mutualfriendsrecords-blog

[mutualfriendsrecords-blog]

gray scaler: slowcore revival

gray scaler is the solo project of 22 y/o Dylan Moore from Austin, TX. Aside from being a full time student at Texas State University, Dylan dedicates the majority of his time to expressing himself in the one way he’s most comfortable: music. Recording, producing, mixing and mastering from home, Dylan is a testament to the DIY mentality Mutual Friends thrives and was founded on. With nostalgic, gazey swells and psych-esque riffs, gray scaler’s style is reminiscent to the works of Duster or Explosions in the Sky. The melodic, slow paced, and repetitive nature of the instrumentation depicts feelings of anxiety, longing, and contemplation.

"The music I create is a direct reflection of my influences and inspiration. The kind of warm tone offered from bands like Duster or Helvatia give some kind of relief from my pressures and anxieties. I guess I make music for the same kind of experience.”

With focus on the importance of mental health, recovery, and safety, Dylan will be continuously releasing music under the moniker gray scaler, with all proceeds being donated to RAINN. 

gray scaler links: Bandcamp // Soundcloud

Watch the music video for gray scaler’s new song itfeltokay,ifeelfine here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5coys-cAziw

[mutualfriendsrecords-blog]

Here’s an interview we did with Grady Philip Drugg back in April.

Keeping up with Grady Philip Drugg 

Today I’m talking with Grady Philip Drugg about his upcoming release “Art Is Supposed To Be Fun!”. I met Grady for the first time a few months ago. He’d been living in Austin for over half a year and we’d finally found the time to link up. He’s been a great friend since and I’m super hyped to be able to talk with him about this new release.

MF: Hey Grady, thanks for talking with us today!

GD: No problem boyo, glad to do it.

MF: Tell us about your upcoming album release.

GD: Okay. What do you wanna know about it?

MF: When is it coming out? Where can we find it?

GD: It’ll be out April 21st via Deep Sea Records. You can actually already pre-order it through their site. (http://deepsearecords.limitedrun.com/) Otherwise, you can get one from me at a show. I’ll be on tour in mid July and I’ll have em with me.

MF: That’s exciting, where are you going on your tour?

GD: Lawrence, KS

Columbia, MO

Springfield, MO

Fayetteville, AR

Oklahoma City, OK

Denton, TX

Lafayette, LA

Austin, TX

Still need a gig for Denton, TX so if anyone wants to help me out, hit me up haha.

MF: So, how might this album differ from some of the others that we’ve heard from you?

GD: It’s all over the place. Everyone who has heard it agrees that it’s way different from my last release. First off, half was recorded on my 4 track and half was recorded in my friend’s studio. I think the songs are better on this one, definitely… The last album was a bunch of pop filler stuff that I did for fun, which is cool, but as far as actual songwriting goes, it wasn’t the best.

This new one, I encourage everyone to have a sit-down listen because I definitely intended for it to be one cohesive thing. I wanted the formats of recording to emphasize the emotional feel of each song, so we tried to transition each one so that the analog tracks and digital tracks didn’t sound too weird… I really like it. I’m proud of this record.

MF: That’s really exciting! I’m hyped to hear it.

GD: Thanks man, I’m excited for it to finally be out haha.

MF: Are we going to be hearing any of the new songs at the Planned Parenthood benefit show?

GD: Definitely, yes.

MF: Can you tell us about your current guitar rig?

GD: As far as guitars, I’m really into oddball vintage stuff. My main guitar right now is a 1967 Alamo Fury, which is sort of like a Danelectro type deal. It was made to be a student guitar… Also, it was made in San Antonio back it the day, so that’s cool. My other one is a 1976 SD Curlee, which is more like a poor man’s Travis Bean. It screams Jerry Garcia to me.

For my amp, I just got a 65 Princeton reissue which is really cool, I’ve always wanted one. Love that low wattage breakup. My bass player has a Vox AC30 that he uses in his studio and sometimes I’ll run that in stereo with my Princeton.

Unfortunately the Alamo guitar will not be making an appearance at any shows in the near future because I cut the shit out of my finger a few days ago and the SD Curlee is just much easier to play because it’s like a shredder guitar and it has super low action.

MF: I can’t wait to hear it all in action. So you moved to Austin about 7 months ago right?

GD: Shit, actually I think in two weeks it’ll be a year!

MF: Holy heck, time is fucked up.

