Identical twins Daniel and Graeme Ross aka Gallery Circus released their latest riff-infused single Club House Killer on October 14th via Think Tank? Records.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with the dynamic duo about their influences, surviving in a digital age, the new project and more.
Full Q&A along with links and streams can be found below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
Graeme and I have always had most fun when we rocked out on stage. After playing together for so long in so many bands, we finally thought, let’s just write music that we’d love to play live (rather than trying to be a studio band or anything like that).
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
When we first went over to the states in 2010 GC was born as some kind of folk style project – it wasn’t until playing few shows out there that we decided we’re gonna have crank up the riffs if we wanted to get accepted on the punk rock scene – which we fell in love with; it was all about attitude and making sure your off stage behaviour lived up to some form of crazy!
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
I love great songwriters especially Bowie, Tom Waits & Regina Spektor. Their play on melodies and lyrics always intrigues me, so I do my best to find what makes their recordings so special and try to apply it to the noise I make (dashing in some riffs for good measure)
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Our new EP has been a long time in the making! We recorded it over last summer and it definitely represents how we’ve grown and taken shape over the past couple years of gigging a fair bit. We still love big riffs and interesting melodies, but we’ve shed some of our bluesier skin. The title track from the EP: Chi-Town Dogs showcases a lot of piano, something we’ve brought into the live set recently as we’re always striving to create more sound than you think two people are capable of. All four tracks re-tell crazy stories we’ve experienced over the years as twins living in the states and the UK – from accidentally burning buildings down; escaping the Chicago police department on rooftops to breaking out of a smoke filled building in Stoke.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song I listened to was `we used to wait` by Arcade Fire
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Graeme and I were the CD generation, so I still have a soft spot for CDs – I love cover inlays. I remember as a kid going through the early Blur cover inlays, they had the lyrics and chords annotated on them, and i loved playing along! You kind of miss that now with digital releases. My car still only plays CDs, so I have a great use for themHow about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
For the consumer these services are great – I love having a full catalogue of music at my fingertips. For the artist trying to make a living however, these are a nightmare! It’s a double edge sword, but I definitely love the digital transition in music, we just need to find a model that allows musicians to get paid a fair price and the consumer doesn’t miss out too
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
There’s so many bands and platforms for music out there, the hardest part is shouting loud enough so that you can be heard! Creating a growing online presence requires a lot of time and effort and is something we’re always aware of – even if it’s not as fun as writing or playing music
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
We’ve toured a great deal over the past few years, and will no doubt be playing live across the UK very soon! We’ve just started experimenting with live streaming so watch this space!
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
Check us out at www.gallerycircus.co.uk – we’re also on the socials, so hit us up on facebook, instagram and twitter too.
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
If someone says it’s either six or two threes. Always go with the two threes. You’ll get a break in the middle, and the last half will be the same as the first, so you’ll probably do it faster.
