The iconic Tower of Power returns to its birthplace of California as part of its tour stopping at The Coach House Dec. 17.

Emilio Castillo, both one of the group’s founders and one of its lead musicians, looks forward to coming back to California.

“California’s where I started the band. We started in Oakland, California in 1968 so we’re very popular there. We’ve played all over the state many times and we always look forward to it.”

Tower of Power remains one of the longest running musical groups having played for a staggering 49 years. Though its members have changed numerous times, their blissfully sweet trademark horn and vocal-based music remains intact.

The music the group plays is typically considered soul music. However, Castillo says that what he and his group perform goes beyond that genre.

“It’s soul music but it has a very original flavor to it. It’s not soul music in the sense of what you hear on the radio so much. It’s very original sounding. It has to do with our writing style. As I say, highly exciting up-tempo music and highly emotional.”

Castillo though writes out most of the song compositions for the group but always makes it a habit to show his work to them.

“When I write songs, I know exactly how I want them to turn out and then I show them to the band. Of course, I glean from them any of the great musical ideas that they put forth.”

This is where the true team work takes place as Castillo and his group routinely work out how each song will be played at each of their live showings.

“From the drummer, I get a rhythmic idea. He might say ‘let’s hit this accent on the 16th before one then hang it all the way ‘til two and then come in,’ and then I’ll go back to him and say “that’s a great idea. But let’s hang it ‘til the upbeat of one.’ We’ll go back and forth like that with these ideas. It’s like chipping away at a sculpture until it comes out the way you want it.”

With a whopping 10 members, ideas within Tower of Power are not only in large supply but are essential in providing “a large musical sound” according to Castillo.

“We have five horns and a lead vocalist that stand at the front of the stage and we’re backed by a four-piece rhythm section. Everything is very carefully arranged.”

The results show. To date the band has recorded over 20 albums, still receives critical praise from critics and a loyal fanbase. That fanbase not only includes older fans who grew up with their music but young fans too, in both North America and abroad.

“There’s a venue in Aarhus, Denmark called The Train. It’s a night club and when the people come they’re all kids like 25 and under. They know all the lyrics and a lot of times they pogo while we play. We feel like The Beatles when we leave the stage.”

One fan sticks out the most to Castillo: Aretha Franklin. Castillo recalls discovering her fondness for Tower of Power back in March 1971. The band was then opening for Aretha Franklin at the legendary Fillmore West during the recording of her album Aretha Live at Fillmore West.

“When I was standing in the doorway of the dressing room, she came and she wanted to get through. The dressing room was packed so I turned sideways and she kind of wedged in to get through. We found ourselves nose to nose. She looked at me and said, ‘Tower of Power: my favorite band,’ and I just melted.”

Such admiration is what keeps Tower of Power going. With the group’s 50th anniversary looming, he and his fellow bandmates are already looking to repay that support.

“We’re now in the planning stages of doing a live showing in Oakland, California June 1st and 2nd at the Fox Theater celebrating 50 years of Tower of Power. And it’s going to be a very special concert. We’re going augment the band with strings next to vocals and have guest horn players and singers.”

Castillo says that the celebrations won’t stop there either.

“We’re also releasing two brand new albums,” Castillo adds. “They’re already finished. We cut 28 tracks and they will all be released in May of next year.”

For the present, Castillo promises that people can look forward to the promise of a fun time.

“They’re going to look forward to a highly exciting typical Tower of Power show.”

The Sounds, an indie rock group from Sweden, shall be gracing Observatory/OC Nov. 8, Fonda Theatre Nov. 11 & 12, Observatory/S.D. Nov. 14, The Glass House Nov. 16 before wrapping up their SoCal appearances at Pappy & Harriet’s Nov. 17.

The group will be celebrating the ten-year anniversary of their most prolific album Dying To Say This To You along with new music from the recently released EP The Tales That We Tell.

With six studio albums and tours since 1998, the band is already known for their entertaining live shows and boast a musical style best described as rock intertwined with a new wave style molded for the 21st century.

Concert Guide Live was able to catch up with the group’s drummer Fredrik Blond to get his take on playing packed houses, travelling with his bandmates, and not making future plans.

CONCERT GUIDE LIVE: What can you discuss regarding your latest album The Tales That We Tell and how does it tie in with your decision to again tour North America?
FREDRIK BLOND: We released the EP over the summer and so far it’s been very well received by our fans.

