Lord is this some sweet psychedelia.  The in-the-red recording and slightly
blown-out production just adds to the insane bad ass shreddery and in your face
riffage that threatens to melt it off from the time you hit play, until the
final note explodes from the speakers into your decimated eardrums.  The first thing that really caught me about
Gesso’s debut full-length Howling Grace was the absolutely gnarled, distorted,
fuzzy bass that crunched and trundled about, propelling the guitar work and
tight drums into the stratosphere.  The
chest rumbling thunder of four-string sonic assault is aided by tight distorted
guitar leads that thread in and out of the songs like a needle in some cosmic
fabric of space and time, all interlocked with the perfectly apt drumming,
occasional saxophone appearance and enough trippy space sounds to keep you
floating out of body and mind the whole time. 
There’s some pretty great acid jazz and space rock going on here, amidst
dead ahead instrumental psych rock and some nice mid-tempo melodies that will
have you slow-motion head banging within seconds.  Gesso truly is the real deal.  I heard a stream of Howling Grace awhile back
and really just got tired of waiting for them to announce something and thought
I’d bother them to see if I could get my grubby mitts on any juicy details
about upcoming releases or recording sessions! 
Dig some full on details about what’s been, what’s coming and exactly
what Gesso has planned for the future as well below, and remember to keep it
psychedelic baby!

Listen
while you read: http://gesso.bandcamp.com/

What is the lineup
for Gesso at this point?  Has this always
been the lineup or have there been any changes since the band began?

We are Ruben
(Drums), Flávio (Bass) and Joel (Guitar/Sax). 
This is the original line up since we started.

Are any of you
involved in any other bad or side projects at this point?  Have you released any music with anyone in
the past at all?  If so, can you tell us
a little about that?

Well, both of
us have done man things in the past.  But
we live only for Gesso now…  Well, I have
some side projects going on too in different genres jazz, folk pimba and
extreme music.

How old are you
and where are you originally from?

We’re from
Santo Tirso, Portugal and we’re too old to be young!

What was the local
music scene like where you grew up?  Do
you feel like you were very influenced by that scene?  Did you see a lot of shows or were you very
involved in the scene back then?

The scene here
in town isn’t too strong.  The only great
band in Santo Tirso is Leões da Batalha and they’re our biggest influence.

What about your
home when you were younger?  Were either
your parents or any of your relatives either musicians, or extremely
interested/involved in music when you were a kid?

No, none one of
our parents were musicians.

What do you
consider your first real exposure to music to be?

Well, I’m not
so sure about that.  Maybe when you write
the first song of your life and you show a friend, or someone you’re close to
is the beginning of the real exposure of your work and that responsibility
grows with time.  I hope that makes
sense.

If you were to
pick a moment of music, a moment that seemed to change everything and opened
your eyes to the infinite possibilities that music presents, what would it be?

I think it’s
when we write a epic song, “that” song which will stay forever in our hearts
and later and later I think “We real did this, Deus me livre*”!

(*Editor’s note: 
Roughly translated Deus me livre means, “God forbid”.)

When did you
decide that you wanted to start writing and performing your own music?  What brought that decision about for you?

It’s something
that comes naturally when you’re making jam sessions, playing with friends for
a good minute and everything emerges. 
When the dedication and taste are together, it’s easy to feel the flow
and performance.

What was your
first instrument?  When and how did you
get that?

Joel: The flute in
school when I was ten, and a few years later I started playing guitar.

Ruben:  Reco-reco and
bass in “Conjunto Filármonico de Burgães” at seven years old.

Flávio:  At twelve
years old I played Ferrinhos in “Os Padroeiros de Guimarei” and then later
bass.

When and how did
the members of Gesso originally meet?

We’ve been
friends for many years.  Two of us met
when they’re working at Lidl and the other one worked at Pão de Açucar.

What led to the
formation of Gesso and when would that have been?

It was a normal
summer day when we decided to rehearse together for fun, as we did sometimes
before we started Gesso.  It came from
our relationship, nothing else.

What does the name
Gesso mean or refer to?  Who came up with
the name and how did you all go about choosing it?  Were there any close seconds, or runner up
names that you all almost went with?

