from http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/gaslight-anthem-0420/
The Gibson Interview: Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem
Jeremy Singer
04.20.2010
New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem have quickly surfaced as one of the punk underground’s most accomplished musical units after completing successful tours with acts like Against Me!, the Loved Ones and the Bouncing Souls. Lead singer and guitarist Brain Fallon tells Gibson.com about his musical heroes Eric Clapton and Eddie Vedder and the experience of having Bruce Springsteen join them on stage at the Glastonbury Festival last summer.
You are due to tour the UK in June to showcase tracks from your forthcoming third studio album American Slang. Your UK tour will see you perform at the Reading & Leeds Festival and in Hyde Park supporting Pearl Jam. What can your fans expect from The Gaslight Anthem this summer?
This tour is all about playing the new record as well as the old ones. We're going to pull out some very cool covers, some old songs we haven't played in a while, and pretty much all of the new record. We're going to mix it up for people. We always have surprises live
Last year saw the Boss, Mr. Bruce Springsteen, join you on stage for a blistering performance of “The 59 Sound.” Have you got any other icons of rock to join you on stage this summer?
So far, just the big man. He set the bar high so everybody else might be shy. There's always an open invite to Eric Clapton, pass that on. I'd love to hear Eddie Vedder sing with us. He’s been a huge hero for me since I was very young.
Your new studio album American Slang is due June 14th and you have said the tracks make some bold statements. Do these bold statement reflect your experiences of life on the road and your rapid rise to fame?
Well, I don't usually write songs about being in a band. I don't think people would find that very interesting. This record has to do with me as a person. I've been chasing this dream of being a musician all my life with everything inside me. I never really dealt with myself and what I felt and what had happened to me all my life. I was moving so fast I ignored a lot of feelings and buried them way down. This record’s about personal things.
Talk us through the various Gibson guitars you and your guitarist Alex Rosamilia have been using in the recording studio and what you’ll be taking out on the road. Will it consist of the Gibson Custom Les Paul Junior and your ‘56 Goldtop Les Paul Standard?
Guitars were a big thing for us on this record; this is the first record we had "custom shop" or high quality guitars around. We both really fell in love with Gibson Les Paul’s this last year on tour, both of us. For this record, Alex and I used Les Paul’s exclusively for all of our main tracks and 99% of the overdubs. I used a '56 Les Paul Goldtop VOS and a Les Paul Traditional for all my tracks, and one 1957 Original Les Paul Junior. My VOS '57 Junior that Bruce played is in an airtight vault in New Jersey where only the mayor has the key.
On tour we never take any other guitars. There's no point. You can get any sound you need with the guitars we have. I get everything from either the P90's in my Goldtop or the Humbuckers in my Traditional. Now for Alex, he really gets everything. He has a Black 1990's Les Paul Custom, three pickup model, with coil taps and out of phase switches. It's really amazing what he can do with that guitar. He also has the new Traditional Pro Les Paul with the coil taps. So we don't have any need for anything else. I mean, you find a guitar you connect with and you keep it. The others, they fall by the wayside.
Can you elaborate on how your sound as a band has developed on the new album “American Slang” and if the Gibson guitars both you and Alex play have helped create that perfect sound.
I think our sound that we've developed for this record is what we'll stay with throughout our careers. For me, I always played guitars that my heroes played for that reason only, but I couldn't play my best on them and I always felt my sound was thin. I'll never forget the day I got my first '56 Les Paul Goldtop VOS in my hands. I was able to play comfortably because I have big hands, and the big ‘50s necks are perfect for me. But really, the main thing is the sound of the guitars; they helped me shape what was in my head. I heard the sounds of the old John Mayall Bluesbreaker records, and old Fleetwood Mac, when Peter Green was the singer. It really enabled me to hear different types of sounds, which inspired me to write things I never would've thought of before. On a lot of our old records I would always have to play big open cowboy chords, and that's it because I had to fill a certain space up sonically, and I was limited. I don't have to do that now; I've found the finesse again. I've also found a guitar I feel is an extension of my fingers. It kind of speaks to me a little. I'm very precious about guitars.
What was your stand-out moment on your last UK tour, and what made it so special for you?
Playing at Shepherd's Bush Empire was a big thing for me. There's a lot of musical history in the UK for me at the different venues. A lot of my favorite bands are from there, and they played all these venues on the way up. The fact that I get to play some venues the Rolling Stones played is pretty amazing to me.
What bands or artists were your big inspirations prior to forming The Gaslight Anthem, and do you feel that subconsciously they influenced your bands sound and image?
The Clash and The Rolling Stones are very heavy on me now and always. Those are the two bands that I feel got it all right, the songs, the look, and the whole thing. If we could be like that one day, classic...timeless. That's the goal.
How have you been dealing with your bands rise to fame in the past eighteen months? Do you feel it has changed you as people or altered your perspective on the music industry at large?
We haven't changed at all as people. We're not living like people think we are. It's kind of funny to hear people's views on our success. We're always going to be the same four guys. We grew up rough and hard working, and we know where our values are. We’ll never forget where we came from. I'm very aware of the graciousness of our audience and the press. We don't take that for granted. As a person, I'm not 19. I've kinda figured out my opinions and values and standards. Success at any rate doesn't make me a better person or a more valuable person. It makes me a person who's very grateful for what I'm allowed to do for a living.
Where do you see The Gaslight Anthem in ten years from now, and how do you see the music industry evolving over that period?
In ten years I hope we're still making records people find relevant, or else I hope we're smart enough to shut it down before we jump the shark. I think the music industry has been very greedy to its artists. They trick artists into signing things that are so horrible it should be illegal. Tom Waits says, "The large print giveth, the fine print taketh away..." and that's the truth. That's why we've stayed independent. Side One Dummy and a few others are still treating bands like partners in this whole thing. The labels need to understand that it's a team between band and label, a group effort. It's so clear when you're not blinded by greed. "Art before commerce," that's what my friend Bill Armstrong says. I also think the music industry will survive. People need music.
Finally if you could have written any one timeless classic track or album which one would it have been and why?
I wish I wrote "Layla." I'm glad I didn't have the situation that caused the song to be written, but as a song, I wish that was the one. It's a masterpiece. The riff is amazing, and Duane Allman's guitar work on his Les Paul on that song is flawless. That vocal on that record is what I strive for, that complete and utter abandon. It's urgency at its finest moment.
Subject: Brian interviewed by Gibson (April 2010) 
Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:20 pm
