Recently, we caught up with singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Anna Arboles of Gypsum. Among other things, we touch on how Gypsum is kicking off 2022, the band’s early years and formation, the recording of their newest record, and a whole lot more.
If you would like to learn more about Gypsum, the link to their webpage is here. Once you’ve checked that out, dig into this interview with Anna. Cheers.
Andrew:
Anna, as a young musician, what first gravitated you toward music?
Anna:
To be honest with you, I think we all just kind of gravitated toward music and our instruments because we thought it was cool. Obviously, our relationships with music have matured since then and I could wax poetic on self-expression, community, and challenging oneself through art. But the short answer is that on good days I still just think music is cool.
Andrew:
What were some of your early gigs where you cut your teeth, so to speak?
Anna:
We cut our teeth playing house shows and tiny bars. It was a very fun and joyous time. But it definitely forced us to get really tight together as a band. We are really specific about our instruments and tones and all that, so doing all those shows with like, broken PAs on sticks where barely any of that translates taught us some good lessons in staying rehearsed and focusing on energy during a performance.
Andrew:
Take me through the formation of Gypsum.
Anna:
It started as a jam session. There was kind of a rotating cast of people in our extended friend group of people who would just get together to jam every week, and eventually, it coalesced into just us and after a certain point we were like, “Well I guess we’re a band now.” And once we started bringing in and working on original material that kind of sealed the deal.
Andrew:
Let’s talk about recent events. Tell us about your new self-titled release.
Anna:
Well, we put out an album! We got it all over the internet anywhere you can find music. So, you can listen to it when you’re sitting in traffic or cleaning your kitchen. And we got it on vinyl, which you can order online too! Thanks for letting me use this question as a shameless plug. [Laughs].
Andrew:
From a songwriting perspective, how have you evolved to this point? What’s changed from your younger years?
Anna:
One of the things that make us Gypsum is that the songwriting process is different for every song. Sometimes, someone will bring in a song that’s pretty done and the band will come together to seal in our parts. Other times we will just jam for hours until riffs and parts and songs emerge.
From my perspective, I think some of our earlier songs were much more adventurous. When I listen back, the song forms for songs like “Satisfied,” or “Follow Me” can feel frenetic with lots of left-turns, which had its time and place for us. Later songs like “Lungs,” and “Margaret” are a bit more straightforward but more mature in the way that I think our songwriting and sonic choices were much more directed and intentional. I like that we have both on the album because it tracks our evolution as musicians, and I think makes for a more balanced album.
Andrew:
Did you self-produce this record, or bring in outside voices?
Anna:
We ended up self-producing this record. We’ve sat with these songs for so long when we went into the studio we were super directed as to what we needed to get done. We did like a month of pre-production together before going into the studio, making final arrangement decisions, and prepping demos, but these songs were already matured and cured. Having a thoughtful sonic palette is essential to us as a band, so we spent most of our time in the studio just auditioning, picking sounds, and pressing records since we already went through such a thorough pre-pro process. We are grateful to our recording engineer Mark Rains for being super fast and transparent in the studio because we really went in with a mission. Likewise to the mix engineer Gavin Paddock, who was on the same page as us for all the creative mix moves we wanted to happen. And also shoutout to Dave Gardner, who mastered the record for taking us over the finish line.
Andrew:
What other passions do you have? How do those passions inform your music, if at all?
Anna:
I can’t speak for the other members, but I enjoy reading, cooking things that take like two days to make, and making sure I go for a walk every day. I will say I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from literature for my music. But I also think a lot of my outside hobbies speak to how I like to take a thorough, and long-form approach to things, music included.
Andrew:
If you had one piece of advice for your younger self musically or personally, what would it be?
Anna:
Don’t be scared, just go for it.
Andrew:
As an artist, what’s allowed you to progress to this point, and what will keep you moving forward in lieu of stagnating?
Anna:
Personally, I really enjoy letting music be an avenue for me to be curious. I love listening to a song and hearing something I like, then picking up a guitar or opening up Pro Tools, and trying to integrate that idea or technique into my process and practice. I think as long as I am curious, I will continue making songs.
Andrew:
Last one. With this new record in the can, where do you go from here? What’s next in all lanes?
Anna:
We’ve always taken things super organically with this band. After putting so much energy, heart, and resources into this release, we’re all giving some time to our other musical lives at the moment. We just think it’s healthy. Who knows where we shall go next?
Interested in learning more about Gypsum? Hit the link below:
Be sure to check out the full catalog of VWMusic Interviews, by Andrew Daly, here: www.vinylwritermusic.com/interviews
