Woodlawn Theatre + The Gospel interview:
The Gospel is the brainchild of Brad Leopard, the band blends psychedelia with shoegaze, grunge, Britpop, and other sub-genres in between for a unique sound that is both nostalgic and modern. Come enjoy The Gospel at Woodlawn Theatre May 10th.
Will Mason: Alright, let’s start at the beginning. It sounds like Brad was the creative mover behind the Hymns for Heathens record and then put the band together to bring the music to life ‘in the wild.’ Am I getting that right? When and how did you guys all meet and form the band?
Brad: Yeah that was the process. I sent everyone a copy of the album and I’m sure a rather wordy description of what I was going for sound and influence wise. It’s a running joke that I over describe and over analyze stuff… so I’ll try to be brief lol. But we all knew each other in one way or another before the band so that made the camaraderie process easy enough.
WM: Y’all have been described as Psych Rock/Shoegaze - what influences have you drawn on as a band?
Brad: I don’t think I’m revealing much here because in my mind the influences are obvious on “Hymns For Heathens.” In fact the whole point is to avoid the pretentious trap of “originality” when in fact all art is inspired by other art. But yeah Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Velvet Underground, Britpop are my major influences. The other band mates are more knowledgeable about shoegaze and they bring that to the table which just adds another beautiful dynamic. Every member can do something I can’t or knows something I don’t which is a huge part of what makes this thing tick. There are more but I wanted a more focused sound and vision so I try to avoid being all over the map influence wise. People get hung up on “originality”… like buying and putting together the right combination of mass produced goods somehow makes you original. It’s "original" because it comes from us, not because we invented a new way to play E major. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants, so why not be honest about it.
WM: Have y’all started writing material together as a group? I know every band is unique in their creative process - some have principle songwriters and others contribute equally. How does your particular collective approach that?
Brad: I think we use a combination of approaches. Some songs we write on the spot at rehearsal when a member brings in a chord progression, riff, etc. And others I will bring in more developed verse/chorus, vocals, but still leave the arrangement and instrumentation process to the band. So at times I’m the principle writer and other times the band are the principle writers. Really it’s all about the music and vibe and dedicating ourselves to leaving our ego at the door and going with whatever is best for the music.
WM: Really digging “Happiness is (Still) the Warmest Gun” - from the record. You’ve got these saturated drums, warbly organ and softened vocals with delay that really get you lulled into a vibe that would fit on the Garden State soundtrack - then the guitars come in with this brit-pop chord progression that sweetens the whole thing right up. Really cool bending of genres in y’alls sound. There’s almost this trance that hits you with that organ hanging in the background the whole time. With all the production intricacies of a mix like this, how much do you stay true to the recording when you perform live versus letting the songs become something else on stage?
Brad: That’s definitely my favorite cut on the album, much appreciated! I really wanted a “narcotic” vibe to lull you in on that one (not that I’m promoting narcotics). Magic City Underground Review said it sounded like an “opium den” mixed with a Woodstock “freak out tent” which I thought kinda nailed it. As far as the recording and live performances I think we try to stay true to the original but also leave room for the song to take on a separate life in a live setting. With a “wall of sound” heavily textured album it would be impossible to incorporate every sound unless we had 30 musicians on stage. Sure there are ways of doing it but I really don’t want a computer to be the lead musician on stage. So we try and capture some of the more critical elements of the record but also try to make the live version a separate stand alone cat.
WM: Speaking of on stage - you guys held your album release at Woodlawn Theatre earlier in 2024 - this was one of the best local shows we’ve had in the Theatre so far! We have a lot of local bands come through - I’m wondering if you can offer any words to the wise for bands promoting their shows - how do you get people out these days?
Adam: We have been fairly selective about the frequency of shows we play in a given timeframe: there’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting to get yourself out there as much as possible, but sometimes there’s an unintended “fatigue” and expectation that you can just catch the next show. So we try to make our show appearances events to look forward to in that regard. Otherwise, it just comes down to old-school and new-school promoting: get all over social media from the band account and members’ personal accounts to share poster/flyer images, ticket links, etc., but also pound pavement and talk to friends and bands at other local shows.
WM: When it comes to venues - Birmingham has some amazing spots to see live music - from historic landmarks like the Nick and Zydeco to the amazing Saturn, newly renovated and re-opened Workplay, and the insane sound at Iron City, we have plenty spots for fans to connect with their favorite bands. Each venue has it’s own flavor and fits into the ecosystem in a particular niche. What was it about Woodlawn Theatre that made sense for y’alls band and fans to meet here?
