Local rockers Gabbard Brothers discuss new label, new sound
Jul. 23—What do Thee Shams, Buffalo Killers and Gabbard Brothers have in common? They're all musical outlets from Zach and Andy Gabbard. The projects share a common retro-rock approach, but the siblings continue to expand their sound on "Gabbard Brothers."
Zach and Andy, who grew up in Middletown, recently discussed their new self-titled full-length. It was released on July 15 by Karma Chief Records, an imprint of Loveland-based Colemine Records.
Remote recording
Zach: "We did the record while we were on lockdown. I'd do it in my studio and Andy would do it in his studio. It was nice to be able to keep doing what you love even though everything else was in complete chaos."
Andy: "We've always recorded in the same room at the same time, so this was an experimental time for us. We did everything via The Cloud. We shared the files and built songs. It was a little discouraging at times but, by the end of it, we pretty much had it down."
Sibling connection
Zach: "We talked about doing the next record by ourselves as Gabbard Bros., but we've never really discussed anything. We just go do the work and it always seems to match up. The flow is good on the records. It matches up because we do lead the same lives. We're still together all the time. We both have families, and our kids are growing up, so it always seems to mesh well."
Andy: "We've been doing stuff together for so long. We both work the same. We know you can't beat a song into the ground. You just get a recording of it while it's hot. We've never done anything and not been happy with it. We just kind of roll with it and everything always turns out pretty cool. We just try not to overthink it. I'm sure we do repeat ourselves in some ways but neither of us has any interest in doing something unless it's a new approach or something we haven't done."
Colemine Records
Andy: "Colemine is a family-run business, and they make you feel like you're part of their family. Terry (Cole) and everyone is really supportive. There's no second-guessing anything. They're always ready to help us go for it."
Zach: "Terry is from Middletown too. He's a perfect example of, if you work really hard, things will happen. No one is coming to find you. No one is giving you a golden ticket. You have to make it on your own."
More info: www.coleminerecords.com.
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
