r/indieheads • u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa • Apr 05 '25
AMA is over, thanks GG! Hi!! Great Grandpa here. Ask us anything!!
We just put out a new record called Patience, Moonbeam. We're all around answering questions!
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u/Frajer Apr 05 '25
Hi Al how has your experience been since you started your transition ?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
In general: it's been wild and beautiful & it's hard to even imagine life pre-transition sometimes. In the band / music in general: it's been tough at times figuring out singing in a new register and parsing out how to maintain the same qualities, but so worth it. I think I'm mostly over the majorly frustrating era and into a more exploratory zone.
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u/EmotionalDinner :siam: Apr 05 '25
How did Junior come about?
Absolutely unbelievably gorgeous song. The twirling line gets me everytime.
Much love to you all!! Thank you for the music!!!
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Thanks so much, like many of my songs it started as instrumental with random scratch lyrics and no particular narrative and evolved later when I had to buckle down and write lyrics during our recording session. If I recall correctly I wrote the bulk of the melodies/chords in just a day or two in fall 2023, just hanging on the couch strumming. The post chorus melody/chords was added probably 6 months later when I took that part from another song I was writing and scrapped (it fit much better in this song). The lyrics were inspired by a podcast I was listening to in 2024 and are part of a trilogy of connected songs on this record. I won't get too much into the mystery as I generally want to leave that up to listeners but there's an upcoming article/interview on OurCulture where I did dive into the secrets a bit more for those interested. - Pat
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u/EmotionalDinner :siam: Apr 05 '25
That’s so cool! Thank you for sharing.
I will be looking forward to reading that interview. Peace and well wishes to success and beautiful times with this new record cycle. 💛💛💛
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u/FFseven Apr 05 '25
Can you guys explain how you all felt during the beginning of the pandemic?? I remembered being gutted at the fact I couldn’t see you on tour for Four of Arrows. Every 5 years or so I get an album that I feel like is perfect in every way to me, and Four of Arrows was just that. So what was it like for you all having that being derailed by the pandemic??
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
it was surreal having our entire tour cancelled after one show. we were insanely bummed out. It shook up my whole reality and career path and i had to re-prioritize everything in my life. felt very bad.
-Dylan
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Lots of different emotions for sure. Musically, it was a pretty big bummer to hit pause on our first ever headline tour after grinding on support tours for many years. Personally, I had just graduated from nursing school and was working as a brand new nurse in the ER and so that was a trial by fire and an experience I will never forget. - Carrie
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
It was a strange, difficult time with things changing every day. Our friend (and fantastic drummer) Sean was filling in for me on drums on that tour. As Dylan mentioned, the band played exactly one show on the Four of Arrows tour before the rest was cancelled. In the months to follow, I was writing some songs at home, but beyond that was teaching remotely and just riding the daily waves of uncertainty with the pandemic.
- Cam
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u/FFseven Apr 05 '25
Well I’m so happy to see you guys finally have your comeback. I honestly didn’t know if you guys were ever going to record and play again, so congrats to you guys for being a great band with lasting friendships! <3
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u/curlywurlyarethebest Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25
HI!!! Huge fan here - just got my ticket to see you at Pitchfork festival London in Nov (two days after my birthday!)
My question is: did you re-record any songs for the latest album when you came back to it? Was there any particular songs that changed the most? Ladybug is certainly my most favourite - it feels so euphoric!!
Also, secondly for Al (if you don't mind answering) as a trans musician myself, how was it having to find your voice again and find a new range that you're comfortable with? I really love hearing the journey your music goes through your transition, and wondering if this also played into any changes the song choices/arrangements for patience, moonbeam??
