“Right Hand On My Heart”
from the album Mission Control
2008
iTunes
The Whigs make a lot of noise.
That statement is true in a lot of ways — from the Athens, Ga.-based rock trio’s volume-knob-defying presence coming out of the speaker to the buzz surrounding their appearance on many a music fan’s radar since their debut release, Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip, hit shelves in 2005.
But ask frontman Parker Gispert why he, drummer Julian Dorio and former bassist Hank Sullivant made a splash at all, and his responses might make you think you’ve made a mistake.
“It was definitely humbling and a good feeling to know that the writer was into the band,” he said, referring to a 2006 article in Rolling Stone placing the Whigs on its list of Ten Artists to Watch. “At the end of the day, it was someone’s opinion about the band, and just as many people might think we’re nothing.”
Maybe, but similar pieces of critical praise have appeared in outlets from National Public Radio’s Song of the Day to American Songwriter Magazine.
Bring up references in many of those articles about the band following in the footsteps of fellow Athenians REM, and Gispert will shy away from the comparisons, passing them off as flattery the band is undeserving of. Instead, he’ll talk about local psychedelic and grunge rock groups such as Elf Power and the Olivia Tremor Control that he looks up to and how they’ve influenced the group’s sound.
Since losing Sullivant, who is now touring with electronic-rock duo MGMT, the Whigs have made do with a series of guest bassists. Their upcoming second album, Mission Control (out Jan. 22) includes work by Adam Saunders, a childhood friend of Gispert’s. The band also has worked with Craig McQuiston, of another Athens band, the Glands, and they are currently touring with Tim Deaux.
While this might make any semblance of continuity seem like a pipe dream, the band is actually benefiting from the injection of new artists into the lineup, even if temporarily, Gispert said.
“I think it’s actually something that’s helped spur creativity and been a really positive thing, in retrospect,” he said, adding that they’re not scrambling to find a permanent replacement. “We got to keep writing songs and play with different people and make the new record playing with friends and people we look up to.”
For all his modesty, the one thing Gispert does seem willing to admit to being excited about is Mission Control, which they recorded at the Hollywood Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles.
This is a far cry from the sweaty confines of a frat house where the band recorded and self-produced Give ‘Em on equipment they bought (and later resold) on eBay. Although the album was critically acclaimed — including making Entertainment Weekly’s “The Must List” — the band wanted to be more true to themselves this time around, Gispert said.
“The first one was a little slower than the songs were performed live, and we did some more overdubs on the first record,” he said. “(This time) was just about putting the emphasis on making the album be a reflection of what the band does live.”