GD: Dude I know hahahah.

MF: Anyway, how was your move from Springfield? How’ve you been liking Austin?

GD: Definitely digging Austin, TX over Springfield, MO. Not that I don’t have mad love for Springfield. But while Springfield is definitely home for a lot of my closest friends, it’s mostly inhabited by shitty republican meth people. At least that’s the impression I got, but I worked jobs that kind of gravitated towards that demographic, I guess.

By the way, Springfield really was the meth capital of the world for a time, so I’m not just hatin’.

MF: I know what you mean, that can be really hard to escape. I’m glad you like it here. Let’s talk about that OG steak n’ shake in downtown springfield!

GD: Yes, let’s.

MF: Oh and the mix!

GD: Haha I never really frequented the Mix. I know our dude Alex Harris is a fan.

MF: I’ve been to Springfield once in my life. It was my first time meeting Alex or being there. We went to The Mix for karaoke and $1 Budweiser on tap. It was a wild night.

GD: Hahaha yeah, that sounds like an Alex night. Alex is a fun guy to party with. I never really frequented a whole lot of bars, really, but we used to have some fun together, definitely.

MF: While we’re on the subject, didn’t you and Alex used to play in a band together?

GD: Yeah, we totally did! For those who don’t know, Alex and I played together in Grammer. Actually, when Grammer split, Alex and our singer Maxx went on to form a new band called Turf, and our guitarist Dakota and I went on to form Importer/Exporter. Alex and I also had a little project for a second called Ghost Bike, so go check that out. We’ve been meaning to record new music forever but we’ve just never gotten around to it.

https://grammercomma.bandcamp.com

https://importer-exporter.bandcamp.com

https://ghostbike417.bandcamp.com

(Turf doesn’t have anything on bandcamp yet)

And by the way, I don’t know when Turf’s new record is coming out, but it’s fantastic. They recorded it with Jonathan from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and he always does an incredible job.

MF: How would you say the Austin scene differs from that of Springfield’s?

GD: Austin’s scene seems more like a bunch of different scenes, whereas Springfield’s was definitely more unified. That being said, there were a lot of petty little cliques and people who didn’t like each other, so I won’t say it’s better by any means.

I feel like in Austin, everyone is kind of just doing their own thing, so you’re free to do yours. I dig it.

MF: Tell us about your PBR tattoo

GD: Haha I don’t really drink a whole lot anymore so I have kind of a strained nostalgia about it. I have a tattoo of a grim reaper with sunglasses smoking a cigarette that says “pbr youth” but that’s kind of a joke about the Grammer boys and our extended family. We jokingly referred to ourselves as the PBR youth crew.

MF: I love it.

GD: Haha thanks man

MF: You mentioned that this album is more of a “sit down” type album – Can you tell us a little about your writing process and the inspiration behind some of these songs?

GD: I think this one is going back to the kind of songwriting I was about before I put out my self titled. If you listen to my first EP Great Lands, or even my very first demo, all the songs are almost entirely lyric based. Like I said, the self titled just happened as a fun project. As far as the subject matter, I think I talk a lot about facing fears, leaving home, love, goofy stuff like that. But the biggest thing I think comes from this song, Pretending is Stupid. There’s one line where I say, “Why should I pretend to like what I don’t like? Just to be a cool guy and pick fights?” That comes from people in the music scene ousting others because they don’t like the right bands or wear the right clothes. I think that shit is wack. Art is for everybody. And even if your intention is to make something grotesque and disorienting, it should feel good to make. You shouldn’t feel like you have to make a certain kind of thing because other people don’t think it’s cool. Art is supposed to be fun.

MF: I couldn’t agree more. So with the exception of your tour, what’s next for you? (As a musician or as a person)

GD: At the moment, I’m just focusing on finishing up this semester of college. Then in June I’m actually going into a big studio to record a few new songs for an EP or a single or something. I don’t know when that’s gonna come out, but I’m excited. I think I’m gonna use my band on the session and we’re gonna record the bulk of it live, which will be nice, because I usually play everything myself.

MF: I’m glad we could talk. Thanks so much for your time Grady!

GD: Yup, thank you!

Make sure to catch Grady Philip Drugg at Beerland on April 25th and to watch the video for I Fear So Deeply.

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Art Is Supposed To Be Fun! is now available at:

www.deepsearecords.limitedrun.com

Cover: Christopher Knisley