Chanting down the Babylon. A Discussion with Gypsy Roots.
Flashing forward from our days at college together, me and Joe Espindola formed equALL in 2016, a cool little non-profit. Around that time I began to meet more of his family and friends, a bunch of extremely welcoming, fun and genuine people. Many of these people form the body, heart and soul of Gypsy Roots, a 6 piece band with an electrifying stage presence and fresh reggae punk sound.
Dedication, passion and pure undisputed talent has recently won the band Best Live Act AND Best Alternative Act at the Fudge awards on top of winning Eruption Battle of the Bands in February.
Following a single release with 'Everyday' in April, their first album, Chanting Down the Babylon is coming out on May 12th. I had a chat with frontman Joe about how life is going for him and the band, completed with his sister Paloma on vocals, Chris on drums, Marjun on keys, Liam on guitar & John on bass.
Jessie: You're working with the guys at Fat Hippy Records, how's it going?
Joe: The guys at fat hippy records, who do so much for the local Aberdeen music scene, are helping us with the producing and distributing side of things and helping us take it to the next level! Its an honour to work with these guys, as a kid I spent a lot of my time practising at Captain Tom's (a recording studio who run Fat Hippy Records) jamming out with bands and now to this!
J: What has kept you all together and where did Gypsy Roots begin?
Joe: We have all been mates for a long time, we chilled all day everyday smoking weed. Paloma puts on club nights (Aberboomtique) and had a night where she had a reggae band, Only Joe, coming up and she needed a support band. So we decided to put something together with a few songs and covers. It wasn't the best performance, Liam was on the drums at this point and Chris was on the keys where he accidentally pressed the demo button on his keyboard and was playing old McDonald had a farm or some shit, we didn't realise till after the song haha. But after a few swaps we've got the true line-up, with Marjun and John coming in.
J: You guys are insane on stage, will the record convey the energy you have?
Joe: Nothing compares to playing live, playing off the crowd for me is a big part of the energy we bring to the stage but with recording it's a lot harder! However being in the studio with your best mates with a bottle of rum and a bunch of instruments, we definitely still had the energy!
J: You've got messages in the lyrics, what inspires the words?
Joe: We all bring our own stuff to the table and smash our ideas together to make the song! The majority of the lyrics in the album are written mostly by me and the sis. As a whole our inspirations come from all genres, from blues to jazz, and punk to the funk (a line from our song break it down). I take inspiration from everyday experiences, studying social sciences especially inspires a lot of my lyrics.
J: With the album coming out, and a bunch of tour dates lining up, what's in the pipeline for Gypsy Roots?
Joe: To be honest we are just having a good time. Playing with your best mates, travelling to different cities, I couldn't ask for much more! But to have a platform I do think it's important to spread a message, our songs do discuss inequalities and struggles we have in our society but we also have songs about having a good time, so it's not all doom and gloom haha.
Gypsy Root have released their first single, Everyday, which is available for pre-order NOW! Released 23rd April.
Hear their long awaited album Chanting Down the Babylon from start to finish at their release show on the 12th of May at Krakatoa in Aberdeen. If you can't make that make sure to downlod the album on the 12th, then keep an eye on their socials for info on upcoming tour dates, you will not regret it.
Photos by Matt Jolly