Interview with Steve Hurley by Marina Nantes (2002)
Marina Nantes: The Gigolo Aunts is one the best bands in today's power pop and we know that many people thinks our way. Was there too much expectation when you started in the late 80s?
Steve Hurley: I don't think there was too much expectation. When we started in Potsdam, our first ambitions were to simply write some good songs, move to Boston, get a record deal and tour. After that we wanted to go to England and Japan. We never really had ambitions to be huge stars, more to make good music. We would love to go to Brazil though!
MN: What led you to the genre you play today?
SH: Basically our music is a combination of all of our influences, all of our favorite things. We never set out to have a particular sound. We always liked harmony and melody. The sound developed organically. I'm not really sure what genre we belong to.
MN: How were the shows in the Spanish tour?
SH: The Spanish tours are always great and this was one of the best. The audiences there really seem to understand the music and this is always very gratifying.
MN: Do you think you're more sucessful in Europe or Japan rather than in your own country? Does US audience demand something more than just new metal, commercial pop or rap music?
SH: Right now we are bigger in other countries than the USA. We were bigger here in a few years back. The underground scene is starting to come alive a bit again. The last five years have been pretty sad, but there is still a fair amount of good music out there if you know where to look. How's the scene over there?
MN: Dave Gibbs once had a band called Crusher, correct me if I'm wrong...
SH: You are probably confusing "Crusher" with Velvet Crush. Dave toured with them as a special guest guitarist several times. In fact their drummer Ric Menck just played for Gigolo Aunts in Spain. Velvet Crush are sort of musical soul mates of ours (or something like that). You might be talking about "Sniper" which was our cover band when we were about 12 or 13. We played cover by Ted Nugent and Cheap Trick.
MN: Sorry, I am unaware of Gigolo members' side projects...Any news about it?
SH: Well I'm playing with Anna Waronker right now. Also I play with Tracy Spuehler. Dave and I have writing songs for movies and TV. We are hoping to start working on our first film score soon. Fred is playing with Ben Kweller right now. Jon is playing with Greg Dulli. We all keep busy with a bunch of projects.
MN: It's a known fact that Big Star, Badfinger, Beatles and Beach Boys are basic references. What about the newer ones, like Teenage Fanclub, Posies and Matthew Sweet? Do you think their work seems more visible influence to this 'new power pop' than the Classic artists'?
SH: I think the older groups had a bigger influence on us. The newer groups are more our contemporaries. We are big fans of all the groups you mentioned.
MN: Which is the relationship with the Counting Crows members?
SH: The Counting Crows are great friends and supported of us. We have toured with them. They signed us to their record label and they even let us use their recording studio. Dave G. and Adam are really close friends and have been for nearly ten years now.
MN: What seems the most important thing in composition, words or lyrics? How do you deal with songwriting, inspiration?
SH: The more I learn about songwriting, the more I realize that the lyrics and music must reflect and enhance each other. I usually only write when the mood strikes me. If I try to force myself to write, usually nothing good comes out. Every song I write actually has value because even if it is terrible (and many are), the process often leads me to another song (which may be better). Most of my favorite songs that I have written just came to me in a rush of inspiration, often times in less than ten minutes. Then I usually show it to Dave and we polish it up together. Those flashes of inspiration are one of the greatest feelings in life (for me).
MN: Which album you like the most? By the way, are you all happy with the results of 'Pacific Ocean Blues'?
SH: I like all the albums because they all reflect different times in my life and trigger different memories. Some of the really early stuff is embarrassing to me, but that's part of the learning process.
MN: It's been several years of career, great albums. It's a wonderful legacy indeed. Is there more to come from Gigolo Aunts?
SH: As long as there is an audience we will make GA albums. We will all play music in some capacity for the rest of our lives. Can't live without it!
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