There’s always a lot of fans asking us to play in California and since we were already heading to Mexico, it seemed like a good idea.

Also, the weather is really awful here [in Sweden] in November so I didn’t need any convincing. I mean, who doesn’t like sunshine and palm trees every once in a while?

CGL: What is it like playing your music in the United States compared with your home country of Sweden?
FB: It’s a little different but not that different. I would say that people here in Sweden tend to not let loose as much when they listen to a Swedish band.

The crowd is always much better if the band or artist is foreign for some reason.

CGL: How did your group first come together and how did you enter the music industry?
FB: The band was started back in 1998 when Felix (Guitar) and Johan (Bass) who had known each other as kids, met up one night and decided that they would form a band. I was asked to join in, and Felix brought Maja (vocals) along from his school.

A year later, we found Jesper at a festival here in Sweden – he was from the same town as us – and he just happened to be really good at keyboards.

We played a lot of shows all over Sweden and after one show in Stockholm we got a publishing deal that later led to a record deal.

CGL: What are your favorite venues you enjoy playing at live at?
FB: Honestly, if the place is packed, then I don’t care. If it’s 200 or 20,000 then I know I’m gonna have a good time.

But if I have to say one place off the top of my head then I would say 9:30 Club in D.C. Great club and all the crew guys there have always been very nice to us over the years.

CGL: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
FB: Well, I probably wouldn’t. I don’t like talking about myself or what I do that much. I mean have you ever heard an artist give an accurate description of their own music?

But when people press me on it, I usually mumble something like “it’s rock music, but with keyboards added.”

CGL: What musical singers and bands have personally influenced you and your style of music?
FB: Oh, that’s a tough one. I think Nirvana was one of the bands that made me want to be in a band when I was about 15 or so, but you wouldn’t necessarily hear that in our music.

Also, The Clash’s drummer Topper [Headon] was a big influence for me.

CGL: What are some of your more memorable experiences playing your music live?
FB: I think some of the best memories are just hanging out with my band members and our crew and traveling the world together, partying, having a great time and then waking up in a new place every day.

CGL: Beyond your latest album and upcoming North American tour, what other plans does your group have in store for the future?
FB: I think that at the moment we’re in a stage of our lives when we don’t want to make big plans. I mean making plans can certainly be useful at times, but I think personally that the point of life is to live it!

Twiddle shall again be gracing California with another appearance at the Teragram Ballroom on Oct. 28 as part of their current tour.

Founded in 2004, Twiddle has remained one of the musical circuit’s most lively groups known for their unique mixture of musical genres and, above all, always striving to relay a constant message through their work.

“Our message is a message of hope and being good to each other and positivity,” exclaims Milhali Savoulidis (lead vocalist / guitarist).

It’s a message that continues to this day and has resulted in the group spawning a fanbase referring to themselves as “Frends”, a nod to “The FRENDS Theme” and the lyric: There Ain’t No I In Frends.

Savoulidis makes up one quarter of the four-man group which first began in the state of Vermont. The foursome, after meeting at Castleton State College, began at the bottom of the music ladder as a simple local band playing at whatever venue would have them.

But though the group did begin in Vermont, they truly began to take shape in California, a place Savoulidis says is part of Twiddle’s roots. It’s a place that’s also “special and refreshing” every time they play there.

“Los Angeles was just one of our favorite places to go visit and hang out in,” Savoulidis said. “We spent a lot of time when we were younger there specifically in Venice.”

The group played at local bars and venues in the area before their perseverance paid off by becoming contracted to the musical label JamFlow Records. They’ve since remained consistently busy, something Savoulidis says helped Twiddle enter the professional circuit to begin with.

“We’ve been touring for the last 12 years consistently, 200+ shows a year. I think it was just through hard work and dedication that got us noticed by the industry to begin with.”

Twiddle remains very proactive, especially at their live showings. The group is noteworthy for its hefty combination of different music styles ranging from reggae, jazz, bluegrass to rock.

Savoulidis owes this quite simply to the unique musical tastes of each member of the band which has helped make Twiddle one of the most prolific jam bands playing today.

“We all came from different musical backgrounds and I think that makes up our sound and I think that’s why it’s so diverse.”

Savoulidis cites Twiddle’s keyboard player Ryan Dempsey’s enjoyment of jazz, specifically Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, as important to Twiddle’s sound and bass player Zdenek Gubb’s love of musicians like Les Claypool being a big contribution to its utilization of rock.

