(EDITOR’S NOTE — Thirteen months ago, the punk band Gumshoe was rocked by the sudden and tragic passing of its guitarist Jared Diehl. More than just a bandmate to bassist Todd Townsend and drummer Dan Eick, Jared was a dear friend and brother whose presence remains forever felt. Today, the band officially marks a new era with the dual release of its latest single ‘Monster Bitch’ and accompanying video for the song — the first material released by GumShoe since guitarist and vocalist Tim McJury joined the band. We spoke recently with the trio and we’re grateful for their time. Please read our story below.)
1120 PRESS: Thank you for speaking with us and congratulations on the new music and video! When we visited the band back in February, Tim had recently joined and you guys had just wrapped up working with Jay Zubricky at GCR in Buffalo, where you recorded the singles ‘Monster Bitch’ and ‘Head on Straight.’ That was more than six months ago. A lot of bands wouldn’t have that kind of patience. What was the thinking in terms of taking that sort of time? Was the plan always to wait and drop ‘Monster Bitch’ with a video?
DAN: That was definitely part of the plan the whole time. There's nothing like putting out the single and the music video on the same day. And, actually, after waiting all this time, it makes it even more worth it!
TODD: One thing I’ve learned over time from being in numerous bands is that releasing a new single takes TIME. Sure, we’ve wanted to drop this song for months now, but it was of the utmost importance to us to release the single alongside the corresponding music video for it. And to do that, we had to be patient. Jay Zubricky needed time to mix the song, Tim needed time to master the song, and Matt Salzler needed time to edit the video once we got the final mix/master over to him. And through all that patience, I think we’re releasing something special!
1120: This marks the first new material GumShoe is dropping since Tim joined. Do you guys feel like this officially marks a new era for the band, or is it business as usual?
DAN: Yeah, I'd say it's bit of a new era, but at the same time we're the same old GumShoe. We worked really hard on this song and are very proud of it.
TODD: Oh man, yeah 100-percent. When Tim joined the band, we didn’t really know what direction our music was gonna take, but after a few practices, we started to understand where we were headed. Tim came to our fourth practice together and told Dan and me that he had a cool riff to show us. That same riff is what opens the (new) song and is heard throughout. As soon as I heard that riff for the first time, I KNEW GumShoe was evolving. I knew something special was happening. And it was the beginning of a new era of GumShoe. We’re very excited to release our first single with Tim!
1120: Can you tell us about the concept of the video? Who came up with it and was there any particular aim or story you wanted to get across? And along the same line, can you just talk about the experience making the video?
DAN: I'll let Todd take that one. (Laughs)
TIM: If I could summarize what “a monster bitch” is about, I would say falling in love with a narcissist. It’s not necessarily about a person but more about the event itself. A relationship with someone that creates their own drama and blames the world. It really can be “a monster bitch” to navigate. The verses are all the things you miss about it, like the excitement or mystery, but the chorus is realizing the bed you’ve made. I think most people know being in a toxic place like this can lead you to make the same mistakes and turn you into the monster itself. It’s honestly about just realizing that being honest and kind is so much less exhausting.
TODD: Matt and I had been on the phone for months, often calling each other out of the blue with different video concepts for ‘Monster Bitch.’ Matt’s company Kinetic Lab Films had recently opened up Studio B, a giant barn outside of Syracuse, that he had remodeled into a film studio. Given the adequate space, Matt insisted on building a set for our video. The set consisted of two rooms, one white and one black, with a doorway connecting the two. Using these two rooms, we attempted to tell a story. Hanna Baldwin was very kind and offered her acting skills to the project, serving as the “Monster” in the video. This, along with the eventual crossover into the dark room, were all an attempt to represent the progression one goes through before becoming the “Monster” themselves.
1120: When will ‘Head on Straight’ be coming out? Will that have a video?
TODD: We flirted with doing another music video for ‘Head on Straight,’ but ultimately decided to release it as a second single without an accompanying music video. That will release sometime in September. We haven’t settled on a date yet.
DAN: I don't think we're going to do a video for that one. We need cruise ships and beaches, and we don't have the funds for that right now. (Laughs)
1120: What else is coming up for GumShoe in the immediate future?
DAN: We definitely have some new songs that we are working on that will melt your brains. You'll have to see us live for those until we get them recorded.
TODD: We will be celebrating the release of ‘Monster Bitch’ on August 23rd at Mohawk Place, one week after its release. We’re playing with a bunch of friends in Debt to Nature (one-night only reunion show!), Of Night and Light, and The Midnight Feature.
TIM: We’re also playing the Music is Art Festival September 21! (Lawn Stage 1, 4:15pm!) and hope to book lots more gigs in the near future in our area and even farther. We also plan on getting back in the studio with Jay in February and working on a making an album or EP. But truthfully, we just always shoot for less work and more rocking out!
1120: Is there anything else you want to add?
TIM: We really just want to say thank you to our friends and family and significant others and what nots for putting up with our craziness and supporting our wild ideas without question. The three of us are truly blessed with great families who support us and the best fans we could want. Even as a small local band, we are never without a crowd. So, ‘Thank You’ from the bottom of our hearts!
TODD: Thank you to my wife for being the best band-wife I could ever ask for.
DAN: All I want to add is that we really appreciate 1120 Press. Thank you for giving us your time and energy. We truly love what you do and how you do it. Keep up the good work.
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