hermans, Nomeansno, Polvo, Archers Of Loaf, Uzeda, The Mountain Goats, and so on…

Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:

Someone at our last Houston show said we were a cross between Bruce Springsteen and The Minutemen. Stephanie Layton says we make rainbows shoot out of her ears.

Favorite local bands:

Many Birthdays, Black Cock, The Domesticated, Elisa Ferrari, My Education

Favorite local venue:

The Scoot Inn. We like Club Deville, too.

Upcoming shows scheduled:

Friday 6/26 at The Scoot Inn, and Friday 7/10 at The Beauty Bar.

Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:

Paul & Trey are very excited about seeing Polvo & Obits play in Philadelphia next month. Dave is looking forward to the Bill Callahan show at the Parish and “The Music Man” at Zilker Theatre.

Some of your favorite albums from the past year:

DD/MM/YYYY “Black Box”, David Grubbs “An Optimist Notes The Dusk”, Two Pin Din “In Case Of Fire Break Glass”, The New Year “s/t”, Obits “I Blame You”, Many Birthdays “Emptiness Is Forever”, Black Cock “Robot Child With God Complex” Edie Sedgwick “Things Are Getting Sinister & Sinister”

Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:

Would’ve loved to tour with Guided By Voices. We would like to tour with Iron Maiden and ride in their fancy jet.

Austin Sound questions:
Who exactly is Gary, and what’s he like?

Gary is this guy I know. His full name is Gary Doyle O’Banien, which is also our band’s full name. We can talk about him on the web, because he will never see this. He won’t go anywhere near the internet. Not even for the porn.

I heard Gary on my porch last night. He didn’t knock, he just sat there. I could smell his Marlboro Reds through the window and hear the pop-tops on his Meister Brau cans. I heard him singing “Lonely Is The Night” around 2:30, and when I woke up again at 4:00, he was doing karate kicks in the front yard and singing “Do You Feel Like I Do.” When I left for work this morning, he was gone. Didn’t leave a trace.

Y’all are already working on a new EP - what can you tell us about it in comparison with Chub?

Looks like it’s going to be an LP. It’ll rock harder than Chub. It’ll have fewer songs in 4/4 time. The lyrics will be more sung than spoken. Dave plays baritone guitar in lieu of bass on a few of the songs.

Song Introduction:

“Damn Machines” (from the Chub EP) was partially the result of my feelings toward working jobs in which I felt no connection, and partially the result of reading a lot of Wendell Berry.

“QSB” is a song on the forthcoming record. It’s about the things that we lose to generalization. There’s a great line the Rick Bass story “The Sky, The Stars, The Wilderness” that says “The natural history of Texas is still being sacrificed upon the altar of generalization.” And how it is.

Sound Off:

We would like to leave you with some Gary haiku-

He knows in his heart-
Angus Young is much better
than Yngwie Malmsteen

Gary’s friend Olen
says Yngwie rules o’er Angus
on many levels

Thusly, they trade blows
scrapping in Gary’s bedroom
beneath a black light

Mp3s:
Damn Machines
QSB

Websites:
Myspace