Artist Selects: Gully Boys
Photo by Emma Wondra
Imagine all the possibilities that could come from turning to your friend and asking, “wanna start a band?” The three-piece alternative rock group, Gully Boys, started by chance and has become a force in the Minneapolis DIY scene. With a love for music and desire to jam, the boys picked up their instruments and learned to play when the band formed in 2016. This opened up endless possibilities for Gully Boys as they started to play shows in the Twin Cities and go on to tour across the country.
The magnetic trio is made up of Kathy Callahan on guitar, Natalie Klemond on bass, and Nadi McGill on drums, with each member on vocals. The group recorded and released their debut album Not So Brave in 2018, followed by their latest EP Phony. Inspired by early 2000s pop and ‘90s grunge classics, Gully Boys draw from nostalgic eras to create their own contemporary rock sound. Both on and off the stage, Gully Boys continue to bring an energy and authenticity to every creative project. For TRASH MAG’s Artist Selects series, I had the opportunity to talk with Gully Boys about their most memorable moments playing together, using their platform as a vehicle for activism, and the music that’s been on their radar lately.
Listen to “Gully Boys Selects” as you read the Q&A:
Tell us a bit about how Gully Boys started.
Nadi: Gully Boys honestly started on accident. We’ve mentioned it a few times in other interviews but Kathy and I were working together at Ragstock closing one evening. I had played Panic! at the Disco and mentioned how much of a fanboi I was of their music. Kathy then told me that she also loved them and that one of her dreams was to front a band. I happened to be learning how to play the drums at that time. She came over and we played through a few of the songs that she had written and did a cover of Best Coast’s song Boyfriend. After that one jam, she told me that she had a best friend who “played bass” and wanted to jam with us. I was ecstatic and after our first jam, we decided that we were a band.
When I listen to your music, it’s crazy to believe that you learned to play your instruments as the band started. What was this experience like? Was it freeing, challenging, a bit of both?
Nadi: For me, it was both freeing and challenging. I was so so nervous that people would judge my technique, or just me in general really. Men would often offer their unsolicited advice about how I “should” be playing my parts or whatever. It took me a long time to gain confidence in my drumming but holy shit I could care less now about what people think about my technicality. I have so much fun doing whatever the hell I want. Obviously, I take time to practice and learn new things but I do it at my pace and at my discretion, I play drums for me and that is the most freeing part.
Nat: I think it was freeing! None of us knew the “rules” of our instruments which probably hindered us in a lot of ways, but it also made it harder for us to fall into some generic rut.
Kathy: I felt like it gave me the power to express myself in the way I had daydreamed about for years and years. As I get to know my guitar, I’m also getting to know my voice more and more every day. Specifically, the more control I feel that I have over my voice, the more free I feel.
What is the most memorable show you’ve played as a band?
Nadi: For me, it was the first time we played the First Avenue stage. We had just gotten back from a tour with Niiice. and drove from Nashville to Minneapolis straight through the night. We were so excited and so nervous and yes we fucked up a few times on stage but it didn't even matter. All of our loved ones were out in the crowd cheering us on, people were singing our songs back at us, and we were just on a HIGH! It was amazing.
Photo by Emma Wondra
Where would be your dream venue or city to play together?
Kathy: I’m not so sure we have a dream venue we’d like to play. Maybe I once had one, but now all I can think about is if we’ll ever play a venue again. What’s more important to us is how receiving the crowd is. We’ve played cool venues with crowds that just stood there barely moving. We’ve also played house shows with the best crowds ever, mosh pits and all. Oh how I’d love to see a packed basement moshing to us rocking the F out right now.
Where do you draw inspiration from when writing music?
Nat: For me, it’s all about how I can come up with a really catchy bit of melody. Often I’ll be listening to something in a completely different genre and fall in love with a pair of chords or another melody will pop into mind on top of what’s playing. By the time I translate it into something involving crunchier guitar it’s usually impossible for people to understand how its origins were a forgotten, early-2000s pop song or whatever. I try to stay away from listening to our genre when writing and looking for inspiration.
