Interview with the guys



The Aebersold Recreation Center, which is usually accustomed to the daily bump of basketballs, was bouncing with the beats of alternative/hip-hop band, the Gym Class Heroes on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Over 300 tickets were sold for the concert that was organized by the University Program Board as the fall semester's major concert.

The event, which was organized by the UPB, cost around $72,000. This amount paid for the Gym Class Heroes' agents, sounds, lights, stage, security, transportation and other expenses such as food and beverages.

Students lined up for the show outside the ARC well before the doors opened at 6:30 p.m., and the show began with the opening act, The Finest, at 7:30 p.m. The Finest is an R&B/hip-hop group comprised of two Clarion students, JC and Frankie baby.

In the far back of the ARC, in the closed gym, Gym Class Heroes members Travis McCoy, Matt McGinley, Eric Roberts and Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo sat in a make-shift dressing room complete with couches, tables and food.

Scattered across the tables and the floor were many of their belongings, including a large purple Gym Class Heroes flag, laptops and various clothing items.

Lead vocalist, McCoy, and drummer, McGinley, the members who started the band in Geneva, N.Y., in 1997, played basketball and joked around with their friends and band mates as a part of their pre-show activities.

After taking photos with the members of the University Program Board, McCoy and McGinley leaned up against the wall of the gym. McCoy, a statuesque character with a sideways baseball cap and tattoos scattered all over his body, wiped his forehead.

"When we first got big, I obsessively cleaned my condo," McCoy said sarcastically. "I exercised a lot with my Wii too. I stopped taking the subway and became recluse."

McCoy went on with his sarcasm.

"When we first started, we were young and just wanted to get some chicks," he said. "We're assholes. We all have big heads."

McGinley, the more serious of the duo, chimed in.

"We're humble and down to Earth," he said.

McGinley is shorter than McCoy. His light brown hair sweeps across his brow, and his fashion sense is a mix of urban and rock 'n' roll. Perhaps affected by McGinley's serious response, McCoy continued on.

"Some people come out with a single and explode," he said. "It wasn't like that for us."

Coming from a small town, McCoy and McGinley said they've developed a lot of love and respect for their hometown.

"For us to come out of a small town was a big deal," McGinley said. "Not a lot of people are doing cool things [in small towns]. It's so routine for bands from big cities to take off. We didn't take the 'Lets move to New York City or Los Angeles' route. The whole community we're from holds us with endearment."

From day one, the band has faced a lot of questions about their genre of music. The unique sound of the Gym Class Heroes has been called indie, alternative and hip-hop, among other labels.

"There's a new [label] everyday," McCoy said. "It's hard to keep up. If you're in a category, you get stuck. We're just music."

The band has also accumulated many interesting stories about fan encounters from more than 10 years of making music.

"On tour when I was younger, I was sick," McCoy said. "We were still an up-and-coming band. There was snot coming out of my nose and a girl took a gum wrapper and picked it up so she could have it. I think I remember calling her out."

McCoy and McGinley looked at each other, obviously disgusted.

"Our fans are really awesome," McGinley said. "They make us awesome gifts. Our Midwest and California fans are really hardcore."

McGinley also said that their fans help keep them in touch with the real world.

"We blow through holidays when we're on tour," he said. "Our fans help keep us in touch. Most of our fans are respecting of us."

Gym Class Heroes, who signed on the Fueled By Ramen label, said although there's a lot of pressure in the music industry to fit molds, they haven't experienced any of the push to change their style.

"We were signed based on the fact we were a weird thing and stepped on other genres," McGinley said.

McCoy added that changing their style would defeat their purpose.

"To bend or skew what drew them to us would be counter-productive," he said. "Our influence is from all over the place. We're constantly studying and influenced by the masters [of music]."

McGinley added that their band is an accumulation of different sounds.

"We sample and take little things from all over," he said.

McCoy said he writes his songs about a variety of things, but has his primary topics he sticks to.

"I write songs about girls," he chuckled, "and everyday life experiences. [Our songs] are narrative."

Heck yeah Californians are hardcore.

Hell yes we're hardcore. Don't make me slap you with a cornstalk cuz I will if you talk shit about the midwestizzle!
Cornfieldz 4 lyfe

No but seriously there are only like 2 boardies from the midwest on here. We need more ~hardcore midwesterners cuz I'm sick of you Cali people with your 9328490328490238 shows and stories.

quote:

Originally posted by Fragglerock:
No but seriously there are only like 2 boardies from the midwest on here. We need more ~hardcore midwesterners cuz I'm sick of you Cali people with your 9328490328490238 shows and stories.

PALABRA/ditto!

quote:

No but seriously there are only like 2 boardies from the midwest on here. We need more ~hardcore midwesterners cuz I'm sick of you Cali people with your 9328490328490238 shows and stories.

Yeah you midwestern'ers need to start reppin

Im getting worried about what kind of peeps are gonna be at the Arkansas show....

quote:

Originally posted by Fragglerock:
Hell yes we're hardcore. Don't make me slap you with a cornstalk cuz I will if you talk shit about the midwestizzle!
Cornfieldz 4 lyfe

No but seriously there are only like 2 boardies from the midwest on here. We need more ~hardcore midwesterners cuz I'm sick of you Cali people with your 9328490328490238 shows and stories.

lmao. ur silly fraggle =)