The ever-evolving and inventive musical creations of Atlanta’s Jungol have been purposefully kept from the usual touring environment so far this year. Besides their SXSW showcases, a couple local shows and a Dark Room set opening for POLICA, Jungol’s efforts have remained focused off the stage. The guys have been spending their time working hard on a new album with producer Justin Mullinix as well a video project that has been in the works for the last year and a half. But this hiatus from live shows will be coming to an end in a couple months. They joined us for our 5GB series before their show tomorrow at The Earl.
What’s the first gig you ever attended?
JOSH: The first gig Graham and I ever attended was probably the band Live, at Lakewood Amphitheater a very very long time ago. I don’t really remember the show too much but I do remember the excited feeling I had from being at such a large and loud event for the first time. I’m not sure if this is fair but Graham and I definitely attended some shows while we were hanging out in the womb together. Neil Young and U2 I think were the shows.
GRAHAM: Hmm.. I think maybe Neil Young.. but Josh and I were still in our moms belly.. does that count?
ANDRES: The first show that I ever saw was Eric Clapton for his From the Cradle tour. All awesome blues tunes….and that was before the Omni was torn down.
What is the best gig that you ever played/performed?
JOSH: The best gig I think we performed is kind of difficult to determine. But one of the best ones in my opinion or maybe one of my favorite gigs was at the Star Bar last summer. Atlanta’s energy is always amazing and that night was no exception. It was technically a very well done show although that is most definitely not the deciding factor to whether or not a show is good. Energy and connection are certainly the most important ingredients. We had also pulled off some theatrical wackiness pretty successfully which always has the chance to enhance the show. Basically there were a couple creepy characters, evil loops, a lot of glitter and a girl wrapped in a tin foil burrito who was carried in from the street.. through the middle of the crowd.. placed on stage and then ripped out by two other guys. There is a youtube video out there somewhere.
GRAHAM: The best gig I think we ever played would probably have to be at The Earl for our album release for Over the Sun and Under the Radar in 2010. I had so much fun at that show. The vibe in that place was just perfect. The crowd was really listening and receptive and album release shows are always fun anyways. There’s always some extra energy and intensity in an environment like that. We also had some theatrics that night that we normally we didn’t do. A couple of us dressed up in white masks and black cloaks. I was trying to look like Noface from spirited away I guess. We came out in the beginning of the show and starred at the audience for a bit then set off some noisy loops and then went into the set. Hopefully we weirded some people out.
ANDRES: I feel like each show we perform is different in its own right. There are definitely ones that stick out in my mind but not necessarily for the technical proficiency of the show. What defines a great show to me is more the actual energy and interaction between us on stage during the set. Also the environment of the venue is a factor for me. Definitely some of the old shows that we used to play at the Brandyhouse before it closed. Also a few Battle of the Bands come to mind as very fun sets.
What is the best gig you have ever seen?
JOSH: My favorite show I’ve been too is also hard to say but Bjork at the Fox a few years ago was pretty high up there for me. We had gotten the opportunity to open for the band POLICA recently with our side project Dark Room. They put on quite an amazing show. It was definitely one of my favorite shows I’ve seen in a long time.
GRAHAM: Hmm.. that’s tough.. Either Radiohead at Bonnaroo in 2006, or Bjork at the Fox in 2007.
ANDRES: I saw Bruckner’s Symphony #4 played by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and that was pretty amazing. On the other end of the spectrum Massive Attack at the Fox Theater would be on par with the year Radiohead came to Atlanta for the Hail to the Thief tour. The stage setting and lights were really tasteful and impactful at the same time.
What is the gig you would most like to play?
GRAHAM: Glastonbury would be pretty amazing to play.
JOSH: I would also love to be a part of Glastonbury or Way Out Fest. Besides performing at an epic festival I would also like to play a show in a room with zero gravity. It would be quite a wonderfully chaotic situation.
ANDRES: I think it would be to play a show on some kind of huge, awesome yacht out in the middle of the ocean. We could tailor the set and lighting along an aquatic or underwater feel.
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
GRAHAM: Iamamiwhoami / Bjork / Flaming Lips would be fun to open for as well.
JOSH: Iamamiwhoami / Bjork / That would be my ideal line-up. It would probably just make me dizzy as hell being in the same vicinity as both of them. Another bill I would love to be a part of would probably be Tom Waits / Mike Patton / and us… but that would never happen. And I suppose that’s why it’s a dream gig.
ANDRES: It would be a dream to play a show as a middle slot with some good friends that we really enjoy opening and then after us a band that we grew up listening to or really admire. I could name a ton of bands that would be great for each slot…..so I can’t pick just 2.
Catch Jungol at The Earl, July 13th
