The
Gadjits' Rock N' Roll Fantasy
by Aaron Weber, for The ZoneIn high school
I spent many a moment poised before the mirror, air guitar in hand. I was rocking the
crowds along with Joe Strummer and Paul Westerberg, whipping entire stadiums into a rock
n' roll frenzy with guitar tricks Pete Townsend could only dream about. I was the epitome
of the vagabond life of today's traveling minstrel. But when the CD was over, I returned
to my (sometimes) mundane existence as a average teenager, who didn't understand why all
the girls went for the jerky athletics and not the "deep, sensitive" guys like
myself.
While I would freak out in embarrassed indignation if ever I was to be caught in such a
defenseless and "uncool" situation (by my parents or friends), I think it's safe
to say that any music lover worth their salt can cop to a similar experience at least once
in their life. Ah the rock n' roll dream - as much a part of the American experience as
winning the lottery or something for nothing... |
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For most us, that dream was just so much fancy
that occupied those few moments when not thinking of whomever we were frustratingly
infatuated with that week (Laura Bublitz held that not so coveted title for nigh three
years). For the Phillip brothers that make up the core of the Johnson County born Gadjits,
that dream has kicked reality's ass from Hell to breakfast. The Gadjits (comprised of brothers Brandon (guitar/vocals), Zack (bass/vocals),
and Adam Phillips (drums) along with keyboardist Hillary Allen) have found themselves in
the midst of a Manhattan Beach fashion shoot for Rolling Stone, critical and |
| popular raves for their CD
"At Ease", and smack dab in the middle of the über-tour of punkdom, the Van's
Warped Tour, sharing a stage with such luminaries as Bad Religion, the Mighty Mighty
Bosstones, Reverend Horton Heat, and NOFX. Hanson,
they ain't.
| I spoke with Adam & Hillary after their
Friday night set on the Lazer's Rock stage at this year's Spirit Fest. I'd met the band
before at a Bottleneck show and had been impressed by their straightforwardness and almost
self-effacing attitude. A two week stint on the Warped Tour and three columns in Rolling
Stone had done little to tarnish the friendly and open way in which they dealt with fans
and fellows alike. |
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When asked about what it felt like to share
a stage with one's heroes for two weeks, Adam replied, "It wasn't like a typical
festival, with all the small bands going on first, then the big acts. They mixed it around
and we'd be going on after the (Mighty Mighty) Bosstones and before Reverend Horton Heat.
We couldn't really fool around. There are 15,000 kids out there screaming and yelling and
we had to go out there and kick ass. It really made us take it seriously and do our
best."
The Gadjits' association with Rancid is fairly well
documented, as Tim Armstrong brought the Gadjits to his label, Hellcat, as well as
producing their album. The Phillip brothers had some time to get used to it, but as
Hillary said, "When I joined up, they already knew Tim so they'd go out to California
and stay with him. I thought 'this is just so weird'. Tim thought I didn't like him for a
long time." |
By now, all four are used to the experience,
but how was it touring with bands that have been doing it for almost the entirety of their
lives?
"Everybody was really cool to us," Adam explained. "All the bands treated
us the same as everyone else, but the crew guys weren't quite as good about getting water
and stuff like that," he laughed.The Gadjits
have just finished up recording their follow up LP (as yet untitled), which should be
available sometime in January. I asked about what kind of touring they expected to do...
"We've got a couple more festival shows, then we'll be
out touring with other bands for awhile," Adam explained. |
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It's been long said that as
popular as a band gets on the road, they're never quite as appreciated in their hometown.
The Gadjits were very nearly a fixture at the now defunct Daily Grind, and they graced the
stage of Olathe's Gee Coffee quite often as well. I asked how it felt to come back to
Kansas City and play after such a explosive summer and Adam and Hillary mentioned how it
was strange to come home.
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"Well, it's
been weird because we've been playing all these festival-type shows and there's 15-20,000
people out there. It's definitely hard to go back to playing to a couple hundred
people." Another local punk outfit, The Get-Up
Kids, have a similar fate. Hillary recounted how whenever they would meet new bands on the
road, the first thing that gets said is, "Kansas City? Do you know the Get-Up
Kids?" The Get-Up Kids have quite the following all over the states, but have also
made the cross-over to Asia it seems. "In Japan, there's like AC/DC, Cocknoose, and
the Get-Up Kids. They're HUGE over there." |
As I said before, the Gadjits are nice
people. The shock and tumble of their good fortune has done nothing to chip away at their
approach towards their music and their fans. Not only do they put out an amazingly
energetic live show, there is an honesty and urgency to their music that draws you in,
until you find yourself skanking along with the rest of the crowd. This talent, combined
with a refreshingly open and humble attitude, is surely enough to make them household
names. Chances are, you've heard "Beautiful Girl" or "Traffic Tickets"
on the radio. Prepare yourself, because I can almost guarantee you're going to hear more
of them. |
More
Gadjits photos coming soon to our Photo Gallery...
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