::: joseph, guitarist/singer in garrison was interviewed by email, september '03. questions by matt b :::
please introduce yourself/yourselves...
joseph grillo: i play guitar and sing and dance for the
band known as garrison
how would you describe garrison to someone who hasn't
heard your music?
melodic, anguished, rock songs that are desperate and not about relationships.
so how did the band get started?
ed and i have known each other since the 1984, we are both extremely bitter people who love coffee, alcohol, and making noise for people that don't go to the mall often, so it just sort of felt right.
who would you say are your main influences musically?
some of the biggest (and in alphebetical order): the beatles, the cure, drive like jehu, fugazi, the god machine, jawbox, pixies, rodan, tortoise.
how do the 'silhouette' and 'the model' eps differ?
"the model" came out on simba records, a label run by a good and trusted friend who we know has no intention of ripping us off and "the silhouette" came out on revelation records.
what can we expect from the next garrison release?
your guess is as good as mine, we are always writing and trying new things, we have always been a work in progress, wherever the 4 of us meet on the same page, that is the music that we will create and it changes as our tastes and interestes in music evolve and grow. music to me is about forward progression.
whats good about being in garrison?
we have had oppertunities to meet people and go to places that many people in "our modern world" will never have. we get to travel the world, share our art, and hopefully experience a bit of the place that we are in.
whats bad about being in garrison?
any grey hairs i have aquired in my life are named after my band mates.
what are your live shows like? why should people come see garrison?
you are involved, you are a living breathing person who is attending our show, you are invited to make it your own with us, i've no desire to play out some rockstar fantasy, anything can and will happen, just be prepared to have fun and scream along.
best/worst show so far?
i've no idea, it's all been a blur of drugs and cancelled royalty checks.
do you have any interesting tour/ gig stories?
one time we showed up to a festival late and had to quickly jump on stage (we did not book this show, mistake number one) 10 min. into our set my mic started feeding back so i shook my fist to the sky and said "thanks alot jesus" the kids snicker so i decided to run with this and say " i'm only kidding, we're the younger generation, no one believes in god anymore, right?" and the soundman turns off my mic for the rest of the show, come to find out it is a "christian fest" and the next band dedicates all of theier songs to "the lord, our saviour, jesus christ" that was an odd day.
have you got a favourite song to play live?
there really are so many, it depends on the night and the crowd and how they are experiencing things with us.
who would you most like to tour/play with (past or present)?
bands that i think would makes sense: pixies, foo fighters,
drive like jehu, the clash, swervedriver, burning airlines.
bands that wouldn't but i would love to watch every night: the cure, slowdive,
my bloddy valentine, pj harvey, portishead, pink floyd.
favourite records at the moment?
whatever you're listening to.
an album you couldnt live without?
the cure's disintegration.
favourite record to seduce the ladies?
depends on the kind of sex you are intending on having: slowdive, portishead, nine inch nails, trance.
anything to add?
i'm ashamed and horrified by my nation's government and often dream of bush, rumsfield, and most of the present administration dying slow and painful deaths in front of all of the people who's lives that they have ruined.
thanks goes out to joseph and garrison.