Chats with Dean from Gibson XCVIII - What Country Their Music Would be, NZ Music Support and Genre Changes
Gibson XCVIII are made up of Mark (left) and Dean (right). We had a nifty wee email interview to chat about a few things we didn’t cover on the podcast. Have a read below to find out more! PC: Dean from Gibson XCVIII.
Hey guys, thanks once again for taking the time to be interviewed! It’s been a few months since you were on the show and I’m stoked to have you back, but on the blog.
Gibson XCVIII: Thank you so much for having us again!
How has life been since the show aired? What’s been going on for Gibson XCVIII?
Gibson XCVIII: Things have been going well! There's a lot going on in the background, and we can't wait to share what we have been working on in 2023.
You’ve recently released another groovy song, GAME OF LIFE, which is brilliant, by the way. What has the response been to that, has it done as well as you’d hoped it would?
Gibson XCVIII: Thank you so much!! We've been blown away by the response of GOL, honestly we are super stoked with how it has turned out.
The dynamic that you’ve got as a band was touched on during the show and I love the fact that you can just bounce off of each other. Has that bond gotten stronger the past few months?
Gibson XCVIII: This is definitely something that continues to grow as time goes on and we continue working together. It is certainly something that we both take pride in when it comes to working on new ideas / concepts! We are confident that this will only get stronger as time goes on.
Besides music, what else do you both enjoy doing?
Gibson XCVIII: Not a lot really! We both work full time which takes up most of our schedules anyway! I guess apart from that, it really is just music!
Do you have a turning point in your lives where you were like, “wow. Music is what I should be pursuing?”
Gibson XCVIII: I'm pretty certain that music has always played its part in our lives since we were young. I guess the turning point was the end product when we started writing music. As soon as we listened to what we created, I think that was then where we realized this was something worth pursuing.
If your music was a country, which country would it be and why?
Gibson XCVIII: Hahaha that's a great question! I'd definitely say New Zealand, because that's where we are from and where our stories originate from. But in saying that I'd absolutely count the countries our extended families are from, like The Netherlands and Thailand!
If Gibson XCVIII were to change musical direction, which way would you go?
Gibson XCVIII: That is honestly something that we've thought about for a long time, and to be honest it's really hard to put a finger on it! Perhaps if we were to go down the alternative/indie route sonically that would be the closest bet, but we would always continue writing honest music as much as possible!
The moodiness of this photo is far from what you get when chatting to the Gibson XCVIII guys. PC: Gibson XCVIII Facebook.
A question that I have been asking a little bit of late is how do you feel that as New Zealand musicians, you can be better supported? I think it’s important to get a standpoint from different artists on this answer as I don’t believe you get as much support as say, Australian, American or even British musicians.
Gibson XCVIII: This is certainly an ongoing discussion happening in NZ. It's awesome to see that there are steps made in the business regarding representation and funding towards musical arts, but there's always more room to improve on. I personally believe that the industry in NZ should follow similarly to what Australia does, where they have the Triple J Radio & Triple J Unearthed - perhaps something that could be done here in NZ is to link with an already established national radio like ZM, The Edge, More FM + others! It's also refreshing to see organizations like RDU & Big Fan stepping up offering programmes towards musical development, diversifying opportunities for all of NZ as opposed to always gunning for funding from public agencies such as NZ On Air or Creative NZ, who knows what else may be on offer!
Have you ever had any interesting moments during recording that kind of took you aback?
Gibson XCVIII: Listening to your playing back is always something that takes us aback! I know it sounds silly but one thing my dad used to always tell me "the biggest critic in whatever you do will always be yourself" - sometimes listening [to it] back it can be quite daunting yet I'll admit there are times where we listen back and are fully dumbfounded that we just did that!
If you could have an animal to go everywhere with you, no matter how crazy, what animal would you choose and why?
Gibson XCVIII: It would be sooooo cool to have a pet elephant - they are such beautiful creatures and are incredibly adorable! They have so much character to them and are cheeky buggers hahaha.
Current favourite musician/band?
Gibson XCVIII: JON BELLION! NUMBER 1 FAN HERE.
What’s next for Gibson XCVIII?
Gibson XCVIII: We're currently working on something new here (stay tuned) plus currently in the works to pack out our calendar to perform live! Maybe even a wee tour, who knows ;)
Anything else you’d like to add?
Gibson XCVIII: Stay positive!
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Big thank you to Dean for his time answering the questions. Stay up-to-date with Gibson XCVIII below -