By Shane O’Dwyer

It’s the 21st century and times have definitely changed, including our music. Sadly, in my opinion, some of the most well-known music of today has lost the grasp of freedom its predecessors had. But every once in a while, a band of the 21st century will come across and reassure me that real music isn’t dead and there are genius musicians still coming around. Grouplove did just that.

The band holds members Christian Zucconi, Hannah Hooper, Ryan Rabin, Andrew Wesson and Sean Gadd. At almost 5 years old, the band has two albums and one EP to its credit, including the recently released Spreading Rumours. With the first album, Never Trust a Happy Song, bringing us “Tongue Tied,” which was used in an iPod commercial and on Glee, I knew the band had a bright future. When I heard the album Spreading Rumours, I knew I was right. The album holds songs that will make you want to roll down your windows, feel the breeze and shout those lyrics.

Grouplove came to Clark University in November, and without a doubt, the show was beautiful. The band brought enough energy to the room to make you feel like nothing mattered ~ not the bills you had to pay, not the fact that you had to wake up early for work. The show left the audience focused on the music and energy being lifted off the stage. Luckily, before the show I had an interview with guitarist and vocalist, Andrew Wesson.

PULSE: So did the death of Lou Reed affect you in any way?
ANDREW WESSON: Well, I think it affected all of us because whenever anyone great leaves this planet it’s a shame, and there’s always a void that needs to be filled. Or maybe it’s never filled. I was watching the Jimi Hendrix thing on PBS, and I was like “F**k man, no one plays like him; he did things with the guitar that no one will ever do again.”

Well it’s different because these days it’s either Auto-Tune or twerking … like is that true music?
I can’t even listen to people solo anymore….it just like “ahh.” People … I don’t know … it’s scary.

So, what made you guys and gal have your own particular style in the music?
Well, I think we are pulling from everything good in the last like 50 years. I think that’s why … because we are also five different people. Legitimately, we are all from different parts of the world like New York, San Francisco, L.A. and London, and we are all different ages, all from different backgrounds and we are all into different music. I think we pull from each other so many different styles that if you listen to the album, it’s manic, like all over the place.

Well you can even tell the difference between the two albums.
Well, this one we went down the tangent we go on even more.

Well even some of the songs like “Bitin’ the Bullet” and “Shark Attack,” you can hear even that dub step type of sound that wasn’t played in the first album
We just kinda like …

Do whatever the hell you want?
Yeah, there’s no game plan, like there’s no “this album’s gonna sound like this.” Like there’s nothing more boring than 12 sounds that all sound the same

Which is brutally common these days. Didn’t Ryan Rabin [drummer] produce the albums?
Yeah, dude; we keep it all in house. Hannah does all of her art …

Yeah, I was checking her art out. She’s …
She’s insane, dude. You’d have to talk to her about it ~ like people under water, beach scenes weird tripped out s**t. Like she can go paint a perfect portrait … like if you want you can go look at a picture, she can do that, too. It’s not like a cop out.

I think best art comes from the art you don’t try hard on, you just go with it.
Totally, I agree.

Who would you say influenced Grouplove?
Literally, like I said, everything and anything in the last 50 years. Like everything good in the last 50 years. I don’t know … I think we live in a generation now when I find it hard to find people who are like only into punk or rap or anything.

Exactly, like me … I will go from Sinatra to Sabbath, but The Doors are my favorite of all time.
The Doors are one of my favorite bands of all time. And I hate when people try to talk shit about Jim Morrison like he can’t sing or he is a drunk and fake poet because it is not true. Well, the person he was in that time period is so much gnarlier than being that person now.

Simply a genius misunderstood. But, aside from music, what do you do for fun? I know Hannah does her art …
I surf; I used to want to be a pro surfer when I was a kid.

Awesome; ever see a shark?
Seen about four in my life, all small and all less than six feet. Like I haven’t seen one where I’m like, “f**k!” I saw two when I was in Indonesia, but they were both like little 4-foot reef sharks. And I acted like I wasn’t scared, but I totally was.

So your band is almost 5 years old, do you see a future in Grouplove?
Oh, of course, I’d like to be making albums with them for the rest of my life.

You can hear how Hannah enhances the energy.
She’s like the most creative person I have ever met. She comes at it, like, not as a musician. She doesn’t go, like, “Oh, it has to be this way or that way.” She’ll come at it, like, “Wait, why don’t we do it like this,” and we are, like, “I never would have thought of that.” Because we come at it like a totally, like, “Well, musicians, you gotta do this,” and she’s just like “No, let’s do this.” And you’re like, “I would never have thought of that in a million years.”

How was it being a new band and playing on shows like Conan?
We have done, like, 10 late-night appearances; it’s crazy. It’s less scary than it was in the beginning, but it is still weird because you could literally get there super early in the morning, check in, do all this s**t, and then, you wait around all day to do one song, and if you f**k it up, you can’t repeat it ~ it’s live television.

Who keeps the band in order, like who’s the “boss”?
Hannah’s like mom; I don’t know, Ryan is like the stage … keep s**t in order, keeps the set moving along. I don’t know, but everyone does their part. Hannah is good about the overall vision of the band though.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Living at home … ha-ha … I don’t know. I don’t really know where I am gonna be tomorrow. I just hope to still be in this band and making music that I believe in.

For more information, visit grouplovemusic.com.