You know that song that's so catchy it won't leave your head? You hum it for days.
You tear over iTunes and the radio trying to find it to hear again. But unlike some brain
tearing tracks from the eighties (damn you "Raspberry Beret"!), Gym Class Heroes
successfully dropped two tracks last year off their third album As Cruel as School
Children that you didn't mind getting locked inside your noggin. First there was
"Cupid's Chokehold" with a catchy chorus by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, followed
by a remixed Jermaine Stewart tune adjusted from chastity to pro intercourse called
"We Have to Take Our Clothes Off."
Gym Class Heroes was formed in 1997 by singer Travis McCoy and drummer Matt
McGinley. They started doing Warped Tour five years later and have since performed
every single one except a break in 2007 when they went on tour opening for Gwen
Stefani. The band is preparing to drop their fourth major label album (sixth if you
include their two previous independent works), The Quilt. It is scheduled to hit the
streets on December 9th. "There are literally no two songs on it that are alike," explains
guitarist/vocalist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo when asked what fans should expect
from the new release. "There are hip hop influences, reggae influences, rock
influences… it's like a buffet." In an interesting interpretation of the new album title,
every new track has been called a patch, an individual important piece that together
creates something greater as a whole.
You tear over iTunes and the radio trying to find it to hear again. But unlike some brain
tearing tracks from the eighties (damn you "Raspberry Beret"!), Gym Class Heroes
successfully dropped two tracks last year off their third album As Cruel as School
Children that you didn't mind getting locked inside your noggin. First there was
"Cupid's Chokehold" with a catchy chorus by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, followed
by a remixed Jermaine Stewart tune adjusted from chastity to pro intercourse called
"We Have to Take Our Clothes Off."
Gym Class Heroes was formed in 1997 by singer Travis McCoy and drummer Matt
McGinley. They started doing Warped Tour five years later and have since performed
every single one except a break in 2007 when they went on tour opening for Gwen
Stefani. The band is preparing to drop their fourth major label album (sixth if you
include their two previous independent works), The Quilt. It is scheduled to hit the
streets on December 9th. "There are literally no two songs on it that are alike," explains
guitarist/vocalist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo when asked what fans should expect
from the new release. "There are hip hop influences, reggae influences, rock
influences… it's like a buffet." In an interesting interpretation of the new album title,
every new track has been called a patch, an individual important piece that together
creates something greater as a whole.
Since the band is on Decaydance Records, the
brainchild of Fall Out Boy member Pete Wentz
and parent label Fueled by Ramen, every little
girl will be clamoring to find out if there will be
any renewed appearances by Mr. Stump. "He
makes a couple little cameos," Disashi informs.
"One of the things that we kind of didn't want
with this album because 'Cupid's Chokehold'
was so damn huge, (which I love how huge it
was. It made us famous) but we didn't want to
become Patrick's band. He definitely produced
on this album. He made a couple of
appearances, but the ultimate drive was that
the songs the he did produce kind of showed
all of our musical personalities."
An immediate urge critiques and casual
listeners have is to bunch these guys in with
other hip hop influenced instrumental numbers
like N.E.R.D. and the Roots. "I don't think
about it," comments Disashi when asked
about comparisons. "Those comparisons have
really decreased since we've increased in
popularity because people can see that we
really are nothing alike." Eric Roberts, the
bands bassist says, "I'd say out of all the
instrumental bands they all try to do their own
thing. Yeah that's a similarity but what we try
to go for sound wise isn't similar. So when we
are compared it's flattering and all but… I just
don't think about it much."
The one thing they do have a few thoughts
over is how things have started to change in
their hometown now that they have made it
big. "I'm starting to feel a little bit weird
sometimes. I stay in my house all the time.
Because the people who really knew me
already well obviously..."Disashi pauses for a
moment. "People, who kind of didn't know me
that well, now treat me like I'm a star. I'm not a
star at all. I'm just a dude"
Luckily, this isn't something the band has to
worry about too often because they are
constantly on tour. In September, after
Warped Tour, the band is scheduled for a
small UK tour to promote the new release.
Disashi says he's more of a fan of Europe as a
whole then the UK, but there is one thing he
does enjoy. "I like the double-decker buses.
You can get up all the way on the second level
and get to where the driver would be if you
were on the bottom level. It's like the crow's
nest." They are going to following up with a
national US Tour. "We are actually doing a
tour with them (the Roots). Check that out. It's
going to be a co-headlining tour. It's going to
brainchild of Fall Out Boy member Pete Wentz
and parent label Fueled by Ramen, every little
girl will be clamoring to find out if there will be
any renewed appearances by Mr. Stump. "He
makes a couple little cameos," Disashi informs.
"One of the things that we kind of didn't want
with this album because 'Cupid's Chokehold'
was so damn huge, (which I love how huge it
was. It made us famous) but we didn't want to
become Patrick's band. He definitely produced
on this album. He made a couple of
appearances, but the ultimate drive was that
the songs the he did produce kind of showed
all of our musical personalities."
An immediate urge critiques and casual
listeners have is to bunch these guys in with
other hip hop influenced instrumental numbers
like N.E.R.D. and the Roots. "I don't think
about it," comments Disashi when asked
about comparisons. "Those comparisons have
really decreased since we've increased in
popularity because people can see that we
really are nothing alike." Eric Roberts, the
bands bassist says, "I'd say out of all the
instrumental bands they all try to do their own
thing. Yeah that's a similarity but what we try
to go for sound wise isn't similar. So when we
are compared it's flattering and all but… I just
don't think about it much."
The one thing they do have a few thoughts
over is how things have started to change in
their hometown now that they have made it
big. "I'm starting to feel a little bit weird
sometimes. I stay in my house all the time.
Because the people who really knew me
already well obviously..."Disashi pauses for a
moment. "People, who kind of didn't know me
that well, now treat me like I'm a star. I'm not a
star at all. I'm just a dude"
Luckily, this isn't something the band has to
worry about too often because they are
constantly on tour. In September, after
Warped Tour, the band is scheduled for a
small UK tour to promote the new release.
Disashi says he's more of a fan of Europe as a
whole then the UK, but there is one thing he
does enjoy. "I like the double-decker buses.
You can get up all the way on the second level
and get to where the driver would be if you
were on the bottom level. It's like the crow's
nest." They are going to following up with a
national US Tour. "We are actually doing a
tour with them (the Roots). Check that out. It's
going to be a co-headlining tour. It's going to
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