March 2016 - The Gasoline Gypsies
Diesel-fueled Port Huron Band Rocks ‘n’ Rolls its Way Across the State
Story by LCC Radio Reporter Sarah Spohn
A
traditional gypsy is defined as a traveler; an independent worker, and or a
person who migrates. Rock band members of Port Huron’s Gasoline Gypsies are all
of that, mixed with Americana, blues, and a little country bow on top.
While the band originated in 2009, the current lineup of self-described
“southern-twinged rock” gypsies includes Caleb Malooley (lead guitar, vocals),
Steve Briere (bass/vocals), Rob Schweihofer (guitar/vocals), and Joe Makowski
(drums).
Their sound is reminiscent of classic rock southern mainstays like Lynyrd
Skynyrd, combined with Charlie Daniels, with a little bit of Led Zeppelin thrown
in.
Their feel-good music is made up of each member’s collective tastes, according
to band bassist/vocalist Steve Briere.
“Our first album is kind of a transitional one,” Steve said. “We had just had a
lineup change with the band and the album definitely showcases that. Songs like
"It Ain't Hard" and "Long Run" kind of hearken back to the sound we had with our
original lineup. While songs like "Memory" and "Getting By" showcase the
direction we've started going in since Joe and Rob joined the band. Our next
album, which we're currently recording, will have more of that sound.”
While some gypsy material might echo the classic rock ‘n’ roll vibe, other songs
lean towards a more Americana/Western feel. Enter “Abilene,” the band’s latest
music video. The video, which was shot in a Spaghetti-western mode faired
extremely well with fans after an exclusive Gasoline-Gypsies-hosted viewing
party.
“’Abilene’ definitely has a very Country/Rockabilly type sound to it,” Steve
said. “Caleb pulled from a lot of his Johnny Cash and bluegrass influence for
the writing of the song. The story in the song itself is totally western cowboy-ish
and we definitely wanted to capitalize on that in the video.”
The sepia-toned video was filmed by Caleb’s brother and a green screen, with a
local park being the backdrop for some of the music video.
“We
wrote up a basic story line and had a couple of actor friends play the
characters,” Steve said. “We had almost no budget and three days to do it and it
turned out really cool. The reception at the release was great. People enjoyed
it and we got a lot of laughs from it which was awesome.”
The Gasoline Gypsies have performed all over the state, with a pretty heavy tour
rotation throughout Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo and even stops in
Indiana.
The band is still unsigned but is part of a collection of Michigan musicians
with the MusicMovers management group, with whom they frequently collaborate
with and look up to. While they’re not currently looking for labels, the band
has nothing but nice things to say about its manager. “Don has been awesome,”
Steve said. “He's helped bring our band to a level we've been trying to reach
for three years. Can't say enough good things about Don.”
“Our MusicMovers group of bands has honestly been some of the bands we've really
been digging on lately,” Steve said. “Off the Ledge, The Tom Toms and The Native
Howl are all bands we look at and go ‘Damn! We need to step it up!’ It's really
cool because we're friends with all of these people and work with them, but they
drive us as well. One Michigan band I (Steve) look up to in particular is the
Crane Wives. Their songwriting is second to none and their professionalism
outside of just their music making is top notch. That professionalism is
something we really strive for and always try to improve upon as a band with our
music and business.
One of the band’s most recent favorite gigs was actually in the home of Grand
Rapids-based band Crane Wives. The Winter Wheat fundraiser was held at The
Intersection in Grand Rapids, and proved to be quite the memorable moment for
the gypsies.
“Winter Wheat is the winter fundraiser/half-way-there mark for the Wheatland
Music Festival in Remus,” Steve said. “Wheatland Music Fest holds a very special
place in our hearts. Caleb and I essentially grew up going to this festival, so
it was an extreme honor to be included as a band in one of their events.”
Their
nomadic journeys across the state have also taken the band of guys to the Metro
Detroit music scene. Having performed at the Arts, Beats & Eats in Royal Oak,
and the Metro Times Blowout, the band is still working on carving out a spot in
the Detroit Rock City.
“There's a wonderful and huge scene down in the metro area and we're just
getting into it and starting to network. The places we have been so far have
been really receptive though,” Steve said. “Overall the Michigan music scene is
killer-so much creativity and enthusiasm. It's very cool to be a part of it and
get to see and hear more of it as we move along.”
As the band keeps moving along, part of its roaming, ever-changing freedoms that
comes along with the traditional gypsy way, the band follows wherever the music
takes them.
“We try to center our lives around our music as much as possible regardless of
where it takes us,” Steve said. “We try to not get ourselves into places, jobs,
or situations where we might get ‘stuck’ and not be able to maintain focus on
the music... That being said, we've definitely all done our share of ‘nomadic’
couch surfing over the past few years.
Never too cool for a good old’ fashioned couch-crashing, the Gasoline Gypsies
continue to take their diesel-fueled rock ‘n’ roll rigs from gig to gig,
sometimes performing three or four shows a weekend in the summer.
For their next rockabilly getup, you can catch The Gasoline Gypsies at Lynch’s
Irish Tavern in Port Huron, Michigan on Saturday, March 12.
MUSIC & LINKS
Official WebsiteSoundCloud
YouTube
Reverb Nation
CD Baby
iTunes
Amazon