Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
With six albums already out in the universe, Atlanta’s Gringo Star have garnered quite a bit of success and following over the years. With the upcoming June release of On and On and Gone (pre-order), the band’s seventh record, TGEFM was able to chat with founding member Nick Furgiuele on our latest Roll of the Dice.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview and congrats, on the upcoming release of “On and On and Gone.” What should our readers know about the members of Gringo Star and what can you tell us about the songwriting and recording process?
Thanks! Gringo Star is a band from Atlanta, Ga. We started with my brother Peter Furgiuele and I (Nicholas Furgiuele) and released our first stuff back in 2007. We’ve been touring and recording ever since and most recently with Josh Longino on guitar/bass since 2016, and Mario Colangelo on drums, since 2017. All the songs we do are Pete, or mine, and we take turns singing lead. Except on the new album there is a song called “Something Wicked” that Josh brought in a demo for and I ended up writing lyrics (along with some help from Pete) and melodies for. So for the first time on the new album we have a Longino/Furgiuele/Furgiuele track.
You guys have all been at this for quite a bit now, how does the songwriting/recording process on this one compare to your previous albums?
Well, on this album we got back to more of a live tracking of the basics. On the last few albums we’d sort of build a rhythm track and then add layers, but on this we did drums, pianos, keys, acoustic guitar and vocals all together live before we went back and added other elements. It really helped tighten up the whole thing playing so much of the basic tracking together in the same room.
Which song off the new record are you most looking forward to playing live and what can we expect from live Gringo Star performances?
I’m very excited to play a lot of the new songs live, but right now “Told Me Once Before” and “Hanging Around” are personal faves. For our live shows we are playing a selection of new songs but also mixing in a few tracks off each of our other 5 albums.
The scene, and music industry in general, has changed dramatically since you guys first entered the scene. What has been the most difficult to adapt to and where do you see things heading over the coming years within the industry and scene?
Things have gone really corporate the last 15 years (probably more) with a handful of companies buying all the venues and trying to control all aspects of touring and everything in between. Sure, there are folks that do well and get by and find success. We’ve been lucky to get to travel around the world a good bit and have some really amazing moments and shows, some songs put in commercials, tv shows and movies, but I couldn’t tell you one thing about what the music industry was, is or will be.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Shantih Shantih are an amazing Atlanta band everyone should know. Three ladies from Atlanta and fronted by another lady from Venice Italy. They’ve made some great albums and put on a killer live show with insanely good harmonies.
Beyond the release of “On and On and Gone”, what’s next for Gringo Star?
We are very excited to get back out and play a bunch of shows again after the long covid shutdown. Heading to do our album release tour in Europe and the Uk in June and July, and playing some select USA/Canada dates over April/May.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
You covered it all, thanks for asking.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
