When I meet Benny Horowitz backstage, just hours before their headlining show at Vancouver’s legendary Commodore Ballroom, there’s a certain air of modesty to him. As the drummer for New Jersey’s grit-punkers The Gaslight Anthem, you might suspect that Horowitz might have developed a bit of an ego, considering that The ’59 Sound, the Gaslight Anthem’s second LP has been making the rounds on every critic’s “Best of…” lists. It’s chugging, relentless, fist-in-the-air anthems even garnered the attention of Bruce Springsteen.
The ’59 Sound has garnered heaps of comparisons to Springsteens’ immortal sound, and he even graced them with his presence during their encore at Glastonbury this year. That kind of exposure has ruined many a young band, or at the very least, installed a slight chip on their shoulders. But for Horowitz and his band-mates (Bassist Alex Levine, Guitarist Alex Rosamilia and Singer/Guitarist Brian Fallon) the idea of fame and the connotations that come along with it aren’t even an issue.
“The way we deal with this fame is to not even think about it. We were realize that A; we’re really lucky to be here and B; based on history, this whole thing probably isn’t going to last long. And I think that’s where people go wrong. They get into this headspace where they start thinking, ‘Oh, I sold this place out,’ even though the next time you come back, half those people will probably have no interest in seeing you anymore. But luckily, we’re in a different position. I recently read an article about Kirk Hammett (Of Metallica fame) where he said that he didn’t even know how to take out the trash until he was 30 years old. He said he was so young when he became successful. And now that we’re on a bus and dealing with different things, I’m realizing that this shit, it’s all just a fucking fantasy land. With the exception of getting onstage everyday, if you choose for it to be so, all you have to do is get out of bed, get onstage and get off the stage. Everything else, with your day, your responsibilities and all that shit, it’s up to somebody else. We were really fortunate to have a lot of years of normal, regular lives. I didn’t quit my full-time job until I was 27. I had 10 years of doing this shit on my own.”
It might be Horowitz and the rest of the band’s ability to stay grounded throughout the whirlwind of the past year that has led to their success, though that would also be a discredit to one of the most honest and palpable rock records of the last few years. The ’59 Sound is chalk-full of mesmerizing hooks, choruses that move with the force of a locomotive and are equally as authentic. It might be a punk record. But if that’s the case, then the world of punk certainly has a lot of catching up to do.
Because the Gaslight Anthem has enjoyed an immeasurable amount of success after just two records, that very success and their entire aesthetic has come under question by punk purists. Doubters argue that their appeal is based simply on their ability to write marginalizing, catchy tunes. And while Horowitz agrees to an extent, he’s quick not to lay down on the tracks, showing a bit of fire in what can easily be assumed to be a nonchalant approach to his day job.
“There are merits to those arguments. Especially for certain people who have ideals as far as what punk is and what it isn’t and what it should be. I wouldn’t argue with someone head over fist about that. Because, yeah, we have a manager, we have a booking agent, we now travel in a bus. All this shit, people are going to go, “Column A” or “Column B” and it’s all in the non-punk column. But as far as our influences, where we come from and how we value ourselves and the people around us, it is punk. “
Horowitz goes on to explain, “But it’s a lot easier to hold onto those cookie-cutter, punk ideals when you’re 16, living with your parents and getting ready to go off to college. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. It’s a big fucking difference when you’re in your late 20’s, everything that was supposed to be great is behind you now and you’re still sitting there, in the middle of the fucking rain with no umbrella because of punk rock. When you reach that point, your standards can bend a lot. I remember when Bryan and I met, we were both at the same point in our lives. And we were scared man. He’d been married for a few years, I’d been playing in touring bands for a few years. We were 25 or 26, and we were both kind of…panicked. We were both a little desperate. We were at those crossroads. That’s the reason why the first record is called Sink Or Swim. With age not only comes wisdom but real life tumbling down on your shoulders. It’s just a lot easier to be punk when you don’t have that all coming down on you.”
Recalling an interesting conversation Horowitz had with Jordan Kleeman, the touring manager for (Oft-lambasted Florida punk rockers and once Gaslight touring-mates) Against Me!, the drummer remembers, “he said if you grow up punk, and you really believe in those ethics when you do it, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a doctor, or a lawyer, whatever you do, you’re going to carry that consciousness and that morality with you. And on that basis, I think we’re about as punk as a band in our situation can get. We don’t treat people wrong. We don’t rip people off. We’re direct, we’re honest with everyone. Musically, I don’t, we could have a conversation for eight hours about what the fuck punk sounds like. There were people in the mid-70’s who said the Sex Pistols and the Clash weren’t punk. Now the shit people call punk is a shell of what I thought punk was. Musically, I don’t know. But I know we still play faster than most punk rock bands.”
