Interview: Parker Gispert of the Whigs

On March 16th one of the best sounding indie records of the year will be dropping, so run to your record store (if one still exists in your town) or get on Amazon and purchase this gem of a disc. The disc is "In The Dark" by The Whigs. The Whigs are doing right by their hometown of Athens Georgia by combining straight ahead rock and roll with a ton of indie swagger, a bit of southern drawl and a good amount of (to quote lead vocalist Parker Gispert) rambunctiousness and fun. The band (which also includes Julian Dorio on drums and Tim Deaux on bass) is currently on tour with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and they are headed (like every other up start band) to South By Southwest this week.

A few days after a raucous show at the urban meets suburban Echoplex in Echo Park California, I had the pleasure to converse with guitarist/lead vocalist Parker Gispert and he had much to say about his fun, rambunctious band.

David Carr: Hey Parker, word on the street is you were going to release your first disc on a major label but due to some "issues" you chose to go the independent route. Why is that? What were the issues that made you opt for an independent record label?

Parker Gispert: On a basic level, where we were just felt wrong -- there was a specific person we were working with and this person was not someone I felt comfortable working side by side with. Whether you're working on a record deal or in a sandwich shop, you want to feel comfortable with the people you are dealing with. We made the decision as a band that the situation was not right, and we decided just to do the first record ourselves.

DC: You are on ATO Records, an indie label founded by Dave Mathews. How has that been?

PG: It's been good! The people there are great. It's the right fit for us.

DC: You spent most of 2009 opening for The Kings of Leon. What did you learn from that experience? What was it like to tour with the break out band of last year?

PG: We were really lucky. We actually went from playing small theaters with them, then bigger rooms and then finally arenas. We got a really good take on the steady rise and what that's all about. I guess when it comes down to what we learned -- hmm -- well I think we learned a lot! We learned a lot musically. I got to watch Caleb Followill sing every night. That was great for me. As a band we learned how to work well on a big stage. We really had to figure out how to work the big rooms. It was kind of liberating to be able to play with so much space!

DC: How are you feeling about the bands up coming release "In The Dark"?

PG: I feel very strongly about the record. We had more than enough material for this disc and that was a good thing. We were really able to pick and choose from a lot of songs in order to make a cohesive disc. We ended up picking songs that fit well together.

DC: One of the songs on the disc, "Someone's Daughter" really gets to the heart of the matter with regards to guilt, and dealing with women. Is one of the band members a father? Did someone have a run in with an angry dad backstage?

PG: HA! Well when we wrote that one, It just sounded to me like a classic rock song. It just has that big, classic rock feel. In a lot of classic rock songs, women are objectified. I just figured for that song, I would reverse the gender roles -- instead of a group of guys out looking for girls; it's a group of girls looking for guys! The guy in the song wants to "participate" but he has a moral dilemma because he knows, she's someone's daughter!

DC: It really does seem like Athens Georgia is the birthplace for great music and a bunch of great bands! What's going on over there?

PG: We have a great music scene in Athens. We have the University of Georgia right in the middle of everything so it's a great college town -- it's really a good mix of college kids and county folks. The vibe is a mixture of party time and part-time! It's a good place to come of age if you are playing music.

DC: Tell me about your sound. It's a combination of rock, southern, indie; I have even heard folks compare the band to The Replacements. How would you describe your sound?

PG: A lot of that sounds right. Our sound is a mix of straight ahead rock; It's rambunctious and fun with a very up to date sound. You know when we first started the band a lot of people said we sounded like The Replacements. We had never listened to them before but we ended up buying all of their records! We have a lot of influences from the past; we just try and make sure, we add an updated sound to it.

DC: You are slated to play the annual South By Southwest Festival this year. Why is it important for young bands to play this festival?

PG: When you are a young band and you can't afford to travel and play in Europe or New York or LA, the best thing to do is play South By Southwest. All of the people come to you. All of the industry people who need to see you are there. It's a cheaper way to get yourself in front of a lot of people.

DC: With the record industry in such a mess how can young bands get their music out to folks? How do upstart bands get heard?

PG: Touring is the most important thing a band can do. You need to get in front of as many people as possible. You have to get your songs out there through the internet; you have to do shows like South by Southwest -- it's not just the music industry. Every industry is hurting right now thanks to the economy. It started earlier in the music industry with downloading. If people have the option to download your music for free or pay for it, they are going to get it for free. There are a bunch of ways to get your music out there but you just have to play as much as possible in order to be heard.

Make sure you get a chance to hear what The Whigs are really all about. Grab their disc In The Dark and then go see them this Spring!

The Whigs tour dates

03/04/10 Knitting Factory Concert House Boise, ID*
03/05/10 Showbox at the Market Seattle, WA*
03/06/10 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC*
03/07/10 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR*
03/09/10 Slim's San Francisco, CA*
03/11/10 Echoplex Los Angeles, CA*
03/12/10 Echoplex Los Angeles, CA*
03/13/10 House of Blues San Diego, CA*
03/17/10 SXSW Lambert's Austin, TX
03/18/10 SXSW Clive Bar
03/18/10 SXSW Beauty Bar at Palm Door
03/19/10 SXSW
03/20/10 SXSW The Side Bar
03/31/10 Late Show with David Letterman New York, NY
03/31/10 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY#
04/01/10 Music Hall Of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY#
04/02/10 North Star Philadelphia, PA#
04/03/10 Harpers Ferry Allston, MA#
04/04/10 Ottobar Baltimore, MD#
04/06/10 Cosmic Charlie's Lexington, KY#
04/07/10 Exit/In Nashville, TN#
04/08/10 40 Watt Club Athens, GA#
04/10/10 WorkPlay Birmingham, AL#
04/12/10 Riot Room Kansas City, MO#
04/13/10 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO#
04/15/10 Martini Ranch Scottsdale, AZ#
04/27/10 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon NY, NY
05/14/10 Hangout Music Festival Gulf Shores, AL
06/05/10 Mountain Jam (Hunter Mountain) Hunter, NY
* = with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
# = with Band of Skulls and 22-20s