Unpacking Sasquatch: Hanging Out With The Whigs

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:42:51 PDT

I've had a day to decompress, gather my notes and reflect on some of the sights and sounds from my time in George, WA and now I'm ready to share some more of my interviews. First I chatted with Rainn Wilson. Next up: The Whigs, a young band out of Athens, GA who are on tour promoting their second album Mission Control (released on Dave Matthews' label).

The Whigs are a classic garage band trio who may not be reinventing the wheel, but my-oh-my are they ever super fun to see live. The band's vocalist Parker Gispert sounds like the Spoon frontman gone wild and, well, it's pretty sexy. Drummer Julian Dorio may be young but he's supremely talented and capable. Can you tell I love this band?

I caught up with these guys in the press trailer on Saturday right before M.I.A. took to the main stage. To check out our conversation and watch a clip of their live performance on Dave Letterman's show,

read more. You guys got a lot of buzz coming out of SXSW this year and word is you are the most fun live. Parker: That's what I'm talking about, that's what I'm after. That's like, why you start the band. How was the response to your performance today? Parker: People were excited, everyone's excited. I think it's just being in this place. Have you guys been to Sasquatch before? How do you like it? Parker: No. I love it, pretty amazing outside. You gotta realize we play in bars - that's what you do. So you're never in a national park. How are you feeling about the band right now? Where you've been, where you're going? Parker: Things have always been good, things have always been positive for the band. Nothing crazy. We never. . . we didn't have some gigantic monster smash. People weren't freaking out or stalking us or anything. But people have been gradually getting into the band, seeing us live and stuff. Julian: We've been on tour for quite awhile. Started in the new year, record came out in January so we've just been touring, doing the rest of the Summer and hopefully the rest of Fall. That's intense! Julian: For us the act of playing is rewarding, maybe it's a little obvious or hokey but some people don't want to tour that much. If you play a sport and you love it, you actually want to get on the field. How do you guys feel about all the music coming out of the South? Parker: Anything from jazz to blues to rock music. America-wise, so much of it is rooted in the South. . . New Orleans or Memphis. We're super proud to be from the South. Bands are getting a lot of attention outside of the South, it's pretty cool.