As for Savoulidis, he isn’t shy in revealing his musical tastes that help fuel the band’s unorthodox musical style.

“I grew up really loving reggae and some of the more singer/songwriter stuff like Dave Matthews. Even grunge music was huge for me. Kurt Cobain and Nirvana was a huge influence.”

Their music is also guaranteed to be very different at each live show. This is due to Twiddle’s unique improvisational and free flowing style. Savoulidis and his bandmates hold that any song, no matter how long or short, is open to improvisation once they are added to a setlist.

Savoulidis describes the process as a team effort saying that all songs begin on one specific musical key. Once in play, that’s when things shift into different gears.

“Essentially the keyboard player and the bass player in the band, Zdenek and Ryan, they start to communicate with each other within that key, up a third, down a fifth, whatever. They are creating soundscapes and chord progressions and different moods on the spot that me and the drummer [Brook Jordan] will follow. Or I will lead a jam. It depends on sort of who is leading.”

This extends to their recordings, most notably their two most recent albums PLUMP: Chapter 1 and PLUMP: Chapter 2. They’re Twiddle’s most unique albums due the genuine teamwork put into each one of its songs, something not done on any of their previous albums.

“We all got together and worked on these songs and that is the difference. These are products of all of us putting our heads together.”

The hard work and group-based efforts of Twiddle shall continue past their current tour and albums. Savoulidis promises all manner of upcoming announcements, brand new content and even improving on Twiddle’s vibrant, fluctuating music.

“We’re always looking to try and change what we’re doing on stage and I think in the next year, as always, we’ll evolve the sound a little bit with each year that passes. That’s always exciting.”

For the present though, Savoulidis simply promises live concert goers who attend their upcoming shows are in for a good time.

“You’re going to get great musicianship, a nice message, a nice crowd, and just an overall feel-good environment.”

The Sweet shall soon be coming to sweeten Orange County’s music scene. The iconic Glam rock group invites music lovers old and new to come and listen to them when they play live at The Canyon Aug. 12 and The Coach House Aug. 18.

While it might be viewed as a fun excursion for concert goers, Steve Priest, the founder for the group, not to mention its lead vocalist and bass player, also views the event as a standard business venture.

“We’ve played there before so we’re going to play there again,” Priest states in a serious tone.

Founded in 1968, The Sweet has established itself as one of the leading innovators of Glam rock. Musically, Priest says its best described as “hard rock with a pop feel.”

But what truly makes this style of music well-known is its trademark visual style of outrageous garbs, hairstyles and platform shoes its performers don. The Sweet became one of the first groups to utilize this flamboyant style when performing live and for music videos. Their unique fashion and musical style helped influence further artists and made glam rock a staple for much of 1970’s.

Today, the music style of The Sweet remains intact but the classic flamboyant look has been replaced with a more contemporary style: something Priest admits he’s glad of as he no longer has to tolerate wearing platform shoes.

“They were a pain in the butt and it was very easy to fall over on stage,” Priest recalls. “They were like wearing diver’s boots.”

Besides its look, The Sweet’s lineup has also changed. Priest’s group is the fourth and latest incarnation which was formed in 2008. Besides Priest himself, the group includes Richie Onori (keyboards), Joe Retta (drums), Stevie Stewart (keyboards) and Mitch Perry (guitars).

Priest is proud of his current lineup and happily proclaims that they live up to the legacy of the group’s initial and most famous lineup of himself, Andy Scott, Mike Tucker and Brian Connolly.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been with the first band,” Priest says. “But this band performs as well as I could possibly expect.”’

Priest adds that the most ideal place to hear their music is still at places that adhere to the old phrase of “the bigger, the better.”

“We enjoy playing places like the Canyon Club, but we also like doing festivals in the summer.”

Crowds still love hearing the Glam rock of Priest and his bandmates. This is not just due to nostalgia but also due to the genre finding newfound popularity within the 21st century. Classic music from the genre is being reintroduced in all sorts of different mediums which Priest hopes continues.

“Resurgence in popularity is always a big plus so, what can I say, I love the idea.”

The Sweet itself has been privy to this resurgence when their most famous song “Ballroom Blitz” was featured in the trailer of the 2016 film “Suicide Squad”. Another of their iconic songs, “Fox on the Run”, has also helped revitalize the group. This is due in large part to its attachment to the recent box-office smash hit “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”.

