The Bay Area’s Gosta Berling is young and fresh sounding band that are gently dipping themselves into the budding San Francisco music scene. Covered in 90s shoegaze influence as well a British pop vulnerability, Gosta Berling bring an amateurish shine to the genre while still sounding experienced. Taking their name from the 1924 Swedish silent film called The Saga of Gosta Berling, the band shows their seriousness behind their art and hopes you do to.
You can catch Gosta Berling at Rasputin Music in Berkeley on April 11th for free at 2pm. Their new EP entitled Travel is available here.
This week he have bassist Greg Dubrow answering the Kuestionnaire and shares some humorous stage moments.
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1. Could you state your name and what you do in the band?
Greg Dubrow, bass and backing vocals.
2. How would you describe your sound?
Postpunk/shoegaze/indie
3. What is your favorite local band?
Can’t choose from among them – Invisible Cities, The Matinees, Love is Chemicals, Goh Nakamura.
4. Any concerts that blew your mind recently?
Billy Bragg at GAMH back in October. He never disappoints.
5. Any non-musical influences you would like to mention?
Film, especially old movies. Many of our songs are about films and old Hollywood.
6. If your music was to be the theme of a film/TV show, what would it be?
Secret Life of an American Teenager
7. What musician/artist would you like to collaborate with for a day?
Lou Reed.
8. What is the album you listen to on a cold rainy day?
The National, Boxer
9. List four songs you would listen to on a roadtrip?
Velvet Underground, “Venus in Furs”; My Bloody Valentine, “Only Shallow”; Replacements “Bastards of Young”; Invisible Cites “Flipped Out”.
10. Where do you see yourselves in 7 years?
Hopefully still making music.
11. What is the last book you read?
Still reading “Let the Right One In”.
12. Is image a factor in music or is it a waste of time?
Somewhere in between. Even bands who claim not to have an image are using anti-image as an image. For us it varies by band member. Damon’s very into it, the rest of us fall at different points on the spectrum.
13. Any embarrassing moments on stage you would like to share?
Well, this happened to me in another band, years ago. And not really embarrassing, I guess. I was playing the Khyber Pass in Philadelphia with The Idle Wilds and a ceiling tile fell on my head mid-song. But I kept right on playing.
More recently I was doing a one-song guest spot with The Matinees at El Rio. I went on stage, picked up my bass and no sound came from the amp. Took me a couple of minutes to notice that I wasn’t plugged in. Professional!
14. Any favorite tour locations?
We haven’t toured, so hard to say. But personally I’m a fan of Denmark. But then, I was born there. I was in Iceland this summer and loved it. I’d love for us to play there.
15. Lastly, what is your present state of mind?
Somewhere between “doing alright” and “you don’t wanna know”. But then I’m filling this out on a Friday night after a long work week. By Saturday night it’ll be even better than “doing alright”.
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[mp3] Gosta Berling – Across the Lake from Travel EP (2010)
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[mp3] Love is Chemicals – Our Darkest Days and Nights from Song of the Summer Youth Brigade (2008)