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The Cush Searching For The Sun
Dandelion Wine
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 Cush |ko? sh | |k??| |k??|
1 (in the Bible) the eldest son of Ham and grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:6).
2 the southern part of ancient Nubia, first mentioned in Egyptian records of the Middle Kingdom. In the Bible it is the country of the descendants of Cush.
Absolutely NOT say Gabrielle and Burette Douglas, wife and husband team, co-songwriters and founders of Vermont/ USA based psychedelic/ classic rock outfit The Cush.
“The name The Cush was conjured up from the old saying “It’s a cush job!”. For us it means good times, creating positive energy while exploring new sounds and soundscapes. Expanding the moment with all of the people within the room while playing music and taking it way out there, as high as possible.”
Yeah! That’s more like it, but never mind the name, what about the music I hear you say.
Gabrielle and Burette have released two Lps, ‘The Cush’ and ‘New Appreciation For Sunshine’, both must-haves, containing a selection of classic and charming songs at times experimental, but always psychedelic when it counts and rocking when it should, whether slow and mesmerising or ‘noise pop’, undeniably rich with details and meticulously written.
Both husband and wife sing, giving each track that personal touch.
This is their first time in England, and to my shame I have only discovered them recently but I am already in love. Both albums on heavy rotation and patiently waiting for what’s coming next......another visit no doubt but also more records.
 Florence: Right now you are playing a few dates in England and we’ve discovered you as a trio but usually The Cush is a four piece. How is that affecting your sound ?
Burette: Gabby plays the bass, I play guitar and usually we also have a keyboard player and a drummer.
The thing about our sound is that it’s always had room to grow or shrink and still come across. That’s what we strive for anyway!
Gabby: You need to make the most of the moment within which you are creating. That’s what it’s all about.
Florence: It’s very good to hear because for every band like The Cush there are two other bands who would crumble should a member be unavailable.
Burette: We’ve also found out that Rock’n’ Roll bands are pretty impossible to keep together, especially when you’re an Indie band and you’re not making money. You have to be doing it because you love music and no other reason than that, so we know that people come and go! But if you are adaptable and have a song writing team, like Gabby and I, then you can keep it going. It doesn’t have to be such a big deal.
We also record all our albums at home. It’s kind of like an institution in a way.
Gabby: You can plan your own endeavours but other people have so much more going on in their lives that some people were not available to come to England with us, and that’s cool and we’ll continue to play music with them, but this time our friend Cody Lee stepped in to play the drums and here we are!
 Florence: You’ve released two albums already.
‘The Cush’ in 2001 and 2005’s ‘A New Appreciation For Sunshine’.
Is there a third Lp in the works ?
Burette: We are definitely always thinking, always writing songs.
Working towards the next project. Like I said we record at home and we use the studio as we write, so when we have ideas we lay them down. In Vermont it gets pretty cold in the winter so we’ll have time to record.
Florence: Are you ready to tell us more about your next release ?
Burette: We do not have a release date yet but we are talking about that. That’s the way it always is for me. You work on an album, you put it out, you play those songs out with the band and you still try to write in that period.
For me personally if I was to record every little song that I did it wouldn’t be things that I’d want to release. I’d rather take some time between records and then release solid albums with good songs. Some people are so prolific that it feels like they write the same song over and over.
Florence: I guess that you just don’t want to force yourself and despite the fact that it has been two years since the last release you don’t feel any pressure yet.
Burette: When bands release albums every two years it’s more for marketing reasons than anything else. The label wants to sell records!
Even when we were younger, making records in the 90s, our view point was to make good records, and today we still have kids e-mailing us about those old records, wanting to know how we made this or that.
And I love that kind of stuff and when I’m dead, the live act will have stopped but the records will still be floating around somewhere.
Florence: Is it important to you to leave a mark ?
Burette: A lot of the bands who are really influential now weren’t at the time they were releasing music so I think that there is no reason to rush it and put out half-assed stuff. We’re not making money anyway, we’re artists trying to create good art! We are totally independent.
 Florence: This is your first time in the UK...you’ve come over without any backing from a record label. Today you are playing the first ever Dream Machine Festival, how are you feeling about being here ?
Burette: We obviously didn’t come here to make money, we just came over here for the music and because people like it.
To be able to go somewhere else and have people like what you do really makes you feel good.
Florence: So many American bands dream about playing the UK and here you are! How does it compare to your expectations.
Burette: Some of our favourite bands are English. We love classic Rock like Neil Young and Pink Floyd. Also Radiohead, Swervedriver and so many other groups who have influenced our sound.
So it was really great to come over. It’s a totally different attitude and you wouldn’t see another festival like this one, two days of like minded, psychedelic sort of bands. It makes you realise that there is a market out there, even though it might be small. It’s good to know that there are like minded people out there and you’re not on your own and you’re not crazy!
