Stand-alone songs: “I don’t really believe in boundaries when it comes to songwriting. I was just doing singles and experimenting and trying to touch any genre I could. There was a lot of freedom to just write anything and everything. There wasn’t any pressure to put something out that sounded like a collection.”
For the stage: “I wrote a couple of songs in September that kind of sounded similar. When I wrote the first one, it was a full-band song, and I haven’t written with the intentions of it being played live in a long time. Especially, into the pandemic and everything, I wasn’t worried about it anymore. Then, I just started writing songs with the idea they would be played live instead of just doing what I though sounded the coolest.”
A collected work: “I was focused on capturing these songs the most realistic way I could. I still wanted them to translate live and come across well so they’d catch other people’s ears. Since those songs sounded like old Gabe Maas and the Bruins stuff I was doing in 2017 and 2018, I decided to just make an album. Really, this is the heart of what the band actually is.”
A quick listen: “I’m all about my business. I get in and get out. I take the same approach with my music. I want to get the message across as quickly as possible and as catchy as possible. I just love pop music at its heart and I think the greatest pop songs are the shortest pop songs.”
Universal appeal: “The album is so diverse. The vocals almost feel different in every song because I’m in it. I’ve worked really hard on being able to portray what I’m feeling in the songs. You can’t listen to this record front to back and say there wasn’t a single song you felt was made for you. I really believe it has a song for everybody.”
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
Who: Gabe Maas and the Bruins with Colly, Better Anyway and Brian Bulger
Where: Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. Fourth St., Dayton
When: Saturday, April 23. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Cost: $12 in advance, $15 day of show
More info: yellowcabtavern.com
Artist info: www.facebook.com/gmatbband
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