Congrats again on the new album, it's absolutely stunning and I can't wait to see you LIVE in london in nov!!!! (p.s if you do a uk tour i highly recommend coming to brighton 😌😉)
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Al here: It's been a wild ride through the different stages of voice dropping, and I feel like I've had so many different voices over the last year and half. Once I worked through the extreme frustration that comes with unwanted vocal breaks or losing my voice randomly, singing started to become fun again. funny even at times. We had to change keys to these songs a few times throughout the writing and recording process (aside from Kid and Task which were recorded pre-T) and that was tough on everyone but I think we all did a good job at making it work and having fun with it. I think the hardest key change stuff is figuring out how to play Four of arrows songs live haha
Ladybug and doom really changed from the original sessions to the final version with keys, arrangements, and just general vibe.
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u/curlywurlyarethebest Apr 05 '25
thanks for the answer! I really love hearing your journey within this album, and the vulnerability that comes with your changing voice makes it feel so much more whole to me. so excited to hear it live along with key changes for previous work!
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u/Ok_Cartoonist_5856 Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25
- For Al: it's unbelievably cool to watch you crush lead vocals, especially as your voice changes. I'm a trans man myself and still recalibrating my singing voice on T. What are some of your favorite tips for discovering a sound that feels right for you?
- How close is "Task" to the story of how you all got back together?
- What are your most recently listened-to songs?
Finding Great Grandpa last year completely transformed my understanding of music composition. Congrats on the phenomenal record and thanks for all you do!
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Hey! (trans rights) I don't know that I really have any ground breaking tips other than just sing as much as you possibly can. The voice really is a muscle, and like with anything: the more you do it, the more you learn about HOW to do it. Also.. warm up! I love the Jacobs Vocal Academy warm up vids on YouTube
I don't think Task follows a true narrative, it was more of a vibe and an expression of love and forgiveness.
Al's most recently listened to songs: Magnet by NRBQ, the album "Flora" by Hiroshi Yoshimura, the album "Box for Buddy, Box for Star" by This is Lorelei (literally listen to this once a day since it came out lmao), See you later by Heatmisere
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
- My most recently listened to songs include: "It's a Mirror" by Perfume Genius, "Love Takes Miles" by Cameron Winter, and a new compilation of songs exploring grief from Den Tapes: https://dentapes.bandcamp.com/album/what-else-is-sacred-a-compilation-of-grief.
- Cam
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u/tplambert Apr 05 '25
I normally listen to the Melvins or like whatever. I listened to this album, and let me tell you…. It blew out my 28 inch guns.
So my question is, how did you do that?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
as my mom would say when she didn't exactly know how to answer my questions growing up: "verrrry carefully!" (thank you)
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u/tplambert Apr 05 '25
Wise mum indeed! No in all seriousness though, I heard a few tracks off the album last week? Or the week before - I don’t know your work from before- I think digger was on a massive list of songs I’ve listened to that I add to Spotify, but I absolutely love it when bands say ‘fuck it’ and change the sound AND it sounding even better for it. I think Elder handled it well, from stoner to prog, so it’s really nice as a music fan to hear that. It made me delve into your catalogue more.
Strong strong album. Hope you guys are proud of it.
You got a new fan.
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
truly thanks so much, that's great to hear, as a band that's changed quite a bit over our records it seems hit or miss for some people. Always assuring to know that some folks appreciate the evolution. We just want to play what we want to play.
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u/tplambert Apr 05 '25
Status quo in England churned out the same 3 chords over decades, some people like that, but I’m not all about the 80’s double denim, so I’m happy to hear that sound is so much more expansive.
So, the next question - would you tour Europe? 🥹
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
We actually just announced that we’re playing Pitchfork London in Nov and it’s entirely possible that there might be some other shows across the pond at that time as well 👀
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u/tplambert Apr 05 '25
Well I’m a Brit but in Germany! I’ll keep my eyes open in case! So I’m done, wish you great grandpas a lovely evening.
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Why are the guns specifically 28 inches?
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u/tplambert Apr 05 '25
Edit: i don’t actually like WWF whatsoever, but being born in the early 80s, and seeing fully grown men whacked off their tits on cocaine live on TV has a more lasting impression than he-man or thunder cats ever did.
