Interview with GANZI GUN
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Interview with GANZI GUN
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
We first started as a cover band, like most of young people’s bands but over the years, we decided it would be best to start writing our own material. We had some urges let’s say, to express ourselves. And so we did. Some riffs or drum patterns or vocal lines do the trick for us and then we jam along and see what we can keep or store it for later. As for what we would do if we hadn’t gotten into music, for me personally, eing a drummer. I’m kidding. Probably switching on jobs back and forth until I stay somewhere I really like. What I do like to be honest, is learning more about music’s history. From classical, to the first blues and soul songs, that lead to rock and then to metal. Maybe I’ll create a documentary one day about this, who knows.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
Playing games, either board or on my computer or PS4 or when we have enough time in our hands, DnD (Dungeons and Dragons, yes I am a big nerd), taking walks, lust laying on the couch or bed listening to music. I always have something going on in my head. I can’t explain it. It’s a non-stop rhythm, either playing random stuff that after some point I cannot even count or a basic beat thinking about the sound of the bass and snare drum or just simple rudiments such as paradiddles or ratamacues, imagining playing them first with my hands and then with my feet. This as you can understand, influences a lot my creativity, as I literally don’t stop hearing beats or drums in general in my head. There is always this beat I will come up with, or a fill, or a whole part of a song and what I could play there or not. To actually not have something in my head, is when playing DnD, as there, I am literally someone else. Just focusing in the game. But also when playing DnD, we always have music in the background. So sometimes, I always get a sound or a melody a like and try to think of what would be for the best for this?
How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.
The band is active since 2010, playing covers in their first steps. After some lineup changes over the years, I believe that we now have a great presence. We are all very active on the band’s ‘’jobs’’ and in rehearsals we are close to perfection. After 3 years of doing nothing and sitting on our couches, when our new singer joined, we all feel that we are back in the game 110%. What brought us all together, is our love and passion for music. And I believe this is seen in our rehearsals amongst ourselves and definitely when playing live.
Where are you based and how did that influence your music?
We are based in Athens, Greece. But this did not influence our music at all, as we are not a country know for it’s Rock / Metal scene, even though we have great bands and that is a pity to be honest. Our influences from where we live, are most depicted in our lyrics. Small or big events good or bad taking place in our country and/or our lives.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
The name is an anagram of the old word ‘’gan-zi-gun-nu’’ which means ‘’The medicine that heals the mind’’. It’s a word that was used back in the ancient Assyrian medical practice. It’s quite interesting to be honest and music for us has always been the gateway to either relax or feel pumped. So it is a medicine metaphorically.
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
After everything we’ve been through, due to the 3 year hiatus we had to take for COVID, to be honest with you, and I believe the rest of the band will agree, was the first live show we played back in March, with the amazing Rollin’ Dice. It was our first live show with our new singer, and the first live show for us, after 3 years of practically doing nothing. We were so ecstatic and we were waiting for it, like a child waiting for ice cream. And another memorable gig, was the one back in 2015, when we played on the ‘’Rock on the Beach’’ festival, in Thessaloniki. It was an amazing 2-day festival with great bands, rock n’ roll and lots of beer cans.
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
I would not say favorite venue, as sadly in Greece there are some good venues yes, but you can count them in your 10 fingers. The best one we’ve played though, is a place called ‘’Kyttaro’’. We would love to play in some big open air festivals, if we ever have the chance.
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
Always depending on what we play, I would say Shinedown, Black Stone Cherry and Nickelback.
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
Never back down. Keep writing songs or come up with ideas even when they sound stupid and find other people who share the same love for music as you. Whenever you feel disappointed, we get it. We’ve been there and we will be there in the future for sure. But never stop expressing yourself no matter what you do. Because in the end, your songs are your children. And you got to love your children right? No matter what. As for my younger self, I would say to him ‘’Practice more!!!!!!’’
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
For me personally, I have to say ‘’Fist my way through you’’ from our second album titled ‘’Time is Now’’, as I also wrote the lyrics for it. It is a song that reflects on my troubles I had when I was in school getting bullied all the time. I never saifd anything about it nor did I fight for myself. And that is possibly the biggest regret in my life. So when we had the basic music for the song, I immediately thought of some hip hop like verse and that was it. I was listening to hip hop when I was a kid and that kind of stuck me. So I started writing down what I was feeling at the time and what I wanted and of course it has my personal favorite drum part on all of our songs in the album.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
The one that we always play is called ‘’Fading Lights’’, which is from our first album. It’s an amazing song to end our performances and we all feel a happy, relaxing feeling, smiling all the time. Since we released our 2nd album, we are always asked if we will play either ‘’Time is Now’’ or ‘’My little bitch’’, which of course we always play.
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
Regarding music, way too many. I’m going to name a few, as we will need a bigger paper to write all of them down. Metallica, Guns n’ Roses, Black Stone Cherry, Godsmack, Nickelback, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Overkill, Motorhead and I am going to stop here.
Regarding non-musical influences, we would say life itself. Not to be poetic or anything, but it’s true. From big events good or bad taking place in all of our lives, to the small moments or details someone is experiencing, from the moment they wake up till they fall asleep.
We first started as a cover band, like most of young people’s bands but over the years, we decided it would be best to start writing our own material. We had some urges let’s say, to express ourselves. And so we did. Some riffs or drum patterns or vocal lines do the trick for us and then we jam along and see what we can keep or store it for later.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
It really depends on the context of each song, but generally every day troubles or thoughts we might have and we are either afraid or never had the chance to talk about them.
Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?
Our singles regarding our albums are ‘’Fading Lights’’ and ‘’My little bitch’’, for which we also have video clips for them. Another single is ‘’Lonely Boy’’ from the Black Keys, which is an official cover.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
Since it’s not been that long we resurfaced from a three year hiatus, due to Covid and our former singer leaving the band due to health issues, first thing is do as many rehearsals as we can, since we also now have a new singer. We need to be ready, as on July 9th, we have the honor of playing in the ‘’Rockwave Festival’’ on July 9 th , which is one of the biggest stages in Greece, if not the biggest. We also played on May 26 th in ‘’An Club’’ in Athens, celebrating 20 years for the ‘’Made In Hell’’ studios, which is also the studio we rehearse and record our albums. A great 2-day festival. Apart from those 2, we are looking to do some more shows in Greece, but nothing is sure yet.
How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?