Streets of Laredo Are Wild At Heart
When band members Daniel, David , SarahJane Gibson and Cameron Deyell moved from New Zealand to New York City, they were nowhere near the breakout musicians they are now.
After having met fellow members Andrew McGovern and Sean McMahon, Streets of Laredo dropped their first album Volume I & II and the rest was history.
Now with their new album Wild, the band is reminiscing on what it’s like to see all their risks, dreams and, let’s be real here, ballsiness turn out to be totally founded! I spoke to band member SarahJane about the new album, latest tour and all the stories that are just a little too, well, wild to put down on paper.
Wild is your sophomore album, can you tell me a little about this album’s themes and inspiration? How is it different from the last one?
It’s about just following your dreams and being brave and wild. It’s about making the most out of life and the ins and outs of the human condition. When we were making it we all just ended up talking about our dreams and that’s what inspired us to make Wild.
You guys moved from New Zealand to New York City before you really hit it big. Can you tell us about that?
It was terrifying. I had never been to America though a couple of our other members had and they loved it. I ended up visiting with the rest of the guys and decided to go for it. I had always wanted to live in the New York so I just bought a ticket and moved out and suddenly it was happening. It turned out I had a lot of worries that I shouldn’t have had.
The single “wild” is about fulfilling your dreams. What do you want people to know about taking a risk like the one you took?
Just keep going even when it seems shaky. Enjoy the road. It helps when you enjoy whatever journey you’re taking to get where you’re going.
How does it feel to know that risk was totally justified?
It feels great! The choices you make have the power to change your life. At a different time I might have said no to taking that risk but I’m glad I didn’t!
You’ve cited John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Paul Simon as a few of your inspirations, what do you take from each of these artists?
I love Paul Simon! With Simon it’s the rhythms and grooves and even the lyrics. They’re sort of tongue in cheek and self deprecating. I love clever lyrics. With the rest it’s just that whole era of nostalgia, I think we like to take inspiration from that time.
What is your song writing process like?
Sometimes it’s like someone will start a song and then the band will work on it together. Other times it will just start while we’re doing band practice, just jamming out. We’re very free and fresh with our process, there aren’t really any rules.
How did you all end up meeting?
Well Daniel and David met first because they are brothers. Dave and Cameron met in school and were in a band together called Strider, which is such a great name. I met and married Dave and then in America we met Andrew and Sean.
Tell us about touring, any good stories?
Touring is awesome, I love being on the road and just playing music, not worrying about anything else. Really we’re just hanging out with loved ones and playing live which are my favorite things in the world. Stories…. Well nothing we can really say in public…
What’s next for you guys?
Europe! We also want to go back to New Zealand to play a couple shows. It will be a good homecoming.
Last words?
Thank you and I hope you are all well and enjoying life!