Well, Gesso is
a special expression that our group of friends uses to describe some band we
see or listen to live with a heavy, extremely compact and intense sound.  We’ll say, “That’s a fucking Gesso” or in
Portuguese, “Ca’ punha de Gesso”, Gesso actually refers too a compound of
plaster of Paris used for sculpture, not as awesome as our definition.

Is there any sort
of creed, code, ideal or mantra that Gesso shares or lives by?

Not
really.  Just play loud, very loud until
shake some starts to shake their hams. 
In Portuguese is more beautiful to say “Até abanar uns presuntos*”.

(*Editor’s note: 
Roughly translated this means, “Shake up a few hams”.)

Where’s the band
located at these days?

Joel:  In our
beautiful and peaceful town of Santo Tirso.

How would you
describe the local music scene where you all are at right now?

As I said
before, there’s actually not really a strong scene here.

Are you very
involved in the local scene in your opinion? 
Do you book or attend a lot of local shows or anything?

No, not really.

Are you involved
in recording or releasing any local music at all, and if so can you tell us
about that briefly now?

We aren’t
involved in anything outside of the band.

Has the local
scene played a large or important role in shaping the sound, history or
evolution of Gesso in your opinion?  Do
you feel like you all could be doing what you are and sound like you do
regardless of your location or surroundings or has the scene there played an
integral role in your opinion?

Gesso doesn’t
belong to any kind of music scene here, we stick to ourselves and we like it
that way.  Our music emerges from our
special influences and tastes, and is not only psychedelic, or rock, or
stoner…  It’s more than that.  Of course, we have some contacts and good
friends and bands that thankfully support and follow us, they’re all good
people.  We don’t get involves so much in
“scenes” or strange “societies”.  We live
in peace.

While we’re
talking so much about the history and makeup of the band can you share who some
of your major musical influences with us? 
What about influences on the band as a whole rather than just
individually?

We have similar
influences between us.  As we said
before, the greatest of those is Leões da Batalha, a band from Santo Tirso and
some others like Cid, Tony Carreira, Nucha, and Marante. 

How would you
describe Gesso’s sound to our readers who might not have heard you before in
your own words?

Loud and
psychedelic.

What’s the
songwriting process like with Gesso?  Is
there someone who usually comes to the rest of the band with a riff or finished
idea for a song, or do you all just kind of get together and kick ideas back
and forth until you work out an idea together as a band?

We have jam
sessions and work together as a band. 
Ideas always appear when we play together.  It’s the best way for us.

What about
recording?  I mean, I think most
musicians can appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making an album
when they’re holding that finished product in their hands; there’s not a lot
that beats holding your own album. 
Getting to that point though, getting everything recorded and sounding
the way that you want it to, especially as a band, can be extremely difficult
to say the least.  What’s it like
recording for Gesso?

It’s very easy,
because I’m a producer too.  We have the
time, space and freedom to do what we want, and we’re always together for
that.  We can play, drink, fart and laugh
at the same time.

Do you all prefer
to head into a studio and let someone else handle the technical aspects of
recording so you can kind of kick back and concentrate on performing, or do you
all take a more do-it-yourself approach toe recording where you handle things
on your own time and turf?

We bring stuff
into the studio and handle everything ourselves.  We can improvise in the studio and perform
it, record and then produce it.  If we
want to record in a public bathroom, we’ll do it.  No limits.

Do you all spend a
lot of time working things out as far as the songs go, getting every little
nook and cranny of a song figured out? 
Or do you all kind of get a good idea of what a song’s going to sound
like before you head into the studio while leaving some room for change and
evolution during recording?

We get a good
idea and work on it in rehearsals, and then we do a pre-record recording, or a
room demo with something that can record, a cellphone for example…  That’s not really important; it’s just for
catching the “fish”.  After that, we
listen to the big fish we caught with cold ears and cook it.  Then later on, we figure out if it’s a good
recipe to eat or not.

In 2011 you
released your first release that I know of the self-released Névoa Baixa, Sol
Que Racha EP CDR.  What was the recording
of the material for Névoa Baixa, Sol Que Racha like?  Was that a fun pleasurable experience for you
all?  When and where was that recorded
at?  Who recorded it?  What kind of equipment was used?

