Your live show has this very competitive vibe between you and your lead guitarist. Is that on purpose?
Oh yeah! We’re always trying to out do each other. We’re like two animals trying to conquer each other, like monkeys at the zoo. You know when you see one of them climb really really high and the other one climbs on top of him and sits on his head. Yeah, that’s us. I think that’s definitely why people like our live show. We’re there to live our music and to bring everyone into our world.
Interesting part about democracy vs. dictatorship – I’d like to hear from everyone on that one. I think on the “decision” front this has been happening for awhile but I’d argue that on the pure “music” side of things it seems like we’re still looking at something more like enlightened absolutism?
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That was a cool interview! My daughter and future son-in-law will be at the LA show tonight. She caught them at the Roxy last year, at my insistence (never heard of Grace), and was very impressed. I told her that the band has been over the top as of late, and she needs to make sure she is there! I hope she gets lots of pictures (she is a journalist).
BIGJim223
You can be democratic and still have a leader. In fact, I believe you need a leader. But not a dictator. Leadership and dictatorship are two very different things. A good leader values the opinions of the other people on the team. He or she is clear in maintaining a boundary of authority, but this is not a negative thing. It helps to create balance to unbalanced situations when necessary. On the other hand, a dictator gives orders and has absolute power over others, sometimes at the expense of people’s well-being and happiness.
Dictionary definition of dictatorship:
absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control.
Bottom line though, is that for months people have speculated whether Grace has changed the way she approaches her band. (i.e. Are they now “hired guns?”) I think this helped to clear up that question for me, at least. Nothing wrong with it, it is what it is – its actually nice to hear an honest answer. If a democracy didn’t work for these guys, that’s fine. But I think its sad to jump from one extreme (free for all, no leadership) to the other (dictatorship). There is such a thing as a middle ground, people!!!
Durfed monkeys…
I love that inability to read has started a trend/new catch phrase. I really like adding “frickin” to the durfed monkey too.
“my inability to read.” Good Lord, I can’t write now either!
Rather than a dictatorship, how about the image of a ship’s captain – Captain Grace and her merry men (or crew, since one is not a man) (but crew sounds so subservient) (so, merry men and woman).
I like Grace’s thoughts on album art. Recent favorites: The New Mastersounds’ “Ten Years on,” Pearl Jam’s “Backspacer,” Weezer’s “Raditude (not so much art as personal and clever),” “Wilco (The Album).”
Scary, that electrocution thing. Grace really suffers for her art. Wonderful interview.
I found it interesting that Grace said she’d just come from a meeting where they had discussed the title of the upcoming album. Maybe they’ve decided it’s not going to called “Medicine”.
I find it interesting..we have a MR COLUMBUS in the house!! do you know SayGraceNow? (Micheal)?
Album title: “Pirates of Vermont,” and it fits the captain thing. Mind-numbing, multi-tasking busyness today; that’s my excuse.
Joking aside, enlightened absolutism sounds good. Queen Grace.
Someone has to be the boss. Just who that may be, is often brought into question. A dictator always has the answer.