I know its hard to make any sort of judgment on anything after just one taste but Gimlet Slip has three tracks on their Myspace ("Headache," "Waiting" and "Roadblocks") and the promise of a four-song demo. They've got three shows coming up, including one in Easthampton at the Brass Cat and one with Screaming Females at The Room at Rebel Sound Records. In this quick exchange with Diane, Rene and Christina I learned that Sloppy Seconds is not a suitable band name.
Friendship Bracelet: So... I suppose I really don't know anything about your band except your names, that you formed in late 2008 and that you like beer. What got you together to make music late last year? Did you three play in other bands before this or is this a first-time thing?
Gimlet Slip: Diane and Rene were playing with another (very experienced) guitarist who had to leave the band before they were able to play out. Christina loved the music and picked up the guitar in October of 2008 and formed calluses quickly. We rocked out in Rene's basement from November - February and had our first show in March at the Nook in Westfield (which is also our favorite place to play). It is a shitty dive in Westfield with cheap drinks served by Mark Dargie of the Peace Creeps. Our 2nd fave was Jaybo's in Buckland. Sloppiest set ever.. we learned our limit of drinking and playing in Buckland. As for other bands, Rene is in Petulant Child and Diane was in the Westfield High marching band.
FB: What motivated you to play the kind of quick and simple punk music you play?
GS: We play that because its what we like. We have no interest in the jangly, fluffy, boring shit that the kids like. Fast beats, hard hitting, no bullshit crazy noodly epic solos. Plus, Diane needs to be able to play and sing.
FB: Speaking of "Gimlet Slip," what is a gimlet slip? Where'd the name come from? So far all I know is a gimlet is either a cocktail, which I suppose makes sense, a small hand-drill and a (lobster?) character from Transformers.
GS: Well, we decided on that after sifting through other names such as the Sloppy Seconds, Aunt Flo and the Common Cycles, etc. There is a variety of ways to decipher a "Gimlet Slip." For instance, you have too many gimlets (beers, whatever) and actually slip. Or have a slip of the tongue, or you accidentally slip home with someone that you wish you didn't in the morning. Or you could slip with a gimlet (sharp object) in hand and gouge someone's eyes out. WE did not know that there was a transformer character named Gimlet.
FB: I really like "Headache." What's this song about? What are your songs about in general?
GS: Our songs are pretty straight forward. Our lyrics speak for themselves and are for the most part about life situations that piss us off. There is no subliminal meanings or hidden messages in our songs. We work 9-5 jobs. We don't have time for that. Headache is about dealing with stupid people who give us headaches.. be it co-workers, the general public, politicians.
FB: Dig any new music?
GS: As far as new music, we all love Santogold.
FB: What bands helped form the musical ideas you try to get across (whether it's bands you listened to on your walkman in elementary school or bands you've played with)?
Rene: Black Sabbath because Bill Ward is amazingly heavy and his drums sound like cannons.
Christina: Given the fact that I picked up the guitar 6 months ago I can't say I am influenced by any one or two guitar players yet. I love gritty riffs ie: Stooges and Discharge.
Diane: the Rezeillos, the Avengers, and of course the Ramones who taught me how to play bass.
FB: How many songs are on the demo? Any other plans for releasing music after the demo or just seeing how things go with the demo?
FB: The demo has 4 songs. Headache, Creepy Guy, Night Terror, and Misunderstood. We will probally record more. It would be cool to be on a split with a good band.
FB: Any chance you can look into the future and see where your band will be in a few months? In a year?
GS: We hope that within the next year our set breaks 25 minutes and that we possibly play in a location that takes more than 10 minutes to get to.
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