Musicians on tour aren’t on an extended vacation. Usually, they’re hauling their own gear, showering very little, eating when they can and stretching every dollar in hopes the barely surviving van will make it to the next city. It’s truly a labor of love. The artists are doing it because they chose to, because they want to, and because they want to share the music with as many people as possible.
Filligar, who join Denver tonight, August 21, at the Larimer Lounge, is one that knows the road well. It’s been a band that’s stretched well over a decade with the original lineup and has written and recorded six studio albums, the newest of which just recently released this summer. “Hexagon” is the current force allowing for the act to be on the road and will be the newest fare the band is introducing to listeners.
The Rooster had a chance to connect with Casey Gibson before their Denver appearance:
The Rooster: “Put in your own words what kind of music you play.”
Casey Gibson: “The million-dollar question. No artists ever like reducing themselves to an iTunes genre tag but I'd say we play alternative rock, if that's still a thing.”
TR: “As a musician starting out, did you ever think that you’d be able to make a living off of it?”
CG: “I'm not sure whether we set out with that intention, but when we were all graduating from college it was a realistic goal, so we went with it. We're lucky to get to play music for a living, but there's definitely a lot about being a musician that doesn't have anything to do with playing music… Those aspects of the business can be both fun and frustrating. The music is always fun though.”
TR: “Filligar has been given distinctions like ‘Best New Music’ by American Songwriter Magazine, ‘One Of Music’s Next Big Things,”’from SPIN and even ‘One Of America’s Top 8 Live Acts,’ by RSL Music – how does that feel and what effect does it have on the music?”
CG: “Accolades are great–it's awesome to know that people appreciate your work–but for every positive word printed there are always negative reviews. We don't let it influence our thinking too much… but we are glad that people are paying attention.”
TR: “What’s the main goal of putting out a new album?”
CG: “Aside from achieving world peace? We record songs when we think they're ready and hopefully the collection of recordings turns into an album that has a creative arc to it. We've been working on the next album already because we enjoy the writing process and have amazing fans who listen and share music with their friends. If it weren't for those folks, I guess there wouldn't really be a point.”
TR: “Describe the feeling you get before heading out on tour, and the impact it has on the band.”
CG: “We tour a lot, but this tour is particularly exciting because we just released a new record, “Hexagon.” We've been playing the songs from that record for a while, but people (ourselves included) like hearing stuff they know live, so now that the recordings are out there, it should be a lot more fun. The new songs are fun to play and that's really the feeling that we all share. That and our excitement to eat a lot of Taco Bell, who hooked us up on this tour so we can crush Fourthmeal on the reg.”
TR: “What should guests of the performance expect out of live shows?”
CG: “We change up the set every night, so I guess we can't really tell you what to expect. We're trying a lot of new stuff on this tour–new equipment, sampler instruments that we built in our studio, etc.–so the live arrangements change from night to night. We tour so much that we'd all go crazy if we played the same set every night. You can definitely expect outstanding sets from Mikaela Davis and Torches though, who we're thrilled about touring with.”
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