The Gaslight Anthem Get Grungy in Nashville

http://www.spin.com/articles/gaslight-anthem-get-grungy-nashville

Brian Fallon explains how some surprising '90s icons influenced his band's new album

When Brian Fallon is trying to concentrate, he doesn't want to see you. So when the frontman for New Jersey blue-collar punks Gaslight Anthem and his bandmates — guitarist Alex Rosamillia, bassist Alex Levin, and drummer Benny Horowitz — were set to record their fourth full-length album, Handwritten, due in June, they had to get out of the Garden State. As a result, they hightailed it to a city known for producing some pretty okay music.

"We were just kinda like, 'Hey, anyone know anybody in Nashville?' " recounts Fallon. The answer was a resounding no. "It was literally that simple," says the raspy-voiced singer. Well, not quite. Unbeknownst to Gaslight, their producer, Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam) happened to have his own studio in Music City.

Great read, Im glad Brian is excited to play arenas in his future. I hate it when people say they shouldn't get big/ play big shows. They deserve it.

Also they had a typo, its Levine, not Levin.

Debonair wrote:

Great read, Im glad Brian is excited to play arenas in his future. I hate it when people say they shouldn't get big/ play big show. They deserve it.

I know-it reminds me of the local band down here called Shinedown. When I talked to lead singer Brent Smith on New Year’s Eve 2006, I asked him when they were gonna play a local beach bar that holds 700 people again. (This was when they had only 2 CDs and were not really well known.) Brent said, "Man, we wanna play arenas, but don't worry we wil still do the small venues for our real fans cuz we know they love that.”

And true to his word—they played arenas in 2008-10 and then this tour they are doing many small venues like Ram’s Head in Baltimore.

I hope Gaslight follows the same path.

I understand why fans are saying they don't want to play the big arenas, I get that. Their little secret is getting big, but at the same time they should be happy for the band they love. Me, I'm chuffed that the guys are getting this chance to bring their music to a bigger picture, and I can be proud to say that I was there was the early days, and have plenty to back that claim up, and be able to enjoy the journies that lay ahead.

I guess it's the same way I don't have a lot of time for people labelling bands as sell-outs or whatever, end of the day, that's why most bands are there, to be famous and travel the world. I don't think those people that are labelling them that, are going to pay their bills for them...

/rant.

and... we have part of Handwritten's lyrics now!

Bea wrote:

and... we have part of Handwritten's lyrics now!

Haha yeah!

I know someone brought up the photo before (probably in the handwritten thread) and got a couple of words from it. But unfortunately as a whole they werent able to make out alot.

Man there is some serious Brian Fallon hate on the comments on the Spin website for this article.

seriously, the posters on punknews are some of the biggest pricks you can imagine.

Posting about Handwritten before they've heard it. Oh, the internet. She's a devil at times.

I'm slightly apprehensive about the record I must admit. I don't wanna fall out of love with this band!

riversedge wrote:

I'm slightly apprehensive about the record I must admit. I don't wanna fall out of love with this band!

Any thoughts on what you've heard so far?