Author: Emma Loggins
Date: 2008-09-29


Interview:
We had the pleasure of interviewing Gabe Dixon and Jano Rix when they were in Atlanta a few weekends ago. We talked with them about the band's history, their future, and their favorite TV shows. Here's what they had to say:

Tell me a little bit about how you guys got started.

J. Rix: I can answer this one. Winston and I, me and the bass player, were living in a house together and we needed a roommate. Someone told me that Gabe was a cool, trustworthy guy and that's all I knew. Little did I know [Laughs]. I walked up to him one day and was like 'You don't know me but do you want to live in this house with us?' And he said 'Sure.' And that's how it started.

And the following semester, we were at school and I did an on-campus coffee house performance. We got those guys to perform with me eventually. The response was really great from people that were there, and we decided that we needed to keep it up.

Cool. And that was nine years ago?

G. Dixon: Approximately, yes.

How would you describe your musical involvement since your first album?

G. Dixon: Well, I think the first album was a lot less song-oriented, more geared toward playing, and we had a lot more jazz influence at that time. We were a little more experimental. Between that time and now, I think all three of us have gained an appreciation for song-craft and really great arrangements, the kind of arrangements that really support the song and the vocals. We kind of try to tap into, I guess, some of our early influences, you know? Like early 70's, rock and pop. Basically we've gone from a jam-oriented band to a song-oriented band.

Cool. Who would you say some of your influences were?

G. Dixon: My biggest influences are from the 70's, I mean, when I was 12 years old I got obsessed with early Elton John, '71-'73, energetic, creative stuff. Also we all love Joni Mitchell a lot, and her album Blue just blows our mind still today. Jackson Brown, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder... that's just kinda some of the ones from that era. Of course we have lots of influences now, every day. Every time we hear something new and it's great, somehow it ends up coming out in our sound.

And what's your favorite song that you guys do, for this album or your last?

G. Dixon: I don't have a favorite. You know, different ones suit different times in your life, I guess. Sometimes I just want to have fun and kinda not be too serious, so "Till You're Gone" is my favorite at that time. Other times I'm very reflective and I need some kind of hope, so that's when "All Will Be Well" is my favorite but... they're all different. If I'm feeling kind of romantic or whatever, "Babydoll" is the one. But it's nice cause we just put out our album out so it's still fresh to us, so we're still kind of exploring what we've done.