Atlanta band, Jungol, has been active in the local scene since 2000. They’ve independently released two full lengths and two EP’s, and are about to release yet another full length. Jungol has also been hard at work on a film project that incorporates their original music. Needless to say it’s an exciting time for this group!
We were lucky enough to catch up with the busy band before their September 6th show at The Earl!
You have a show coming up in September at The Earl. What makes this show so special?
Graham: The September 6th show at the Earl is going to be special because we’re releasing a single that day off of our upcoming album. We’ll also be celebrating the completion of our short film called GO SOFTLY which we’ve been working on over the last year and a half. We’ll have a limited pressing of DVD’s available at the show as well.
Tell us more about your film project, Go Softly, that has been gearing fans up for the album release.
Josh: Go Softly is a film project we started roughly two years ago. It began with the idea of fusing our visual ideas and stories with our music in a way we hadn’t done before. I’ve had a pretty strong urge to dive back into the visual art world at some point and since we were taking a break from touring it just seemed like the perfect time to start.
I spent nearly 6 months storyboarding and building costumes and giant puppets with a couple friends of mine. Then when it came time to film we paired up with some other friends of ours and spent the next 6 months filming. I also ended up doing the editing myself so I could really shape this thing exactly the way I wanted.
The music for Go Softly was made alongside the filming and editing. Midway through we began releasing each piece of the film online, about one piece every month. The last piece will actually be shown at our show at the Earl on September 6th.
Watch the trailer for Go Softly here
What has been your most memorable gig to date?
Andres: My most memorable gig is ironically when I was on hiatus from the band and had the chance to sit in at a CD release show at the Earl on my birthday. I was given a slice of cake onstage and everything!
Josh: I’d have to say that was a pretty high point for me as well. It meant a lot to have Andres back up there with us. That show was crazy all around.
What do you think about the Atlanta music scene in comparison to other cities?
Graham: I think the music scene in Atlanta is fantastic. I feel like in the last 5 years I’ve seen it grow in some really positive ways.
Josh: There are so many hard-working bands making exciting music right now in this city. I’m not sure what sets Atlanta’s scene apart from any other cities but I do think that the music community we have has become really strong.
I see local musicians and bands out supporting each other all the time. I know everyone has different motives for getting out there and doing their thing but I feel like I see a lot of musicians in Atlanta with a genuine interest and respect for what others are doing and creating.
That’s what a scene is all about in my opinion.
What Atlanta venue would you love to play that you haven’t already?
Graham: Well.. We haven’t played the Tabernacle yet. I know that’s a place we’ve all wanted to play for a while now. I love the vibe and the sound is always perfect.
Andres: The Variety Playhouse would be great as well. I’ve seen many bands that I admire there.
What is the strangest thing a fan has done for you at a show?
Graham: This was several years ago. We played a show in Atlanta and afterwards we went out to the front to talk to our friends. This girl came up and was telling me how much she enjoyed the show but before she could get a full sentence out she threw up on me. That was a little strange.
How do you connect with your audience?
Josh: We definitely feel like our music is the best connection to our audience. We aren’t the kind of band that talks much on stage. I guess it’s always been in our nature to want to get out of the way so we can let our music and art do the talking for us.
You’ll be releasing an album in the near future. What makes you most excited about getting the new tunes out?
Graham: It’s always exciting finishing an album and sharing new music with everyone. This record has been a very different process than all the other albums we’ve made. We started out with around 30 tunes and unfinished ideas about a year and a half ago. We kept writing new stuff as we went along. We decided to write and record at the same time until we found the right songs that fit together.
We didn’t really give ourselves a time line, which is good and bad. It was great to be able to try every idea we had and explore every option but not having a deadline also stretched out the recording process.
So now we are very stoked to finally be able to get this music out there. All four of us are very proud of this record. We can’t wait to release it.
Purchase TIX for their 9/6 show at The Earl below!
