Exclusive Q and A: Gloriana's Mike Gossin Talks about the New Album, Celebrations, and the NFL

posted in: By Genres • Country • Exclusive Interviews • Music News

The old saying “living well is the best revenge” is certainly proving true for the three members of Gloriana.

Not that brothers Tom and Mike Gossin and bandmate Rachel Reinert have ever offered anything but charitable words about former member Cheyenne Kimball who abruptly left the group in July 2011. But the departure left the three original members somewhat stumped ” Kimball had reportedly left without any notice ” and scrambling to finish the follow up to their self-titled 2009 debut album.

Although losing a member would cause some bands to fracture and others to completely fall apart, the three members of Gloriana soldiered on. The result is the award winning band’s July 31 release, A Thousand Miles Left Behind that debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country Album Chart and #10 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. In addition, the single “(Kissed You) Good Night” debuted at #4 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart, marking the group’s first Top 5 single.

Although the 11 songs on the album, all written or co-written by the bandmates, had clearly set them toward even more career milestones, they aren’t taking anything for granted. As the band’s tour bus traveled through California last week, Mike Gossin chatted about how the band regained its footing after Kimball’s departure, its new album and how Saturday Night Live may play into the band’s future.

OS: How did the three of you get into a place where you could put the record together after all of the turmoil that took place when Cheyenne left?

TG: It was crazy because we had this record finished as a four piece and then with Cheyenne’s departure, we went back to a three piece. We had to go back and repurpose the record. We started this band as a three piece. Tom and I had moved to Nashville and we met Rachel and we started playing around town as a three piece. So the first year of this band we were a three piece. This process was really about getting back to our roots, finding that spark, that someting special that made us go in the first place. What made us say “Hey, we have somethng really good here to work with, and we believe it.” So I think that that is what this record was about. After Cheyenne left, it was about “OK, guys, we’re going to take a tough situation and make it a positive and get back to the reason we started this band, which was the three of us singing harmonies, playing instruments, and really telling the stories of our lives.”

OS: When Cheyenne left, did you ever think about finding a new band member or even going on hiatus?

TG: Not at all.

We were in the middle of the tour when it actually happened, and we played a show that night, the night she left, just the three of us. We have all been doing this for a very long time. We’re not one of those bands that needs all the glamour and lights and big productions. Those things are cool to do but all we really need are a couple acoustic guitars and some mics and we’re good.

OS: What is it about this record that really struck a chord with so many people?

TG: There’s a sincerety and honesty to this record. It has been a while since the first one came out, and we had a lot to speak about. Our lives have completely changed, going from kids playing in bars five nights a week for 10 years to living in a tour bus, being away from friends, family and loved ones for 300-plus dates a year and playing arenas, meeting some of our idols. I think this record is the story of our lives for the last three or four years. It’s about the things that happened to us on the road, in relationships or about personal events that happened to us in that time period. That really is the connection with the fans, honesty and speaking from the heart.

OS: How did the writing process change between your albums?

TG: The writing process for us wasn’t that different. We did write over 75 songs for this album and we whittled it down. It wasn’t a process you do in a week or two but involved three years of writing about our different experience. Then collectively as a group or with our record label, choosing what we felt strong about. The process was a relatively easy one because we’ve done two records. We are all on the same page. I know it sounds crazy, but in this group we are always about what is best for the band. There are no egos between Tom and Rachel and I. We all get along really well. We are all on same page musically and personally.

OS: How involved is your producer in the process? I know a lot of producers like to hear a band play and play and play and others prefer one or two takes to keep everything from sounding over produced.

TG: Our producer Matt Serletic (Willie Nelson, Matchbox 20, Aerosmith) is great. He has worked with so many great artists over the years and done so many great albums. He keeps us very involved. It’s a hands-on process. We are there every day. We get to put down our two cents on all ideas, down to the sound of a drumbeat. He really listens to us and he really wants to make it about us and wants to make sure it comes from us.

For singing, we like to keep it natural. I don’t know how to say this, really, but it really shows when an artist can sing in a room and it sounds like the CD. That is an important thing. It took us so long to get a record deal and then to get where we are now. We really got the time to hone our craft. We were playing bars five times a week. That is how we made our living. We were struggling but it gave us time to really work on our music.

OS: Tell us a story about one of the songs on the album that came together in an unusual way.

TG: We were playing a show in California, an acoustic show and Matt, our producer, was there. I had this guitar lick stuck in my head for a couple of years. I remember after the show, Matt came on the stage and I said, “Hey listen to this lick” and I played it for him. When we were in Nashville writing this record and I remembered that lick. We ended up writing “Sunset Lovin” off that lick. When we got in the studio, we ended up changing the lick, but it was cool how that one idea that didn’t end up getting used was part of the creation of that song.

OS: So your album had that huge debut. Have you had time to celebrate personally?

TG: There hasn’t been too much time. Celebration for us is playing night after night on stage, giving back to the fans. That is why we are here and why we get to do this. This is a dream come true for all of us, whether it is in front of 20 people or 20,000 people. That is our celebration. It’s more therapeutic after three years, losing a band member, just to get to this point. The celebration is the fact that we get to give back to the fans night after night and the fact that we got to put out the CD. So much goes into that process.

OS: So look in your crystal ball and tell me what we’ll be talking about in a few months, six months or a year. What will be the big news for Gloriana?

TG: We have always considered ourselves a live band. We love playing live. We have some things on the bucket list we would really love to do. We love singing national anthems, so maybe we will get a chance to do that at an NFL game. Saturday Night Live has been on our list from the beginning; that’s something we’d really love to get into. Six months from now, we are going to be doing what we do, giving it all we have and hopefully be on the road on a big tour of our own promoting ‘000 Miles Left Behind.

Find out more about Gloriana, its music and its tour dates on the band’s official website.

Watch Gloriana having a bit of fun playing an acoustic version of “(Kissed You) Good Night”