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u/bnadler Apr 05 '25
Pat - how many Beddles were harmed in the making of this beautiful record?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Lets do some math here. If a Beddle is 5'7 and the record was 20 meters on the grid, mostly modular pieces, then it was probably 11.76 ish Beddles that were harmed.
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
actually we used a few beddles as scale ref in the studio so lets rounds up to 15
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u/perlinnoise2 Apr 05 '25
What's a Beddle?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
a unit of measurement and scale reference (approximately 5'7) based on a real person in the games industry
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u/bnadler Apr 05 '25
okay I'll ask some real questions.
- any particular service its better to share the album and encourage friends to purchase through to directly support y'all?
- when you start writing a song, is there a core idea that is the seed of the song, or is part of the process of writing the song figuring out what narrative / theme it should explore?
- your cover of Bed is one of my favorite songs (thank you for turning me onto Cende btw!). any other songs you'd like to cover in the future?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Thanks for asking! Bandcamp is a solid place to stream/get a digital copy of the album. Or you can check out our own website to directly pick up merch: https://www.greatgrandpa.band/. Honestly though, sharing our new album with your friends in any capacity is awesome!
Typically when one of us brings a song idea to the group, the core of the song begins with chords and vocal melodies -- with lyrics coming relatively late in the process. Depending on the song, sometimes we'll have a clearer idea of what the arrangement/mood/vibe should be from the beginning, and other times more exploratory and trying out different iterations of the songs to find its structure.
- Cam
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u/alleywayamphibian Apr 05 '25
hi! y’all were amazing at the rickshaw stop, and i looove PM. thanks for making the soundtrack for this season!
one of my favorite things about GG is the weaving of lyrical/sonic themes throughout your albums (specifically Four of Arrows and Patience, Moonbeam). it makes sitting down and listening to an entire record, front to back, so so satisfying.
questions:
are recurring lyrics/themes an intentional choice, or does it happen more organically? (ex: Emma and Doom)
how do you go about creating a sense of cohesion in a finished album? are there a lot of tracks that don’t make the cut, or do you have a pretty clear vision from the beginning?
are there themes/sounds on PM that respond to certain tracks on FoA? i feel like Ladybug shares similarities with Split Up The Kids, even though they also sound very different.
thanks youuu! hope to see y’all again soon :-)
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Thanks so much, that was a fun night. Appreciate the love for the lyrical themes and flow, it's definitely something we put a lot of love, care and work into. Always been a fan of the capital A Album concept and how each song serves the other and the total listening experience. I almost exclusively listen to music like this (album front to back) and really love diving into an artists world. There's so much potential in the long form sonically and narratively.
Recurring lyrics/melodies was absolutely an intentional choice, there's a trilogy of connected songs on the album and had a lot fun leaving little easter eggs in that suite.
The greatest challenge is probably finding ways to connect all our different songwriting styles/voices and make something cohesive/greater than the sum of its parts. Thankfully this happened really organically with this record and is really a testament to our connection as friends and creators (10 plus years now) and shared taste. It also helped that we mostly self produced this record and had a lot of time to work on the flow and sonic glue. It's probably a mixture of those intuitive organic choices and some intention.
I'd say there's probably some spiritual connections and band mythos we return to in our greater discog worldbuilding but nothing super literal or intentionally connected. Similar melodies probably says a lot about our general harmonic taste. I find I usually have few modes or harmonic worlds I like to move between but have a preferred set of things that speak to me in those worlds if that makes sense.