Hearing the Gaslight Anthem rip through the title track from The ’59 Sound with the tenacity of a Tom Petty love song on all kinds of speed, or “Old White Lincoln,” in which the “Ohhhh” background vocals bring to mind a California highway at sunset, there is no doubt as to how fast the band can actually plow through a number. Both tracks, as with the entire record are driven by hooks. And while so many bands can write records full of hooks, they often border on cheesy, obvious and pandering to the lowest common denominator. It’s worth wondering how the Gaslight Anthem struggled with the conundrum of hooks while writing The ’59 Sound.
“If you’re gonna write anything that’s melody or hook-oriented, you’re always gonna dance on that line of it being cheesy. Sometimes you wonder, is it Social Distortion or the Goo Goo Dolls? But we have a very serious filtration process in the band. There’s a lot of stuff no one ever hears. And there were songs, while we were writing, where we just kind of said, “Nah dude, that’s too close to the edge.” We had to develop some sort of insight into the middle ground. But I’m over-critical. I usually hate (new songs) for three months after they come out.”
As critical as one can get over their own work, it’s tough to be a hater once every critic and his dog starts mentioning the same two words when they hear your record: Bruce Springsteen. A Google search alone of a combination of both artists yielded 124,000 results, which is no small feat for any band. Lofty shoes to fill, but Horowitz doesn’t see it that way. For him, writing three-chord songs filled with stories of blue-collar woe and wonder shouldn’t immediately put you in the same league as Bruce Springsteen, even if both artists do hail from New Jersey.
“We get the Bruce Springsteen question every interview. But I’ve realized that it would be irresponsible journalism to not ask about it. I don’t take offense to it. But first off, I personally don’t even see it. I don’t even think we sound with Bruce. With the exception of the way Bryan approaches song-writing, with the story-telling aspect, the vibe, the working class guy from Jersey, it’s an easy association to make. But I still don’t own a Bruce Springsteen record. I just don’t see it. I hear more of The Clash, The Replacements, Tom Petty, a lot of other stuff that for me, is a much stronger influence. It’s never a conscious thing with us. We’re never in the song-writing process going, “I think this song needs a little more grit.” You’d be hard-pressed to find four blue-collar guys who are even willing to have that conversation. It’s got to be inherent. But if that’s the kind of vibe people get, who are we to argue?
In regards to the comparisons Horowitz explains,” people are always gonna find things to compare. Until you’ve really forged your
own identity and until you have your own body of work that people can base things off, then you’re going to get comparisons. And while we’re creating our own identity, people are going to do that. In the end, there’s far worse people to be compared to. For now, I’ll take it.”
Even if Horowitz finds the comparison a little daunting and overwhelming, he’s quick to admit that after having seen Bruce Springsteen for the first time, he learned quite a bit on what it takes to be a powerhouse live act. The Gaslight Anthem however, are still no strangers to the road. If it’s live supremacy they’re after, then they’re certainly busting their chops in the process. Having shared with stage with punk rock dignitaries of both past and present, from Against Me! to Social Distortion, it’s tough to think of better acts to study from. Horowitz admits that for the Gaslight Anthem, touring is what makes them a better band.
“Touring has strengthened everything. After what we’ve been through together for the last four year, all the obstacles and everything we’ve had to overcome, we’ve had to do it all together, openly and honestly. I think we’ve become better friends and a better unit because of all the touring. They’re my family. I would fuckin’ die for anyone of these guys without even thinking about it. You can only really build that bond if you really go through something with somebody. Alex was still homeless, living on my couch when we weren’t touring together. I probably saw him everyday for two years!”
One might assume there’s something in the water that gives rock and rollers from New Jersey staying power. But in speaking with Horowitz, it became rather obvious that it’s raw emotion, amongst a few things that drives The Gaslight Anthem. It’s an attention to honesty, dedication to craft, mutual respect and a powerful, driving sound that will probably keep their ego-free rock and roll on the road for a long time to come.
“Musically, it’s hard to write, jam and get creative on the road but as far as playing live and playing an entire set, touring has really helped us. When we did that show in Glastonbury with Bruce Springsteen, it was the first time I’d ever seen him live before. I was really amazed by them onstage; they obviously weren’t working off cues. And it was flawless. I was sitting there thinking, ‘The only thing that can allow you to do that is years and years of playing music together. Where you just know where somebody’s going to go.’ And I hope we’re getting there.”