“The producer of Guardians of the Galaxy [Kevin Feige] is a big fan of ours and he liked the song,” Priest reveals. “He didn’t use it in the movie but he used it in the soundtrack.”

Though not featured in the actual movie, the song’s use in an official trailer for the film, not to mention its official soundtrack album, caused it to spike in popularity. “Fox on the Run” rocketed up to #1 on the iTunes Top 40 U.S. Rock Songs chart and became one of the most downloaded songs last December.

The group has another upcoming accomplishment with next year marking their 50th anniversary. Besides celebrating with live performances, Priest reveals that he intends to make such a memorable occasion more memorable by creating a new studio album: the first since the group’s previous 1982 studio album, Identity Crisis.

“We’re going to try and write a new album, CD, or whatever you want to call it and see how that goes,” Priest states firmly.

Orange County is well-known for being the birthplace for all manner of loud, high octane rock groups sporting attitude. One of these is Hell or High Water: a group that has recently come out of hiatus to once more create music both live and on record. The group’s next of many planned appearances occurs Apr. 14 at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana.

Initially known as the Black Cloud Collective, Hell or High Water is the loud-volume brainchild of Brandon Kyle Saller: a long-time lead drummer and vocalist for the Metalcore band Atreyu. Saller says the group’s formation began through his desire to engage in a solo career.

“I was about to go on hiatus with my other band Atreyu and I was wanting to do projects,” Saller recalled. “So I started up what was just going to be a solo thing and it kind of gradually turned into Hell or High Water over the years. It had some member changes, released a couple of albums, an EP, a couple of tours and that says where we’re at today.”

The group began its active participation in music in 2011, during this early period, the group focused a great deal on developing themselves. Saller owes his collobations with other notable music groups as invaluable in helping Hell or High Water grow during its infancy.

“The band was fully independent, self-funded and we did everything ourselves,” Saller explained. “We were able to get out and do a really great number of tours with a lot of cool bands like Avenged Sevenfold, The Darkness, Stone Sour, The Used among others.”

Saller also owes a great deal of Hell or Highwater’s success to Orange County. The area, besides being the group’s birthplace, has been a vital part of his and his other band members success due to how its vibrant musical scene that’s rubbed off on them.

“I’ve grown up here,” Saller said. “Every band that I’ve ever been in has come out of Orange County. The majority of us are actually from a little bit south of the district in San Diego. So we kind of have the best of both worlds where we get a little bit of that scene and a little bit of the Orange County scene.”

Saller even says that Orange County is the birthplace of their latest album Vista. The album is set for a release May 19 thanks to a collaboration between two musical labels: Spinefarm Records and Search & Destroy Records.

The album has been delayed from being released sooner, primarily because Saller is still an active performer with Atreyu. However he’s thankful for this as it enabled a much longer, focused session of music creation for the group.

“Due to Atreyu’s plans it got kind of pushed back a bit, “Saller reveals. ”But we felt that gave us some much needed insight and some much needed vision of where we wanted the band to go. I think most of the best songs on the album didn’t get written ‘til the last portion of the writing process.”

The album’s recent completion coincides with the ending a nearly two year hiatus that hasn’t seen the group play live. That made their return earlier this month at the Musink Music and Tattoo Festival in Costa Mesa the ideal comeback the group sought.

“It was amazing being able to kind of come back into the scene with music,” relates Saller. “It’s such a big show. We played first and I didn’t know what to expect. There were so many more people than I expected watching us. The room was full and it was awesome. To have that opportunity to have such a big opening was really awesome.”

The group aims to make their next appearance at The Constellation Room to be just as excellent. Saller says the performance shall include a mix of songs both old and new with the latter being an early showcasing of songs from Vista.

“I think a lot of our fans have been patiently waiting and they’re going to want to hear a lot of the new stuff,” Saller mused. “We’re definitely going to be pulling out some songs from the older record as well. You know, just really mixing it up and just trying to make something fun and interesting.”

Hell or High Water’s brand of energized music is produced through a traditional band setup: two guitars, bass, drums and vocals. But the most unique aspect of the band Saller says is that all band members pitch in to lend their voices to their music.

“Everyone in the band actually has some form of singing position,”Saller said. “So it’s kind of nice everyone in the band does harmonies and group vocals. Joey [Bradford] actually, our lead guitar player, has a pretty big part in singing as well.”
Each member can look forward to lending more than just energy to their voices for the foreseeable future. Saller reveals that Hell or Highwater shall be making up for lost time keeping the group very busy this year and next. But he is confident they’re up to the task.

