Gym Class Heroes Interview
1.13.2008
(Published in Rag Magazine; May 2007 issue)
Between the die hard hip-hop fans and the teeny boppers surrounding me in the large, dark, and mysterious structure of
With such an assorted blend of listeners, it was no surprise to witness every inch of the venue’s spaces being filled shortly after the doors opened. It was difficult to fathom that the newly-famous Gym Class Heroes (GCH) possessed the power to summon more than 1,000 screaming fans to a show, when only two years prior they were living humbly out of a battered bus.
The band’s recent success seems to have come out of nowhere following their recent re-release of the hit single “Cupid’s Chokehold” - a song that continues to not only conquer pop radio stations, but also MTV’s TRL. Prior to the re-release of the song, GCH seemed to be doing alright for themselves with their 2006 release entitled As Cruel As School Children. They also managed to congregate a large independent fan base with their previous full length Papercut Chronicles, which offered a rawer and more organic side of the band. Their unique blend of hip-hop, pop, and modern rock appears to be more prominent and more accessible to the masses on As Cruel As School Children. Their current success can easily be attributed to their more attainable sound, but their continued support from both Fall Out Boy and their Florida-based indie record label Fueled By Ramen does not seem to cause any detriment to their musical triumphs.
Despite their speedy success, GCH still know exactly who they are, and understand how to display that notion on stage. Classified simply as “great stage entertainers” by many music critics, band members – Travis McCoy, Matt McGinley, Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo and Eric Roberts have still managed to keep their feet on the ground while maintaining their signature humility.
RAG Magazine had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with the only two remaining founding members of GCH. Slightly hidden under his large hooded sweatshirt, MC/Vocalist Travis McCoy and the rather timid drummer Matt McGinley presented themselves to me with not-so-surprising smiles on their faces. It was obviously appropriate to assume that they are thoroughly enjoying every minute of their recent victorious journey to the summit of the modern music scene.
RAG: It has been quite a rapid leap to success for GCH. It almost seems like your mainstream success ensued overnight. Are you overwhelmed by everything that is happening to you?
McGinley: The only reason that I know we have become more successful is from people telling me that we have. It really does not feel like a whole lot has changed for me.
A lot of your recent success was mainly incited by the re-release of the hit single “Cupid’s Chokehold;” a song that also holds a spot on your previous record. Whose idea was it to release the song again?
McCoy: It was pretty much the people’s decision. They started playing the song on the radio in
GCH obviously possess a unique sound. Did you set out to make something different or is the overall sound an end result of individual influences?
McGinley: We obviously wanted to do something as a band and a lot of us are deeply rooted to hip-hop. I think we naturally developed our overall style that way.
Who are some of your main influences?
McGinley: Bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, and 311. When I met Travis he put me onto KRS-One and the entire hip-hop scene and that had a huge impact on me as well.
Now that you are headlining your own tour, how do you go about developing an interesting lineup of opening acts that will complement your sound?
McCoy: It’s a really cool thing! We don’t really fit in anywhere, so now that we can pick who we play with, we decided on acts that offer a little something for everybody.
K-OS is super-charismatic hip-hop. P.O.S. is a more aggressive hip-hop act. The RX Bandits are just an insane rock band. It’s a pretty cool lineup!
Was it difficult for you guys to fit in on a bigger tour when you were one of those opening acts?
McCoy: It usually took the crowd a few songs to really get into us. But that’s how it always has been with us.
McGinley: I always found it exciting to play on such different bills and attempt to convert their crowd onto us.
What kind of bands do you think you mesh best with live?
McCoy: I don’t know. We’ve played with everybody: Run DMC, Mobb Deep, Rusted Root. They all went great!
What’s your favorite track off of the new album?
McCoy: For me, it has to be “Viva La White Girl.”
As Cruel As School Children offers a plethora of diverse facets of GCH. Explain the writing process for the record and how you develop the mood and vibe of each song.
McCoy: Before we made the record, we decided that we wanted to record a “summertime” album. A lot of the songs capture that type of energy. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We’re all just having fun. For this record, it was our first time working with producers and the first time we had a lot of time to work in the studio. We recorded Papercut Chronicles in three days. It was definitely a different experience for us this time around.
McCoy: That concept is never going to change. I’ve been there! I’ve been that kid that’s been into a band and watched them explode and it has made me bitter. At the end of the day though, who doesn’t want to be successful? Nobody gets into this business not to make it. It’s a weird situation, but if you knew us personally, we are still the same people that we were two years ago.
Posted byLogan Lenz at 20:51
Labels: Gym Class Heroes, Interview, Rag Magazine, Travis McCoy
