The Note's Charlie Blasberg talks with Joe Gomez of the CJ Clydesdale Band about the band's make up, their new record Salutations, and their musical influences.
CB: Take us through the personnel of the band. Who does what?
JG: We’ve got Jake on the pots and pans, Fitzy on the bass, Cal on lead guitar, and myself on rhythm guitar. Fortunately, we all know how to yell so we split the singing amongst all of us with Cal and I trading off lead vocals. As far as songwriting goes, usually Cal or I will bring a song to the band and everyone takes their own interpretation and adds some color to the painting.
CB: "Salutations" is almost 17 minutes long. What led you to create such a long bookend to the record?
JG: "Salutations" was one of the first songs Cal brought to us. We just started jamming and progressively getting longer and longer takes. Eventually, it became this monster jam that takes up half a setlist! It definitely sparked our desire to transition songs together, create on-the-fly endings, and even cue one another on stage with new ideas for where to take a song.
CB: There are some influences that are easy to hear in your music... who are some influences that we might be surprised to learn about?
JB: Growing up, I was either listening to my dad’s 70’s rock or mom’s 90’s country. The first two albums I had all to myself, though, were Michael Jackson BAD and Green Day International Superhits. I listened to those albums on repeat for one whole summer, and I’d say they impact everything from live performances to songwriting. Fitz is the only one of us to study music. Those vocal harmonies in "Lisboa" are a great example of how he glues us together. Also, he loves Queen! Jake is into gospel stuff and a bunch of George Harrison. Cal is all over the map with his tastes. A guilty pleasure of ours? Escape - “The Pina Colada Song.”
CB: The CJ Clydesdale band is now spread across multiple places. Do you have any reunions planned?
JG: We wanted to say hello and goodbye at the same time with this album. The name Salutations ended up being perfect for that. It’s the first song we really vibed to and it's the way we’d like to close out. We don't have any reunions planned, but any time we’re in the same city you can be assured we’ll find a dive bar to let loose at!
CB: If there is one thing you want people to take away after listening to Salutations, what is it?
JG: Have fun, be generous with your love, and sink into your emotions. There are little pieces of Jake, Fitz, Cal, and myself that now live on this record. I hope everyone can experience those periods of time like our two year Clydesdale run that seem to exist in a universe of their own. We were lucky enough to bottle that universe up into one album.
Check out CJ Clydesdale Band's new record Salutations out everywhere now. Joe Gomez can be found playing around New York City now in a variety of groups. You can catch him live in Brooklyn this Saturday night.
JG: We’ve got Jake on the pots and pans, Fitzy on the bass, Cal on lead guitar, and myself on rhythm guitar. Fortunately, we all know how to yell so we split the singing amongst all of us with Cal and I trading off lead vocals. As far as songwriting goes, usually Cal or I will bring a song to the band and everyone takes their own interpretation and adds some color to the painting.
CB: "Salutations" is almost 17 minutes long. What led you to create such a long bookend to the record?
JG: "Salutations" was one of the first songs Cal brought to us. We just started jamming and progressively getting longer and longer takes. Eventually, it became this monster jam that takes up half a setlist! It definitely sparked our desire to transition songs together, create on-the-fly endings, and even cue one another on stage with new ideas for where to take a song.
CB: There are some influences that are easy to hear in your music... who are some influences that we might be surprised to learn about?
JB: Growing up, I was either listening to my dad’s 70’s rock or mom’s 90’s country. The first two albums I had all to myself, though, were Michael Jackson BAD and Green Day International Superhits. I listened to those albums on repeat for one whole summer, and I’d say they impact everything from live performances to songwriting. Fitz is the only one of us to study music. Those vocal harmonies in "Lisboa" are a great example of how he glues us together. Also, he loves Queen! Jake is into gospel stuff and a bunch of George Harrison. Cal is all over the map with his tastes. A guilty pleasure of ours? Escape - “The Pina Colada Song.”
CB: The CJ Clydesdale band is now spread across multiple places. Do you have any reunions planned?
JG: We wanted to say hello and goodbye at the same time with this album. The name Salutations ended up being perfect for that. It’s the first song we really vibed to and it's the way we’d like to close out. We don't have any reunions planned, but any time we’re in the same city you can be assured we’ll find a dive bar to let loose at!
CB: If there is one thing you want people to take away after listening to Salutations, what is it?
JG: Have fun, be generous with your love, and sink into your emotions. There are little pieces of Jake, Fitz, Cal, and myself that now live on this record. I hope everyone can experience those periods of time like our two year Clydesdale run that seem to exist in a universe of their own. We were lucky enough to bottle that universe up into one album.
Check out CJ Clydesdale Band's new record Salutations out everywhere now. Joe Gomez can be found playing around New York City now in a variety of groups. You can catch him live in Brooklyn this Saturday night.