“It’s time for Hell or High Water to have our turn and get out and do a bunch of touring and releasing albums. It’s been a long time coming so it’s definitely time.”

Since 1977, professional musician Adrian Belew continues to redefine music. The groundbreaking artist shall soon be coming to delight both his fans and music lovers in general who live in SoCal. Belew plays The Coach House Mar. 23, The Canyon Club Mar. 24 and The Rose Mar. 25.

This marks the eighth time that Belew has played The Coach House, which along with the other locations on his tour, were personally hand selected by Belew and his musical.

Concert goers who attend shall be treated to the many songs Belew has played throughout his long career. He will be aided by Tobias Ralph and Julie Stick known collectively as “The Adrian Belew Power Trio.” Additionally concertgoers can experience a live rendition of Belew’s latest musical venture: The Flux Project.

The project which Belew says will make it so ‘you never have to listen to the same song twice” ranges from mobile-phone applications to traditional CD releases. Belew’s latest album Flux by Belew, Volume One, is the most recent iteration of this project with the next volume in development.

This experiment and innovative approach to music has helped him become one of the most well known musicians today. He is especially held in high regard for his unique, versatile electric guitar that has won him awards and praise. The latter is best exemplified by Frank Zappa, one of Belew’s most notable collaborators, who once famously declared that “Adrian reinvented the electric guitar!”

Though he has been focused on playing solo since 1989, Belew isn’t wont to be hoarding as he has lent his musical prowess to other high-profile artists and groups. In addition to Frank Zappa, these have included King Crimson, Nine Inch Nails, Laurie Anderson and the Talking Heads to name just a few.

But the most memorable collaborator was David Bowie. Belew famously toured with Bowie twice during his tours of 1978 and 1990. Belew has called the recent death of Bowie so terrific that “no one will ever replace him.” As part of his tribute to him, Belew shall be devoting a significant portion of the music he played during his partnership with Bowie.

In addition to the guitar, Belew is also known for being a skilled multi-instrumentalist. Belew played nearly all the instruments, with the exception of a double bass, for his 1989 album Mr. Music Head. However Belew reserves this talent solely for studio recordings preferring to play his signature Parker electric guitar and equally signature vocals during live performances.

For Belew, every performance to him is a memorable one as he enjoys performing live. He encourages people to attend, especially those who have never heard his music before. Belew hopes that those who come shall have an equally memorable experience as he does whenever he plays.

If ever there was a musical group that has a monopoly on being technically innovative, very loud and inarguably unique, that honor definitely goes to Captured! By Robots. The robotic-based group will bring their “20 Years of Suffering Tour” to The Complex Feb. 22 and Soda Bar Feb. 23.

The tour is both a celebration of lead vocalist Jay Vance, the creator of his innovative robotic band mates 20 year career and the end of a long hiatus following an “awful break up.” In reality, Vance powered down his robots and took time off to rethink.

“I wasn’t satisfied with what the band had kind of become, you know,” says Vance. “It started from kind of a campy place and it went along this very specific path I was on for years. Once it got to about 15 years out, it started to get very boring to me and I wasn’t enjoying it anymore.”

Vance recently surprised the music scene by returning with his robot cohorts this year to release his latest album, Endless Circle of Bullshit, online. This release was accompanied by both a music video and an announcement for his tour that officially begins Feb. 22.

“I’m extremely fulfilled since we did this,” Vance exclaims. “It’s been great. I can get out all my aggression with it and it feels really good. The robots have gotten so good that they can play pretty much what I want them to these days.”

The inception of Vance’s undeniably unique group stems from frustration in working with other human music groups, most notably Skankin’ Pickle and The Blue Meanies. Internal problems led to Vance becoming despondent with his musical future.

“It was just making me nuts dealing with the egos, the overuse of drugs and just people not being prompt,” Vance relates.

Deciding to start his own band, Vance was presented a unique means of accomplishing that.

“I saw this band… they were using a tape deck during heavy parts of their songs. So I wanted to make something similar but not be copying them and since I was having a hard time trying to find a guitar player it just came to me ‘I’ll build a robot guitar player’.”

