My first encounter with Biscuits & Gravy was like traveling back in time to a Beatles or Rolling Stones concert, with swarms of groupies screaming and immolating their bodies to the rising gods of rock ‘n roll. This young, diversely vibrant group of seven from Boston blends into a sole volcanic ensemble on stage, bringing together a shared passion for music, groovy, deliciously funky tunes and a dazzling, galvanizing energy. Playing with multiple instruments ranging from bass to alto sax, and with enticing, warm vocals, Biscuits & Gravy are able to set on fire any crowd . With an upcoming album (“Hello Weekend”) in the making, this high-powered, explosive group ignites the East coast scene and is getting ready to conquer it all.
Graziella Buontempo: Who are Biscuits & Gravy? How did you all meet?
Biscuits & Gravy: All members of B&G met and began playing while studying at Berklee College of Music. Everyone lives, eats and breathes music, performing with Biscuits and other groups as much as possible.
GB: How did you come up with this catchy yet unusual name?
B&G: At first, the name was a completely random name that came from David’s older brother Jon. It wasn’t something that we were going to keep but when playing one of our first shows, Dave asked the crowd if we should change our name. When people started chanting “Biscuits and Gravy,” we knew it was going to stick around.
GB: What influence does each of you have that the other ones don’t necessarily share and what are your common grounds?
B&G: Our backgrounds come from all over the place and we try and fuse them into a unique sound. Sam has a rock background, Mark has gospel, Ghost has jazz, Evan has R&B, and David dances to all the sounds combined.
GB: What comes first in your creative process: lyrics or the music?
B&G: It’s a mix really. There have been songs that the chords and form came first and lyrics were written afterwards, but there have been some where it’s the other way around. If it’s a good idea lyrically or in form, we usually pursue it.
GB: When you are in the studio recording, do you go mostly for feeling or perfection of the sound?
B&G: It was a mixture of both. The quality is extremely important but at the same time songs are about expressing one’s self and grabbing the emotion and feeling that comes with self expression. We take a mix, making sure to stay technically strong but always staying emotionally connected to the lyrical content.
GB: Where do you draw inspiration for your music?
B&G: Every day experiences, really. Whether it’s something that makes us extremely happy or just day to day issues, we draw inspiration from how we live. With our different backgrounds and experiences our songs can have a lot of different influences. At the end of the day, we make music that people living it up and working hard to get by will really understand.
(Click on the player below to listen to B&G’s first single “Serenade” from their upcoming LP “Hello Weekend!”)