Névoa Baixa,
Sol Que Racha was a premature release. 
We needed something recorded to sell at shows and take on the road.  We got this EP done in one month.  It was recorded in our rehearsal space with
not so optimal conditions and the few materials we had.  We made in one week, one take.  The production isn’t that good, but the
feeling’s there.  It was an exciting
experience because it was our first time recording.

You followed up
Névoa Baixa, Sol Que Racha with another self-released CDR Howling Grace.  Was the recording of the material for Howling
Grace very different than your earlier EP? 
What kind of equipment was used this time around?  When was the Howling Grace material
recorded?  Who recorded it?

Like our EP
Névoa Baixa, Sol Que Racha, Howling Grace was recorded and produced with in
pretty rough conditions too.  It’s very
different from the EP.  It’s got better
composition and final production.  But in
some way, there’s a similar pattern between them.  It’s Gesso, nothing more, nothing less.  We did everything ourselves, recording,
producing, mastering, etcetera.  We used
our rehearsal room for recording and the production; I was the one who coordinated
the whole thing.  The equipment was
mostly the same as the EP, only a few new amplifiers and monitors.  Mostly the same kind of stuff, you know?

Does Gesso have
any other music that we haven’t talked about, maybe a single or a song on a
compilation that I might not know about?

No.  We’ve only released those two works.

With the release
of Howling Grace about a year out, are there any other releases in the works or
planned for Gesso at this point?

Yes.  We’ll be trying to create some news songs and
work on them for a new album or EP we just don’t know when we’ll get it done.

I know you all
self-released the CDR versions of both, Howling Grace and Névoa Baixa, Sol Que
Racha.  Were those releases limited, and
if so how many copies were they limited to? 
Are the both out of print at this point or can you still pick them up
directly from you?

Yes, very
limited because we released it ourselves. 
I think Névoa Baixa, Sol Que Racha and Howling Grace were more or less
limited to fifty physical copies each. 
We could press more, but we think Howling Grace deserves a better
release with higher quality.  It’s difficult
to afford quality editions though.

Where’s the best
place for interested readers to keep up on the latest news like upcoming shows
and album releases from Gesso at?

Facebook and
Bandcamp.

Are there any
major plans or goals that Gesso’s looking to accomplish in the rest of 2014?

Create new songs and maybe save the summer with some
gigs.  We’ll see.

Do you all spend a
lot of time out on the road touring?  Do
you enjoy being out on the road?  What’s
it like being out on the road for Gesso?

In the past, we
did a lot of gigging but we actually, don’t spend much time on the road.  We very much enjoy being on the road, because
it’s nice to take trips with friends and visit some new places that we never
been to.  It’s always a pleasant change
from our day out of our week routines.

What, if anything,
do you have anything planned as far as touring goes for the rest of the year
(2014)?

Well, I don’t
know.  The summer’s coming and we don’t
have any dates setup.  Maybe things will
happen in 2015.

Who are some of
your personal favorite bands you’ve had a chance to play with over the last few
years?

We’ve played
with some great bands like Samsara Blues Experiment (Interview here) and
Sungrazer, but we want to play with Leões da Batalha.  That’s the one!

In your dreams,
who are you on tour with?

Leões da
Batalha with Sabrina as the special guest.

Do you have any
funny or interesting stories from live shows or performances that you’d like to
share here with our readers?

We have tons of
interesting stories, because each day we’re out on the road something always
happens. Of course, I won’t describe all of them!  Once, in a city called Lamego, kind of a
landscape city, very beautiful, we played on this corner on a summer afternoon
and the drums and mics were slipping on us. 
It was a mobile and short concert, because we played so loud that the
neighbors get very upset and called the police, on a summer afternoon!  All we saw was a small group of police coming
at us like a civil war.  On that
afternoon, a lot of people showed up to see where the noise was coming;
families, tourists, kids, old people, dogs, dragons, etcetera.  It was a paraphernalia moment.  Not a well-played gig, but definitely very
loud!  Well, it was one special day
because we have been with great friends.

Do you all give a
lot of thought to the visual aspects that represent the band to a large extent,
like flyers, posters, covers and shirt designs? 
Is there any kind of meaning or message that you’re trying to convey
with your artwork?  Is there anyone that
you usually turn to when it comes to your times of need for that kind of
thing?  If so, who is that and how did you
originally get hooked up with them?