Applying all of his technical knowledge, specifically repairs he did while touring with other bands, Vance’s goal to create a robot guitar was a success. It was soon followed by six other robots each of whom is designed to speak and play specific instruments. How they work and how they were made are subjects Vance says he’d rather not disclose.

“I don’t like to kind of spread that around that much but it’s very simple technology. I mean, a lot of my stuff that I’m using is 20 years old. It’s ridiculous.”

In addition to its robotic nature, Captured! By Robots is also known for its story-based approach. According to Vance, he has been enslaved by his own creations after having spilled coffee onto their CPU boards. This story is played out between songs, entertaining audience members with generous doses of black comedy.

“The robots are super mean. They talk a bunch of crap between the songs. They’re pretty funny. They’re dickish so we generally fight on stage quite a bit and they heckle the crowds. From what I’ve been told, people’s faces hurt from smiling so hard. That’s what they tell me.”

But when it comes time to play, it becomes much more serious. Backed up by the pre-programmed strums and beats of his robots, Vance delivers all manner of high pitched vocal ballads that mainly focus on the poor state of the world.

Songs like “Debt To Be Paid” for example uniquely focuses on the subject of death. Vance uses elderly rabbits he’s adopted as a means to sing about how short life in a style Vance’s describes as “grindcore, metal, punk rock, hardcore kind of shit.”

“The music is extremely aggressive,” Vance states. “It makes you spun up. It makes you feel like you just can take on the world.”

Vance hopes to do that now more than ever on both his current tour and in his future endeavors. In addition to starting up another robotic-based band he calls Teddy Bear Orchestra between later this year and 2018, it’s back to business as usual for Captured! By Robots.

“We’re just going to record another album come next fall and just keep putting out new albums and new videos,” Vance says. “And there’s going to be plenty of really good fodder with all the stuff we have going on in the world right now.”

Streets of Laredo is soon coming to the streets of Southern California. The up and coming folk band is scheduled to play The Constellation Room Dec. 5, Teragram Ballroom Dec. 6 and The Casbah Dec. 7.

The band is currently on tour to promote their latest album Wild. They also have been tasked with being one of two openings bands for the Los Angeles rock group CRX, guitarist Nick Valensi’s (The Strokes) new band.

Sarahjane Gibson, the lead singer and percussionist for Streets of Laredo, spoke positively about the tour so far as she and her fellow band members head to California.

“We’ve been out for about two weeks and we’re going to take a little break before we come over to the west coast and it’s been awesome.”

It is worth noting that the group’s upcoming performance in California ends a two-year absence from the region. Despite this lengthy absence, Gibson is eager to play here once again.

“I think the West Coast does have a slightly more fun, upbeat kind of vibe,” Gibson said. “I like playing on the West Coast because the vibe is good there.”

Streets of Laredo hails from the east coast, specifically Brooklyn, where the group was first formed by brothers Dean and Dave Gibson in 2012 shortly after moving from New Zealand.

Gibson says that the presence of both Dean and Dave, who is also her husband, are an essential element to the band’s success both in terms of their music but as a positive mood.

“I sort of feel like it makes us all feel quite comfortable,” Gibson said. “I feel like there’s a kind of family band vibe and they think very much alike.”

Streets of Laredo is best characterized by its focus on acoustics and trying to achieve the best possible acoustics for their primarily upbeat folk melodies.

“We really care about trying to make the groove of our songs the natural kind of choir for the songs we do through percussions and drumming,” said Gibson. “I feel like it’s really diverse.”

To achieve that acoustic groove, Streets of Laredo adopt a fearless approach in trying all sorts of instruments. Their experiments typically tend to succeed as can be evidenced by the immense critical praise from critics and fans.

Their latest experiment has been introduced on Wild with acoustics produced through a mixture of traditional instruments and synthesizers. It’s a combination that’s again netting the band high praise.

But this approach isn’t just limited to the studio but is a general, all-encompassing approach for Streets of Laredo that extends to concerts too.

“We really do have that attitude of if you’re gonna do something you have go all in,” said Gibson. ”And then when we do tour or are making albums we do really kind of commit to it and try and find meaning in it.”

For Gibson, trying to please fans through their recordings is just as important as pleasing them on-stage. The band tries to make every performance memorable and fun for concertgoers. She is usually able to tell when the band has accomplished that.

“We had a wonderful show in Portland on our last tour of the west coast. That ended up with all of the band out on the stage with all of the audience and it was quite a beautiful, moving thing. It felt really special.”