Adam: We were excited about Woodlawn Theatre as a relatively “new” venue having just reopened in 2023 (our album release show was January 27, 2024) and the prospect of doing something a little different from some of the other great venues you mentioned. We’re also friends with another local group Day Job who also hosted their album release show at Woodlawn in November 2023, and we’ve also shared the stage with Portico and Brotha Josh, who played together at Woodlawn in October 2023, and they had great things to say about the experience of both the sound and hospitality of Woodlawn.
Brad: Yeah I was blown away by the hospitality and how easy you guys were to work with. You know sometimes you can feel like you’re bothering someone trying to make contact, ask questions, promote the band, etc. You guys never made me feel that way and actually went the opposite direction by making me feel wanted. It’s been my favorite venue we’ve played to date. I definitely want to headline there again when the time is right. Like Adam said you sorta have to avoid wearing your audience out, while still trying to grow so it’s a tough line to toe.
WM: When we were setting up this interview, you mentioned some obstacles that you’ve had to overcome to put this record out - including something about a ‘protools situation.’ First of all - anyone who has ever been in the studio knows how great technology is - WHEN IT WORKS. When it doesn’t, it can be one of the most frustrating things on earth. When did you start the creative process for “Hymns for Heathens,” what got in the way of creating the record and what does it mean to you to finally have it out in the world?
Brad: Basically a ton of music just vanished and I’m already a bit of a luddite so I just went back to what I knew, which is just a 90’s digital workstation (basically a 90’s version of an 8 track). I’m more tactile and prefer things I can put my fingers on as opposed to using a mouse to move the sliders. I battled mental and physical health issues that sidelined me for a while.. It’s my Brian Wilson in bed era lol. But for the most part the creative process began early 2022 when I finally settled on the vibe I was after, the whole Velvet Undergorund, Spacemen 3 minimalist approach. There are 3 songs on there that are much older and to me that’s obvious. The 3 I’m speaking of are much more “produced” and heavily textured. But it works because they still have a garage vibe. Getting the record out was a huge weight lifted off me and vindicated me mentally so to speak. It unleashed a massive wave of songs that were stored somewhere in the ether. So to this day I’m writing around 5-10 songs per week.
WM: You’re playing the Theatre again on May 10th with Terry Ohms Sextet and Style Shop. What can your fans look forward to at that show? Anything new/exciting in the works you can let us in on?
Adam: We’re thrilled to be playing with both of these groups for the first time, so I think our fans can share our excitement with us of experiencing the dynamics of the lineup as a whole. We also have been working on some new music since the album release show in January, so expect to hear some music that wasn’t part of our album release setlist.
Brad: Yeah we’ve got a new one called Valium Sky we’re all excited about. It’s got a 60’s juke joint/dive bar vibe… really gritty and grindhouse.
WM: What’s next for The Gospel? Do you plan on taking the show on the road?
Brad: Yeah we’re trying to work out the logistics of taking this show on a tour around the Southeast. I feel like this music deserves to be heard and a wider audience. I wouldn’t have put it out there if I didn't believe in it and I’m a total music snob so it’s not like I like it because I wrote it… I like it because it’s music I actually want to listen to.
Adam: We have a show in Tuscaloosa at Druid City Brewing Company on Saturday, May 18, and we’re thrilled to be playing with Red Harp, another great local band we just joined with for another local show recently. There are no solid plans for touring at the moment, but we all agree that doing some weekend runs through the Southeast could work with our personal lives and work schedules, so expect to see some appearances in Mobile, Pensacola, Athens, Chattanooga, Nashville, Huntsville, Jackson, New Orleans, etc.
WM: Where can folks track down your music?
Adam: Our album “Hymns For Heathens” is available on vinyl directly from our website at thegospelbhm.com (leopardcolonymusic.com), as well as in stores at Seasick Records, Guitar Gallery (Birmingham and Tuscaloosa), and Ernest & Hadley Booksellers in Tuscaloosa. A digital download drop card is included with every vinyl copy, so you can take the album with you even when you aren’t near your record player! Vinyl and digital download purchases are also available on Bandcamp (thegospelbhm.bandcamp.com): the first Friday of every month is Bandcamp Friday where the site waives their revenue share so artists are paid fully, so please help support your favorite local bands and musicians! You can hear us on Substrate Radio (our single “Tune In, Turn On (An Ode To Tim)” was chosen as the song of the week on The Jackie Lo Show) and Local Mash on Birmingham Mountain Radio. Finally, the album is also available on all major streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, iHeartRadio, etc.
Brad: We really appreciate you guys doing this interview, hosting our album release show and for being an artist friendly venue. Peace+Love
TERRY OHMS SEXTET + THE GOSPEL + STYLE SHOP at Woodlawn Theatre May 10th. Tickets are $10. You do NOT want to miss this!