A Dirty Dozen with NAKED GYPSY QUEENS – September 2021

Photo credit: John Partipilo

According to a recent press release: “Staking their claim as the new heavyweights of rock & roll’s modern-day renaissance, the Tennessee quartet Naked Gypsy Queens have announced Georgiana, their debut EP, out February 11th via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. Rooted in amplified blues, hard-charging grooves, and dual lead guitars, the band builds upon the larger-than-life sound of their heroes from the 1960s and ’70s, keeping the flame burning for old-school hard rock while using their own 21st century fuel. Listen to the raw, riff-based lead single “Down to the Devil,” released today. Georgiana will be available in LP and digital formats. The digital version will include a live bonus performance of the title track, “Georgiana.” Formed while all four members – frontman Chris Attigliato, guitarist Cade Pickering, bassist Bo Howard, drummer Landon Herring – were still in high school, Naked Gypsy Queens built their audience the blue-collar way: by plugging in, turning up, and playing out. They cut their teeth on the classics — the Rolling Stones, MC5, the Allman Brothers, and Pink Floyd — and funneled those influences into their own songs, creating an original sound that was loud, aggressive, and filled with supersized hooks. After developing a loyal following in their hometown of Franklin, TN, they set their sights on Nashville, quickly becoming one of the city’s premiere rock acts before any of the bandmates had turned 20 years old.” We get the band to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Bo: “Down to the Devil” is one of our more straight up rock songs. It’s straight to the point and doesn’t shy away from its punk influences but has a pop melody to draw in more of a diverse crowd rather than just rock lovers.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Cade: Well originally, River Phoenix in the film “The Thing Called Love” was the one who inspired me to actually pick up the guitar, but it was watching the music video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that made me want to be in a band.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Cade: When I first started playing guitar, it was mainly punk rock/grunge guys like Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, Lou Reed from the Velvet Underground, and James Williamson from the Stooges. As I started to progress as a guitar player I started gravitating towards the blues, and players from the blues were my main influences for a while, cats like Robert Johnson, Mike Bloomfield, Peter Green, Duane Allman, Lightnin’ Hopkins, etc. As of right now, I’ve been really digging John Frusciante’s playing on Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Frank Zappa, Eddie Hazel from P-Funk, and D. Boon from Minutemen.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Landon: Paul McCartney, Steve Jordan, Al Jackson Jr., Brian Wilson, and Greg Errico.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Chris: Kendrick Lamar and Rick Rubin (for obvious reasons).

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Cade: I would say our music is gravitating towards the “Rock ‘N’ Roll” sound to the regular listener, but there’s more to it if you really dig into it. We have always loved to experiment with different sounds, tunings, chords, etc. that you wouldn’t normally hear on a rock record. As of right now, no one has made me cringe or disagree with their opinions. I’m just glad people are listening to the music because that’s all that matters.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Chris: I’m the cook, Landon and Cade bring the acoustics, and Bo gets the drinks in.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Bo: Roger Waters when he played in Nashville. It was always a dream of mine to see a Pink Floyd member play in concert since Pink Floyd is my all-time favorite band. That night was the best night of my life, hands down. He played pretty much every album from The Wall to Animals. When he played “Dark Side of the Moon,” I was in tears since that album actually changed my life musically.  Ever since I started playing bass, I’ve always molded myself to Roger in some type of way, not only with bass but with songwriting as well. So it was a pretty huge deal to me that I got to witness a show from him.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Landon: The best part of being a musician is having the opportunity to travel and see all these new places I would probably never go to. If I wasn’t a musician, I would probably be a fireman or something.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Bo: I would like someone to ask me about my influences on the bass, which is Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath, Ben Shepherd from Soundgarden, Krist Novoselic from Nirvana, Roger Waters from Pink Floyd, and Tim Commerford from Audioslave. My least favorite question to answer is how we got the band name. That one gets tiring quickly even though I know it’s a great question.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Cade: Honestly, no. Everything has happened and will continue to happen the way it does for a reason.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Landon: There isn’t really a specific session/record, but I would love to have been a part of the “Funk Brothers” in the 60s. They were the house band for Motown and consistently recorded hit after hit. The group consisted of some of the best studio musicians in Detroit and to this day most of them don’t get the recognition they deserve. But what they did is just truly magical I think, and it definitely shows in the music.

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Category: Interviews