Kathy: I get fixated on one artist at a time, and for months. I usually take a lot of inspiration from whoever I’m stuck on. For example, for a long time it was Mint Condition, they have the catchiest melodies I’ve ever heard and so they’re fun to sing. They’re so fun to sing that I laugh to myself in disbelief sometimes. I get hung up on little details and how distinctly Stockley sings riffs and specific words. Sometimes the way he sings one single word will get stuck in my head and I just have to challenge myself to try and recapture that or figure out why I am so enamored with that little detail. Somewhere along the way comes a melody that I can’t wait to show off.
Does anyone in the band have any hidden talents?
Kathy: Natalie is extremely good at nailing the details of a funny Halloween costume.
Gully Boys recently released a cover of “Violet” by Hole, what inspired you to record this track?
Nadi: It was one of the first covers that we learned and played at a gig. If you look on Undercurrent’s youtube page, you can see baby Gully Boys, very nervous, very uncomfortable doing our best playing that song! It was a good opportunity to showcase our growth and honestly, we just love playing the song live!
What’s your dream collab?
Nadi: I would love to work with The Japanese House and Beabadoobee.
Kathy: JACK BLACK. I would love to mirror his energy and take a couple of pointers from him in the process. I just adore how he can be hilarious yet serious about performing at the same time.
Photo by Juliet Farmer
This past summer Gully Boys organized a fundraiser to help the North Minneapolis community, can you tell us a bit about this project?
Nadi: Yeah! So we were thinking about ways we could use our platform to support some of the businesses that got hit after the civil unrest. I reached out to Nat and Kathy to see if they would be down to do a tee shirt sale for the June Bandcamp Friday and they were down. Nat whipped up the design and we posted it online thinking that we would get a few orders but after the FIRST DAY, we had raised over $10,000 dollars for Northside Funders Group. We decided to keep the design up through the weekend and after ordering the shirts and mailing supplies we were able to donate $20,000 dollars.
Have you been able to use your music platform as a means of activism in other ways?
Nadi: We did another fundraiser for Women for Political change with the same Demolish White Supremacy design on crewnecks. Outside of music, Kathy, Nat and I spent the summer making meals for Powderhorn and Beltrami Sanctuaries once a week. We try to encourage others to do the same.
What are some words of advice you would give to girls and non-binary musicians looking to start a band?
Nadi: Just do it. It is so rewarding. I really really wanna more Black femmes in the DIY scene and I will GLADLY offer mentorship or lessons to folks needing the push to start a band!
Nat: Seconded. If you’re determined to make it happen, try to book a small gig or set something up where you’ll be playing in front of people – even just a group of friends! Nothing is more motivating than knowing you’re going to have to do it for an audience. And know that you’re definitely going to suck for a while, it’s part of the process and you can’t escape it. Lean in and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Can you explain some of the songs you picked for the playlist?
Nadi: I just picked the songs I have been bumping heavily in the last few weeks! Most of them are friends! Stand out for me is Kississippi’s Around your room!
Nat: Anything that feels fresh in this time of cabin fever and mundane repetition is such a gift right now. That’s how I feel about the songs I picked. I discovered SAULT while stoned and alone in my apartment a little while ago. I had a little dance party by myself to their whole album “5”, and it was the best I’d felt in a long time.
Kathy: I added a few songs that have impacted my songwriting in the same way I explained earlier. I’ve studied every breath each singer takes and have listened backwards and forwards because there is something about their performance and melody that absolutely drives me CRAZY with admiration. It’s funny because each song is completely different from the rest.
Do you have any current projects you’re working on at the moment? What’s next for Gully Boys?
Nadi: We have a BIG project we are working on and we are super excited about it but we cannot speak on it Just yet. But other than that, be on the lookout for some new tunes from the boys next year!
Stream Gully Boy’s cover of Violet and follow them on Instagram!
