Andy Gibson has done a myriad of stuff in the music scene, working with bands from Joyce Manor to Tough Stuff as well as running a tape label for a hot minute. He contributed to our new compilation, Start Thinking About Someone Else, in multiple ways: making music as Surf Hypnosis and designing the album art you see above! Here is an interview with this multi-media talent:
When did you start playing music and getting involved in underground music scenes?
I guess I started getting involved in the scene around 2010-2011ish. I was 14 and Mitchell from Tough Stuff went to my local high school and introduced me to Milk and Dustin of Walter Mitty fame. I started trying to make music around that time but it was really bad, so I didn’t start up again until recently, and even now I feel like I’m getting better with every song I make.
You not only make music but you ran a tape label, do artwork, and design merch. What were some of yer non-musical contributions to bands like Joyce Manor, Tough Stuff, Hill Chill, etc..?
Dang, this one is testing my memory. My first real design project was Tough Stuff’s College 7". I made a cool little lyric book with collages and threw together the covers. After that, just by word of mouth bands would ask me to design shirts, print stickers, dub tapes, design covers, etc. Eventually I would design a shirt for Joyce Manor that everyone seems to have but me.
You designed the album artwork for the compilation. What inspired you to use the big bold letters and graphic imagery on the J-card? Did you do the lettering by hand?
I got inspiration from cigarette pack designs outside the US. One of my best friends is surfing in Costa Rica right now and sends me pictures of these really grotesque images on the box with big blocks of warning signs at the top and bottom. I think it looks pretty interesting seeing how a tape is around the same size. And yes, each letter i had to take a sticker and lay it down, scan it, and put it together. I think I need back surgery now.
I’ve seen you perform live and it is quite different than yer recorded music. What is special to you about the medium of “recorded music” vs “live music”?
I love both in very different ways. Live music is about coming together and sharing an energy and being a part of something fantastic. For me, when I record music I need to be isolated from everything and just figure out what sounds interesting. My bandmate Rain and I are coming up with some crazy shit for the album. I recorded these 2 songs very drunk in my friends garage like a day before he moved out where a dude hung himself. With heavy things like that I think it’s better to pull a Dickinson and not come out of your house.
What are some local and more well known artists/musicians that inspire you?
Bands that inspire me? Theres a song coming out of Making New Enemies’ Group Picture 5 that has heavy Alex G vibes. I listen to a lot of High Pop, Coma Cinema, The Cars, Deerhunter, Attic Abasement and Spencer Radcliffe, etc. Everyone should also check out Emma St. Clair’s electronic music on soundcloud, it’s incredible.