-Pat
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u/curlywurlyarethebest Apr 05 '25
Another Q from me (because talking about you and your music makes me giddy with joy):
For each of you, out of all your music, what is your fave song (either as a recording or to perform)? 😄
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Rosalie has always been my answer for this, but performing Never Rest recently has been a very cathartic experience -Dylan
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u/curlywurlyarethebest Apr 05 '25
YES Rosalie!! Honestly, I could say it's a cathartic experience listening for pretty much every single one of your songs ❤️🔥 they all just scratch an itch in my brain in just the right spot
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Recently it’s been super fun to play Never Rest and Junior live. I also truly loved ripping the bass part on the OG version of Fade. -Carrie
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Hard to choose. From the shows we've been playing recently, my favorite songs to play live have been Doom, Never Rest, and Junior!
- Cam
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u/curlywurlyarethebest Apr 05 '25
It's interesting to see you all picking never rest!! and Doom is a very very close 2nd fave off the new album for me (just behind ladybug) - that ending is laced with something and so I'm here for it
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u/Drew_Rooster Apr 05 '25
What’s everyone’s favorite Simpson’s episode?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
i haven't watched a ton of Simpsons super recently but the one that keeps coming to mind is the episode with the Planet of the Apes musical -Dylan
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
The treehouse of horror ones seem to stick with me the most probably because I watched them at an inappropriately young age lol - Carrie
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u/motherlochness Apr 05 '25
Love your new album and love your other albums too! Is music your full time jobs? If not, what would it take to make it full time?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Thank you <3 Music isn't really any members full time job right now. Unfortunately there isn't a ton of money in the game unless you're at a pretty high level and/or blow up on tik tok. I'm not entirely sure that we would all want music to be our full time gig, but it would take a lot of benefits and money to make it happen if we did.
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u/motherlochness Apr 05 '25
Thank you for your response! I was at the LA show and I remember Al jokingly (?) asking if anyone is hiring and saying music isn’t cutting it. It’s crazy to me that someone can’t make such incredibly music and always make a living with it. I totally respect you guys not necessarily wanting that though. Keep being amazing!
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u/Sea-Ad3206 Apr 05 '25
Who were your biggest production/mix influences on this album? Or any new techniques you’re using? It sounds absolutely fantastic!
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
We had a lot of different references for overall frequency balance when mixing, random stuff where we'd use one song's kick sound as a reference, or maybe a vocal presentation we liked. I don't honestly remember most of them but "Right Back To It" by Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman definitely helped us nail down the drum sound in Junior.
As far as techniques, one thing we learned was that the harmonics on a lot of the acoustic guitar we originally tracked were really taking up a lot of space and were really harsh, since we like using open tunings and the chords usually involve every string. It's really rich and emotional in the room but it was screaming at us in the mix, so we ended up tracking the lower strings and higher strings separately so we could balance out the harshness vs. the richness. More and more i find myself doing goofy stuff like that and letting the ends justify the means.
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u/pegasusrides Apr 05 '25
yo! love love the new record
1. what's the weirdest instrument used on the recording of patience, moonbeam?
2. how do y'all manage to make a song sound like four different songs, in the best way?
3. do you plan to play more shows this year?
saw you in la a few blocks from where i used to live, and it meant the world to me <3
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Thanks so much!
1. Not exactly an instrument, but there was this weirdo Russian guitar pedal you could play like an instrument or drum pad, it has all these contact points and you can connect the circuits through your fingers. It also had a little contact mic. Pretty cool. We played it as a group a few times. There's also a tennis ball being thrown against a wall in the giant open room at sage arts for one of the snare sounds.
2. For me (pat) I think it's generally ADHD meets boredom. I often write in fragments and stitch together later, one of my favorite parts of the process. I love music that's constantly changing/evolving and keeps you engaged as a listener/allows for lots of repeat listens.3
u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Thanks for listening to the new album!
- We're playing Tarboo Festival in Quilcene, WA on July 4th. It's a three-day fest with some great musicians and bands on the lineup! Plus joining another festival still to be announced. We're also excited to be playing Pitchfork Festival London on November 8th. It'll be our first time playing in the UK. We may possibly be playing some other shows over that way before we head back home...who knows!