I don’t think
we have a specific message or meaning. 
All the visual aspects have some connection to psychedelic trips,
hallucinogenic graphics, soul freedom, and nature.  That’s our music, and that’s what we want to
share, I think.   We usually do all the
artwork ourselves, but sometimes we have help from close friends on that, too.

With all of the
various methods of release that are available to artists today I’m always
curious why they choose and prefer the various mediums that they do.  Do you have a preferred medium of release for
your own music?  What about when you’re
listening to and or purchasing music?

I don’t know, I
don’t think we have a preferred medium. 
It’s kind of random.  In this new
generation, it’s easy to share songs and imagery, like photos and videos, of our
own music with everyone and everywhere; from Tibet to Póvoa.  It’s easy to select various mediums for
promotion.  Nowadays, people buy and
listen more to stuff digitally…  And we
do as well.

Do you have a
music collection at all?  If you do, can
you tell us a bit about it?

Our collections
are very eclectic.  Our collections could
start with David Bowie songs and finish with Roberto Leal or Nelson Ned
stuff.  We just enjoy good music. 

I grew up around a
pretty good collection of music and I was encouraged to listen to anything that
floated my boat from a pretty young age. 
There was something almost magical about kicking back with a set of
headphones, reading the liner notes, staring at the cover art and letting the
whole trip just carry me off.  Having
something to hold in my hands, something physical and concrete to experience
along with the music has always made for a much more complete listening
experience.  Do you have any such
connection with physically released music?

Yes, of
course.  When you like something so much,
it’s special to have the physical stuff; all the artwork and lyrics.  You can only see and study every details on a
physical release.  It’s something for
life.  I think people who love music
know, and have, that feeling.

As much as I love
my music collection I try and keep as much of a digital backup as I can for
several reasons.  Digital backups are
just the beginning though, when you combine digital music with the internet,
that’s when you have a real game changer on your hands.  Together they’ve managed to expose people to
the literal world of music that’s out there and allowed people unparalleled
access to not only the music that’s out there but the actual bands themselves
as well.  On the other hand, while people
may be exposed to a lot more music these days they’re not always inclined to
pay for it, and a lot of people feel like music is becoming this disposable
experience to be used and forgotten about afterwards.  As an artist during the reign of the digital
era, what’s your opinion on digital music and distribution?

Well, like
everything else, it has a good side and a bad side.  The good part’s that your music can travel
around the world because it’s definitely more accessible to everyone.  The bad side is the oversupply of bands, and
to survive that, the music needs to be really, really good with a good
audience.  And forget money, you can only
make money when you’re playing gigs…  And
it’s low sometimes for us.  The true
essence is only on the road.

I try to keep up
with as much good music as I possibly can but there’s just not enough time to
listen to even one percent of the amazing music that’s out there right
now.  Is there anyone from your local
scene or area that I should be listening to that I might not know about?

Leões da
Batalha, Dead Night Nice, Fontiscos Burns, Ecos da Cave, and Gaiteiros da Ponte
Velha.  Most of them are part of the
underground scene like us.

What about
nationally and internationally?

Nationally:
Dead Combo, Mão Morta, Ágata, Carminho, Eusébio, Foge, Foge Bandido, and Marco
Paulo.  Internationally, I think you know
better than us. 

Thank you so much
for taking the time to make it this far, I know my interviews aren’t short but
it’s always awesome getting to learn so much cool stuff about a band!  We’ve made it this far, but before we call it
a day is there anything that I might have possible missed or that you’d just
like to take this time to talk to me or the readers about while you have the
chance?

Thank you for
this moment.  We hope to talk again and
if possible, one day, hit the road on that side of the world.  We are boa gente*!

(*Editor’s Note: 
Roughly translated this means, “good people”.)

DISCOGRAPHY

(2011)  Gesso – Névoa
Baixa, Sol Que Racha EP – CDR – Self-Released (Limited to ? copies)

(2013)  Gesso –
Howling Grace – CDR – Self-Released (Limited to ? copies)

Interview made by Roman Rathert/2014

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2014