It’s never like you thought it would be. Sometimes it’s better. We’ve just had a great time, everybody is so friendly. We’ve had a lot of fun and we can’t wait to come back.
Every band in America wants to go play overseas and it’s probably never what they expect, it’s always different but it’s so exciting to be somewhere new and fresh.
It’s so laid back over here. Society in general doesn’t seem so uptight.
Where we’re from everybody seems kinda paranoid!
Florence: Do you tour a lot back in The States ?
Gabby: Mostly in the North- East.
Florence: That’s a big scene for you to fit in!
Burette: Enough to keep us busy. When you go to New York you’re one of a million band playing that night and that really is all about word of mouth. You may go down there and put on a really good show for ten people, the next time there will be fifteen people....It’s a lot of work but you either do it or you don’t!
We played a show in New York in January with The Early Years and that’s where they heard our music and that explains how we got here.
That would not have happened had we not made the effort to drive to NY.
Florence: In Europe, Vermont is not a State that we immediately associate with a rich music scene, unlike Texas or California let’s say.
So what is it really like ?
 Gabby: There is so much art happening!
There is so much creativity in Vermont and it’s so inspiring, with a very supportive community.
There is a lot of nature around you and you can easily get out of town, settle in the woods and the mountains if you wish.
Burette: In Burlington there is a very high concentration of artists and musicians in a relatively small town. There is always something going on. If you are doing something and it’s good then it’s easy to get noticed, and then again it’s close to New York, Boston, Montreal...it’s in a kind of central location.
Florence: Gabby you’ve just mentioned nature, is that an important source of inspiration for you ?
Gabby: Definitely. I, myself feel the need to break away and have that time to think. It’s important to be with yourself and hear yourself.
Florence: You come across as extremely calm and paused people.
Very observant of the world around you.
Is that a fair statement ?
Gabby: Yes definitely, and it’s important too because you get wrapped up with all the sadness in the world and you need to remember to just stop and be present, enjoy the moment.
Florence: How is your writing relationship ?
How easy is it to live and work together ?
Do you share the same influences ?
Gabby: Yes we do!
Music has always been a big part of my life. I am the youngest of four so I had my siblings turning me on to what they were listening to, and also my parents who really love music.
Burette: Writing together has always been work in progress.
Creating something with some other person is always tough.
You have to find the right way to communicate with each other.
Florence: Where does work stops and your relationship begins ?
Burette: We’ve been married for thirteen years and playing music together the whole time and it’s pretty amazing!
I think that if we didn’t both play music then we wouldn’t be married because it would be impossible to follow what you want to do.
It’s important to be able to keep on making it work even when it’s hard because it’s such a cool thing to be able to do.
 Gabby: Regardless, in all relationships you have to get to know each other. You work it out and then you realise that you can be productive with each other’s creativity.
Florence: When it comes to writing songs do you sometimes disagree ?
Do you each have a writing role ?
Gabby: It seems to be different with each album. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t but we try to find a common ground.
Burette: I come up with musical ideas and Gabby is much more of a poet. She has plenty of lyrics we had never used, a lot of good stuff, stuff I would never have thought of. I like to contribute what lyrics I have but a lot of the time there is plenty of space in my songs for verses and choruses so it’s great to have somebody else contribute.
Sometimes I come up with an idea and I will record a basic track, just to get it out there where I can get my head around it and start thinking about it more.
Gabby: When a track has been laid out like that we both hear a lot of melodies and then it’s a matter of finding what the niche of the melody should be...vocals or a keyboard, maybe a guitar...we need to work that stuff out. Sometimes you definitely hear that there is a keyboard part. There is always something to work out musically and that’s cool.
Burette: It’s coming easier all the time. Musically all the hard times make you trust each other even more.
Florence: I guess that you have a pretty strong bond.
Burette: Yes it’s pretty intense when you’re married and creating together. In the good times it’s great and during the bad times it’s double bad! Just sitting around, kicking each other but Gabby is very positive and we always help each other out.
Florence: What do you listen to right now ?
Any of your contemporaries you particularly like ?
Burette: Personally I want to always be open to new music but at the same time if I get flooded with a lot of new stuff it just shuts me down or if a record is getting too much hype and everybody is telling me to hear it, I don’t want to hear it!
But I might discover it ten years later! Everything comes when you’re ready for it.
Gabby: I’ve been really inspired by the music I heard here, [The Dream Machine Festival] yesterday. It was a very cool day and I enjoyed it so much.
Florence: Yes! We had Mainline from Ireland, Je Suis Animal from Norway, Philly’s Asteroid #4, home grown The Early Years and legendary Mark Gardener...among many others.
Just to show that amazing music can come from anywhere in the world!
 Florence: A message to the world perhaps from
Mr and Mrs Douglas ?
Burette: Listen to better music and love each other.
Gabby: Take care of one another. Help each other out!
Words: Florence ACHERY
www.myspace.com/thecush
www.thecush.com |
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