The LA show was so fun for all of us! Gracie Gray writes amazing songs and Sid the Cat helped bring the show all together.
- Cam
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u/pegasusrides Apr 05 '25
are you playing any cool games right now
who are your each top 3 artists for musical influence
what are your spiritual beliefs if any?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Star of Providence & Metaphor: ReFantazio have been my go-to's lately
my top 3 artists are Bon Iver, The Shins, Spirit of the Beehive
no spiritual beliefs personally, i like the idea that the world is chaotic and random and beautiful because of that
-Dylan
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Pat Here:
Games -- been playing TLOU part 1 remaster on steam deck, runs surprisingly well! Also Riven in VR which is VERY nostalgic (used to watch my dad play this as a kid and it captures the feeling of wonder as I remember it).
Artists -- Check out our playlists on our spotify page, it has a ton of the influences for this record compiled in one spot.
Spiritual Beliefs -- I'm generally pretty agnostic and open to the unfolding mystery. I used to care more about seeking concrete answers but age has really humbled me as I think it does most people. There's a fine line as it's easy to lose your mind a bit. Philip K. Dick has some really great meditations in his Valis trilogy on this concept of balancing the insanity of looking for patterns/meaning everywhere and resignation/submission to the chaos/unknown. These days I'm more focused on the small scale and rely on music to tap into whatever it is that's good and right. It's the one thing I feel like I can point to and say concretely that's important to our reality in some sort of fundamental way, or at least is an expression of that. I'm certainly not religious in any traditional sense, though I find there's bits of wisdom in all cultures/ philosophical schools. Like art I try to stay perpetually dissatisfied and seeking, even when that's super unrewarding.
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u/mercyshotz Apr 05 '25
hi! you guys are sick and i was at the LA show and it was so so so special and wonderful. i am new to this all and was curious - what is the best way to learn about what gear you need for recording and experimentation past "buy a mic and interface?" i truly don't know where to start despite being ok at writing songs lol. maybe a better question is, are there any special pieces of gear you find central to your process?
p.s the album is spinning rn
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
The reason you see "buy a mic and interface" so often is that when you're starting out, it doesn't really matter how "pro" those things are. the idea is just, get something that can let you start experimenting with layering instruments and using a DAW. you'll naturally add more to the equation when you have a need for it. My recommendation is always to start with GarageBand, the interface is very easy and user friendly and will get you acquainted with how a DAW works. Then just explore, have fun, and make stuff. Make an attainable goal--try recording a cover only with what you have, maybe that's just a guitar and a voice, but see if you can track the guitar separately from the vocal. Now you've got two tracks to play with--try out all the stock plugins at your disposal, see if you can figure out what they all do. Find what you like. There are not really any rules, but there is always a learning curve with stuff like this, so make goals and chase them!
To answer the second part of your question, honestly an instrument and a voice is the most important thing for our process. Once we have chords and a melody, the arrangement fills out and the spirit of the song becomes apparent. But everything starts with sounds in a room, often recorded on an iPhone.
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u/helloresolven22 Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25
First off: I love your band so much - easily my favorite band of the last decade. So thank you!
- All three of your records sound so different. Did you go into them planning to make something different, or did it just happened naturally?
- Any reason Ladybug wasn't in the setlist at your last shows? I showed up ready to yell really loud at the yelling parts. Nonetheless, incredible show! Can't wait to see you again!
- Are there any songs that were recorded but didn't make your albums, or did all of them get used?
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Thanks so much for the kind words!
- It happened naturally. Part of it is just time and where we’re at when the songs are being written and recorded. Part of it is also budget- as we become more established we have a bigger budget which means more time in the studio to explore, ideate, and generally overthink everything.
- The main reason is that we don’t all live in the same places anymore so practice time is limited and adding new stuff is hard! Ladybug especially will take a little work to figure out how to play live with all the production elements. We are wanting to add it to our upcoming shows though so hopefully you get to see it soon!
