Q: Tell me your band story in short for those who don’t know you yet.
TG: Hello! We are THE GANGNAILS, a Punk-a-Billy band from Prague.
Our journey with the band started like many other bands. We had an idea, we bought instruments, and then we learned to play them.
We all love classic Rock’n’Roll, the kind that Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, or Jerry Lee Lewis played. We started covering songs by them. Later, we also played punk rock classics from the Ramones or the Undertones.
That was the starting signal for THE GANGNAILS!
After that, we began mixing punk rock with rock’n’roll and rockabilly. That’s how our style, Punk’a’Billy, was born!
Q: You’ve now released your fourth album. You’ve self-released all four albums so far. Why did you do it this way? Is there no interest from labels?
TG: We think it’s faster and we have more control over everything when we do it ourselves. We want to know what happens to our “product,” and you can best do that when you handle everything yourself.
We are in constant contact with distributors in the Czech Republic and with those who organize our distribution in Europe. But we also sell a lot of our records ourselves because that’s the only way we absolutely trust.
Of course, it would be great if we had a big label that takes care of everything or a small label that supports us financially, but for now, we want to continue on our path as we have so far and see if it works that way.
Q: What is the difference between your current album and your previous releases?
TG: The main idea we had when recording “Bullets in the Underground” was to release a really good Rock’n’Roll record without fear of catchy melodies. We also had a piano on some songs.
Overall, the album is not as fast, and we have the experience of writing good songs together.
Q: I find influences of rockabilly, psychobilly, punkabilly, and a dose of ’77 punk in your music. Which bands have influenced your style?
TG: I think I already mentioned some musicians in the first question. In our tour bus, we listen to a lot of The Clash, Ruts, Nekromantix, Stooges, Ramones, and all those classics. The sound still influences us.
But we also like The Hives, NO FX, or Bad Religion.
For night drives, there’s no better music than that of Johnny Cash! There’s just nothing better.
Q: You play with a double bass. Why do you use this instrument and how important is it for you and your music?
TG: We play with a double bass because we think the sound is fantastic. Moreover, it’s something special to play live with a double bass. The instrument looks elegant and embodies the classic. And you can stand on it!! *haha*
On our new album, you can also hear an electric bass.
Q: I find your song “Down in the dirt” depressing, as you sing that love, life, hope, and feelings are in the dirt. What do you want to express with the song? Do you sometimes feel hopeless and finished?
TG: We feel completely finished when we’ve played a great concert in Berlin at Wild at Heart, as we always do, and then sit in Trinkteufel until the next morning. When we then have to go back to our bus and leave that pub and that great city, we always feel a certain sadness.
Q: You also have a song where you sing “Where is my life?”. What kind of life do you want to live and what life are you living at the moment?
TG: We want to shape our lives like probably all people do. We want to have a good life where we are respected. Like many others, we want to work as little as possible, party a lot, and always stay young. Who really wants to work from 8 AM to 5 PM every day?
We are poor, old but happy :-)!
Q: Tell me how the punk and psychobilly scene in the Czech Republic is at the moment.
TG: There are some good bands like Green Monsters, Bad Tones, or Mordors Gang. These bands represent psychobilly from the Czech Republic. In our eyes, the best punk band from the Czech Republic is Unholy Preachers. We can also recommend the all-girl bands
Sourbitch and Fialky.
The really great thing in the Czech Republic is that you can meet people from different scenes at every concert. At psychobilly concerts, there are always punks, skinheads, or metal fans. People identify themselves not through fashion or appearance but through music. That’s really great.
Q: Has the Mighty Sounds Festival, which has been taking place in the Czech Republic for several years, given the scene a boost?
TG: Absolutely! The Mighty Sounds Festival has made quite an impact, and we are proud to have played at the festival or at one of the warm-up shows every year so far.
The Mighty Sounds Festival is the biggest festival in the Czech Republic. If you love good music, a friendly atmosphere, and beer for 1 €, you must go to the Mighty Sounds Festival!
Q: You’ve played in many clubs all over Europe in recent years. Have you found a favorite country or club for yourselves?
TG: We really enjoy playing at Wild at Heart or at 007 Club in Prague. We feel at home in these two clubs; they are our favorite clubs!
In Prague, you can find us at Ujezd Pub or in the Mighty Bar. Those are our regular pubs in our hometown.
Q: What are your plans for 2012?
TG: In 2012, we will go on tour again and play as many concerts as possible to promote our new album. There are also considerations to tour in the Balkan states as well as in Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece.
We would also like to play in the UK and Scandinavia in 2012.
We will definitely play in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria in 2012!
If someone wants to book us for a concert, please email: gangnails@gangnails.com
For more info, concert dates, and listening samples, you can find us at:
