30 April 2019
Eric Friedberg
The Boston, MA garage rock band Slothrust is comprised of lead singer Leah Wellbaum, bassist Kyle Bann and drummer Will Gorin. The three piece formed the band in college at Sarah Lawrence College in New York studying music.
Their sound fluctuates between the chiming guitars of an emo guitar outfit and the loud and quiet nature of a repurposed Pixies track.
Their new album The Pact came out in 2018 and they are currently on a North American tour with Summer Cannibals.
They will be playing a show at the Black Sheep on May 18. Tickets will be $14 at the door.
And if you will be elsewhere in Colorado, catch them in Denver on May 17 and in Fort Collins on May 16.
In an interview, bassist Kyle Bann touched on the band’s inspiration, what tour is like and what makes them stand out among the crowd.
I hear a lot of different genres mixed around in your music. What are some off the bat that you are influenced by?
“We’re all over the place as far as influences go, no genre is safe. There’s all the usual stuff like grunge, classic rock and metal. Then we all got into jazz in college. But all three of us were definitely exposed to a significant amount of musical theatre as children, and I think that’s playing more and more of a role in the band as time goes on.”
How do you guys break the monotony of tour?
“Seeing movies, tracking down good food. Personally, I love finding a cover band in a dive bar somewhere.”
What’s one thing about being a musician in this day and age that you think people don’t understand?
“How much work it is! How much practice and preparation goes into something before you present to the world.”
What are your thoughts about your three days in Colorado in May? Fort Collins, Denver, and Colorado Springs.
“We’ve pretty much only ever played in Denver, really psyched to see some other parts of the state! I think we have some days off too, really looking forward to springtime in the mountains.”
What were your favorite things about recording The Pact? And what were your least favorite things about recording it?
“Favorite Parts: Electing Modelo as the official beer of ‘The Pact’ recording sessions. Cold Brew from La Colombe, Chris’ dog Cornelius, Smoking joints on the deck, Monday nights at the Echo, Working with Billy Bush.”
“Least Favorite Parts: LA Traffic.”
Being that there are so many rock bands from Boston, MA, how did you guys compete for the spotlight when first starting up as a band?
“We really came up playing in New York all the time. I wouldn’t say we really competed for anything, at least not intentionally. We just showed up and did our thing, a lot. Also, even though we were definitely a grunge-indie rock band, we always had the ability to rock a house party.”
Are there any other new announcements about the band that you would like to share with the world?
“We’re on tour! Come see us live, I’m sure we will find a way to surprise you.”