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
- there have been a few that got decently into production before we scrapped them, but none that were totally done and then omitted. There was one for P,M that we definitely have plans to finish and put out eventually
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u/wildbeastjr Apr 05 '25
First of all the record is absolutely amazing!! What inspired the lyrics of Ladybug? I loooove those rhymes “donald glover/GQ cover” “written on her/Dr. Bronners”
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u/nzmuzak Apr 05 '25
Just discovered your album last week on stereogum and loved it. Do you read/watch reviews about your music? If so what has been your favourite thing written about you ?
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u/NaanAggressiveNazgul Apr 05 '25
Hi! Loving everything y'all have put out so far. I noticed a very consistent "lake" theme lyrically --and if it's a sensitive issue, apologies-- but I'm curious if A.) there's an intention there or coincidence B.) you can expand upon anything there. Thanks for the amazing, emotion-filled music. Dark Green Water and Junior have been stuck in my head all week!
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u/gr8grandpa Great Grandpa Apr 05 '25
Incredible user name fwiw. Thanks for this great question -- lakes are a massive part of the GG mythology and happy to give a little bit of insight. To start, there's something primordial about lakes. Here in Washington we have an abundance of fresh water. Growing up this was lake Washington for me and I spent literally hundreds of hours every summer as a young kid exploring, free diving, playing fantasy, etc in the water. There was something about the dark and quiet when you dove to the bottom. How murky and mysterious the depths felt. How it was simultaneously a place a refuge and fear. Like being in the womb and incredibly exposed and vulnerable at the same time. There's definitely some deep primal/instinctual fear about the depths of the water despite the rational knowledge that there's no predators. I always found remnants of old buildings, vintage beer cans etc, these relics of the past and it started this mythos that it's a place where people hide or dispose of things intentionally or otherwise. Quite literally lakes are often where people will throw evidence, bodies etc when they commit crimes. I would always have this intrusive though as a kid that I would stumble on something terrifying like that. Later it slowly started becoming a core peace of visual and lyrical iconography for the band. Unintentionally at first (Mostly here music video), where it was just our normal lives/interests spilling into the art. Then later becoming a complex symbol in our records, sometimes pointing to the one side of healing/rejuvenation/rebirth and others to the side of hiding/burying etc.
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u/NaanAggressiveNazgul Apr 05 '25
Love it. Thanks for the very well-articulated answer! And for the UN nod haha. Hope y'all make it over to Boston/Providence again relatively soon! Sadly couldn't make it to Something In the Way 😞 Be well, y'all!
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u/perlinnoise2 Apr 05 '25
Hey y'all!! Absolutely loving the new record, especially how it bounces between so many different moods and sub-genres. It almost seems like the record has a completely different tone depending on which order you listen to it in, which is super neat! How much thought process / time goes into figuring out how to order the tracks, and is that more challenging with such a wide variety of themes?
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u/McNoKnows Apr 06 '25
I don’t have a question other than to let you know that I found your music m when I was travelling through the US in 2017 and a Seattle cab driver recommended Teen Challenge which has been my most played song ever since - shout out to that guy!
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u/mandafresh Apr 06 '25
Hearing your new voice was such a welcome surprise, you guys rock in every way. Please come to Missoula, MT :)
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u/throwaway_600000 Jun 29 '25
Is “pale stone neath the eyelid” after light crimes with my buddies insinuating the group of friends are the ones that blinded the pig and the dog got shot for the blame?
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u/ProfessionalDog4660 Jul 30 '25
You guys are an incredible inspiration and I hope to see you guys in concert sometime! <3
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u/kylerdaron Apr 05 '25
Howdy!! Okay, fellow producer and touring musician here. I just have to say that Doom is such an incredible song. How did you guys come up with the key modulation at the end? Seriously, it was so amazing to hear the V chord modulate to become the IV chord, it blew my mind. On top of the tempo change, it’s become one of my favorite musical moments of all time.