FRET12 SESSIONS
GANSER – Live Performance
Chicago-based post-punk quartet Ganser performs “Lucky” and “Emergency Equipment and Exits."
Broadcasting from our shop at The Salt Shed, FRET12 Sessions invites musicians of all genres and styles to come in, perform, and share their work with the world.
FRET12 SESSIONS
GANSER – LIVE PERFORMANCE
Chicago-based post-punk quartet Ganser performs “Lucky” and “Emergency Equipment and Exits”.
Broadcasting from our shop at The Salt Shed, FRET12 Sessions invites musicians of all genres and styles
to come in, perform, and share their work with the world.
F12-SESSION 002 // GANSER
Fresh off an electric performance at the Salt Shed alongside the legendary Bikini Kill — and a live recording of set highlight “People Watching” — Ganser is a Chicago-based post-punk quartet known for their jagged, noisy sound and darkly comic lyrics that land somewhere between manic and pensive. Comprised of Alicia Gaines, Sophie Sputnik, Brian Cundiff, and Charlie Landsman, the foursome recently visited the shop for a FRET12 Session, where they performed “Lucky” and “Emergency Equipment and Exits” off their excellent 2020 release, Just Look at The Sky. It’s an intense, emotional record that captured the spiraling anxiety of the times, earning a nod from the celebrated music critic and poet Hanif Abdurraqib.
After their performance, we sat down with Ganser to talk tour advice, vibe checks, and the concept of a band as a multimedia project. Check it out below.
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“Ganser is about the music first and foremost, but it’s also about writing video concepts that make us laugh. It’s about making designs and showing them to the band and letting them decide which ones they execute. It’s always been all over the place in... the kind of multimedia expression of a project.”
— Alicia Gaines
“Ganser is about the music first and foremost, but it’s also about writing video concepts that make us laugh. It’s about making designs and showing them to the band and letting them decide which ones they execute. It’s always been all over the place in... the kind of multimedia expression of a project.”
— Alicia Gaines
“part of the reason why I really value having fewer bits of gear is because you get to really, really learn about it.”
— Charlie Landsman
“part of the reason why I really value having fewer bits of gear is because you get to really, really learn about it.”
— Charlie Landsman
“Nobody's asking us to do this — we have to keep that in mind at all times, too. But it's our make-believe world. So we're just going to enjoy it.”
— Alicia Gaines
“Nobody's asking us to do this — we have to keep that in mind at all times, too. But it's our make-believe world. So we're just going to enjoy it.”
— Alicia Gaines
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
REVERBERATION MACHINE BY DEATH BY AUDIO
The original synthetic atmosphere creator. The Reverberation Machine offers up drippy, saturated spring reverbs and cavernous expanses in one small package. Push the Altitude and hear the reverb blasted with gloom and distorted shimmer for the ultimate wall of sound. An instant classic for a reason, the Reverberation Machine's unique and experimental sounds are equally at home twisting your sound into a galactic nebula or adding a sinister and yearning beauty to anything you plug in.
VIEW REVERB PEDAL
REVERBERATION MACHINE BY DEATH BY AUDIO
The original synthetic atmosphere creator. The Reverberation Machine offers up drippy, saturated spring reverbs and cavernous expanses in one small package. Push the Altitude and hear the reverb blasted with gloom and distorted shimmer for the ultimate wall of sound. An instant classic for a reason, the Reverberation Machine's unique and experimental sounds are equally at home twisting your sound into a galactic nebula or adding a sinister and yearning beauty to anything you plug in.
ADVICE YOU WISH YOU WERE GIVEN
💥 “Make stuff for yourself. Like if you were on a desert island, what would you be doing? What you're doing right now? That's a question that we constantly ask ourselves, because there's so many avenues to have feedback from other people, especially online.”
💥 “The insurance for gear is way less than you think it is. There’s gear that I would cry if [something happened to it].”
HARD-WON TOUR TIPS
💥 “Treat the van like it's your living room. Don't look at the mile markers. And if you treat it that way, bring a book.”
💥 “It’s got to be a mix of your alone time and group time.... sometimes it’s having those [noise-cancelling] headphones, but then I think having group experiences is really important. Fun, little stops along the way. Finding an audio book that you all can drink and listen to in one sitting.”
FRET12 SESSIONS – NATHAN GRAHAM
Chicago-born singer-songwriter Nathan Graham performs three songs live at the FRET12 shop.
