Interview: Two Spot Gobi
Two Spot Gobi have already performed with the likes of Bruno Mars, Newton Faulkner and Michael Bublé, as well as supporting Jason Mraz across Europe and the US, and they are now set to truly breakthrough in 2011.
The first single “Guiding Star” (released on February 28) is taken from the band’s new album set to be released in May.
Get to know more about them with James Robinson (lead singer/guitarist), here!
How did you all meet? And what’s your musical background?
Most of us met at Sussex University, We recruited the others along the way. Originally I got together with Rob (cello) who was completing his music degree at Sussex, we worked on a few songs together for his final year studio project and the songs just spread around campus. So many people contacted us to say that we should take it live. And so we did.
What can you tell us about your new single “Guiding Star”?
Guiding Star is a special track, it came about very organically. Rob was playing around with this intense sounding cello riff (from the intro) and we decided that we wanted to write something with a far eastern feel. The lyrics are inspired by the music and story from the Japanese anime film Akira. It’s all about self-discovery and about the fact that we all have infinite potential in life to do whatever we want. We are very proud of the track, it was quite a new direction for us.
Guiding Star
Your music has been described as funk, fusion and sunshine reggae – is this how you would describe your sound? And how would you say your music has evolved since you first start playing together?
I would say funk and reggae are more of a sound that we have left behind, when we began writing and performing together we were really experimental in finding our ‘sound’ and there were elements of funk amidst other styles. The first album we recorded was basically a collection of all of the songs that we had written up to that point and there is some cohesion but it’s on our new record, ‘The Sun Will Rise’ that we really found what the band is all about. These days I would describe our work as warm and soulful, it has a pop feel, but it’s different, we have cello and trumpet which really adds an alternative flavour to what we do.
Since we first started playing together our sound has matured a lot, the song-writing has gotten a lot stronger and we are all much better as players, together and individually. We have always tried to represent ourselves as best we can in a live setting but the more time goes on, the more we discover about music, playing and ourselves. Our sound is always evolving and it will be forever that way.
What has influenced you in the past years?
As a band we have been influenced a great deal by musicians that we respect, we look up to people like the Dave Matthews Band, The Police, The Beach Boys, Bjork, Radiohead, they are all artists who have all made beautiful music. But some of the most influential experiences have undoubtedly been on the road and as a group we have been through lots of amazing things together. It’s these life events that really form who we are as brothers and as a unit.
We are very grateful for being fortunate to play with successful artists as Jason Mraz and Bruno Mars, those guys are really doing it and watching them inspires you to go on and get better and better. California had a huge influence on the new record, everything about the place, the beauty, the sun, the people, it all seeped into the album, it was a very important time for us as musicians and as friends.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?
The biggest challenge in music I feel is always dealing with the naysayers in life. Everyone knows what it’s like to come across these people. Mark Twain once said ‘Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions, small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.’ This is a philosophy that we have definitely come to adopt over time. These days we are impossible to deter.
What the best piece of praise you’ve received so far?
Many people some famous, some not so famous have praised what we do but for me personally, nothing means more to me than receiving compliments from my band mates. We all are very fortunate to have amazingly supportive families too, I don’t know that we could do what we do without them. Jason Mraz once said about us “UK or wherever this is new for the world”. He then said “these guys are so fresh you sometimes forget fresh means new”. Haha – make of that what you will!
You’ve already supported Jason Mraz, and played with likes of Bruno Mars, Newton Faulkner and Michael Bublé – what can people expect when you’re on stage?
They can expect us to give the best performance we are capable on any given night. We put everything into our performances, it’s so important to us to give our fans the best we can give. We always try and make our set lists as engaging and as exciting as possible.
What kind of music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?
Everyone in the band has very different musical tastes, with our own music we are meeting somewhere in between everything. Personally I obsessively tend to check out what’s in the charts, what new bands are coming out and who is writing great songs. But recently on the tour bus we have been enjoying music old and new. In the new stuff I would say, Mumford and sons, Florence and the Machine, K’naan, Adele, Vampire Weekend, Cee-Lo Green and in terms of older stuff, literally everything you could think of.
In addition to your new album “The Sun Will Rise”; what’s the plan for 2011?
Work hard, tour the new record, festivals, travelling back to the US and Europe and also continuing the workshops we have been doing with teenagers in schools across the UK as part of our ‘Music Set Free’ program. We are very excited to share the new album with everyone.
Follow Two Spot Gobi on their official website and Facebook.
