GODS OF SOMETIMES have released their debut album. The duo is Brad Davis (Fu Manchu) and Andrew Giacumakis (Moab), who are accompanied by a number of friends and guests on this 9 track collection of somewhat laid back, almost folky, psychedelic, pop, and melodic album. Below Brad and Andrew answer questions pertaining to the making of the album, their influences, and other projects on the go. For more on Gods Of Sometimes and/or to order the album- check out the links below!
Can you guys tell me a bit about how this project came together, and your connections in previous bands?
Andrew: Brad and I had worked together on multiple Fu Manchu related projects over the last decade or so, me as an engineer/producer. We developed a friendship based on shared musical influences, love of records, love of movies, and vans (the shoes). Haha. We were both itching to do something outside of the heavy music genre we were associated with, just as a change of pace. We started writing songs together and it slowly morphed into a real project.
Where did the band name come from? (other than the song)
Andrew: Lyrics to a song. I think I was improvising lyrics and it came out and I thought “that’s an odd thing to say”. It’s got layers to it, which I like. So it stuck.
Gods Of Sometimes isn’t the ‘heavy doom’ rock that previous bands were labelled, but a very more laid back, melodic album, I get vibes of the Beatles, Neil Young, etc .. Can you detail what influenced everything overall (songs, production and sound) and how it differs from previous things you’ve done?
Andrew: The sound/vibe of the album was definitely influenced by our shared tastes and a desire to try something different. I’d also lost my Dad and wasn’t much in the mood for writing heavy music at the time. The mellower direction of the record was sort of a cathartic thing for me in that way. I mean, I don’t think we were specifically trying to NOT be heavy, but more along the lines of trying to create an album that’s more about mood and vibe, and melody. Or at least strive for that. It took a while to sort out exactly what that was, but we got there, eventually.
Can you give me a few antidotes/stories on some of the songs (musically, lyrically) – “In The End”, “Gods of Sometimes” (dig the guitar riff, reminds me of a Genesis song…), “Hand On the Hide” (a very quiet psych feel to this), “Watching For Satellites” … any that stand out for you guys(?)
Andrew:
“In The End” came about really fast. We knew it was a pretty catchy song from the get go. Then Brad put bass on the song and it was like, another level up. Then we luckily got J Mascis to add a guitar solo at the end of the song, and it was exactly what the song needed.
“Stilted Low” seems to be Brad and my favorite song on the album. It’s a slow burner but gets to these really nice moments. We were graced with Joel Robinow’s (Once and Future Band) piano and bkg vocals on this one, which was a total treat. Check out this band if you don’t know them!
“Watching For Satellites” features another guest that we were extremely stoked to have. Steven Drozd from The Flaming Lips blessed us with all the keyboards we could ask for. We sent him a rough sketch of the song and he sent back a zillion keyboard options to pick from. Really cool of him. We were extremely stoked.
Did you have much input in the album cover art, as far as ideas, and can you tell me a bit about it?
Andrew: Our input was that we saw this really cool piece of art by Chad Yenney and bought it! It lended itself perfectly to a cover. Chad’s a really talented artist who does these layered photo pieces that are just really cool visually. He also did the video for Gods Of Sometimes and the rest of the layout for the album art. Brad liked the moon theme so he did direct Chad on the back cover concept and Chad did the rest. So no, we didn’t have much to do with the art other than recognizing Chad’s gnarly work and getting him involved.
You’re basically a duo, but the album includes a lot of guests. How did many of those guests involvement come about, and might you enlist many of them (or others) for live shows?
Brad: A number of the guests I crossed paths with playing in my band Fu Manchu. Bob, the guitarist in Fu Manchu interviewed J Mascis for his playthisriff website and I in turn had contacted him about my guitar pedal company many years ago. Like the other guests on the album, they were lured in by promises of free fuzz pedals haha. I’ve known Steven Drozd since the 90’s. Mostly from me being a huge Flaming Lips fan and having friends in the music business in common with him. We were able to work with Joel Robinow because of our friend Eli who also plays in “Once And Future Band”. Eli also plays in a band named Drunkhorse with whom Fu Manchu has shared the stage with back in the day. We were blown away by the opportunity to collaborate with all of them. We’re still figuring out how we can play out live. Hopefully at some point the stars will align and we’ll be able to have one of them join us onstage!
What else do you guys have going on at this time (w/ other bands), and is there any songwriting or plans for a follow-up to the Gods of Sometimes album?
Brad: Right now, Fu Manchu is wrapping up the writing part of our new record. Recording very soon. Me and Andrew have already gotten together and started laying the groundwork for a new Gods Of Sometimes full length.
Can you each drop us a few of your main musical influences, as well as a ‘top 10’ list of fave albums from your youth?
Andrew: Pretty standard stuff for me, in no particular order:
– Artists – Beatles, Bread, Floyd, Neil Young, Bowie, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Lips, War, Carpenters, Zombies, ELO, Supertramp, Beethoven.
– Albums – Sgt Peppers, Revolver, Meddle, Harvest, Soft Bulletin, Physical Graffiti, Paranoid, Breakfast in America, Odessey and Oracle
Brad: As far as influences that make their way into Gods Of Sometimes I would say: Beatles, Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips, Neil Young, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Crosby Stills Nash, Jimi Hendrix
Albums that made a big impact on me…
Zaireeka (Flaming Lips), Electric Ladyland (Hendrix), Vol 4 (Sabbath), Abbey Road (Beatles), After The Goldrush (Neil Young), Desperado (Eagles), Gluey Porch Treatments (The Melvins)
LINKS:
https://linktr.ee/godsofsometimes
https://godsofsometimes.bandcamp.com/album/gods-of-sometimes
Outsider Rock 