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Artists Worth Checking Out

Artists worth checking out: Streets of Laredo

Hot on the heels of their first two singles, “99.9%” and “Silly Bones,” indie folk rock band Streets of Laredo plan to release their sophomore album, Wild, on Friday, October 21.   Before we publish our review of what we think is an amazing effort, we thought their fans might like to learn more about them.  Please enjoy our interview with Dan and Sarahjane Gibson, two of the founding members of the band.  We’ll be back on Friday with our review.

IVB:   How long  have you been performing as a band?  How long for each member individually?

Dan:  Dave, Sarah and I started the band in 2011 back in New Zealand.  We recorded a five-track demo, played one show as a three-piece, then packed our bags and moved to New York City.  Since moving to Brooklyn, we’ve added band members along the way.  Andrew McGovern and Sean McMahon joined the band in 2013, and Cameron Deyell joined us in 2014, so now we’re a six-piece.
Sarahjane:   All told, about five 5 years – just a little longer than we’ve been in New York City.   After we moved here, we started playing every dive bar and house party you could throw a stick at.  Cam is a long time friend who played with Dave in a bunch of previous projects, including their first ever band in high school, superbly named “strider.”  Cam arrived in NYC with no idea about Streets of Laredo and played his first show with us a few days later.
IVB:   Who do you consider to be your influences?
Dan:  I really like John Lennon’s solo effort after the Beatles.  He’s definitely been my guy for the last little while.  I have a lot of siblings, so there was always a lot of records laying around the house, like Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Radiohead’s The Bends and Cat Stevens’ Teaser and the Fire Cat, to name a few.  I remember those albums were laying around when I was growing up and they still influence us today.  Sonically, two records from Talking Heads really inspired us, especially on the new record.  Those albums were Remain in Light and Speaking in Tongues.
IVB:  What makes your new release so special?
Dan:  Tracking at the magnificent Dreamland Studio upstate, then mixing it through the Neve at the Magic Shop makes this record special.  It was our first time working with John Agnello as well.  He pushed us sonically and he brings a real X factor to our sound.
Sarahjane:  Part of what makes this album so special is that it was a true collaboration.  There are  four songwriters in the band and the heart and soul of each of us is on this record.  It’s the age old story of being more that the sum of your parts.  I think we really believed that going into the album, and as a result, brought the best out in each other and made something really unique.
 
IVB:  What are your future plans?
Sarahjane:  World domination.
Dan:  We’re heading out on tour with Nick Valensi’s new Band CRX in November, which we’re excited about.  Since our record comes out October 21st, it’s going to be good to get out on the road right after the record comes out and play the new songs.
IVB:  Do you have any stories you want to share about your band – touring, recording, or fan interaction?
Dan:  I sold my 1992 basketball dream t-shirt for $200 to a fan in Houston.  He wanted it so bad he got the money out in cash and just handed it to me after the show.  I couldn’t say no.
 
IVB:  What types of social media do you use?
Dan:  All the usual culprits:  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.