GOB Notes Page

GOB Notes and Quotes

There's nothing like throwing a dung-shaped chocolate bar into a hotel pool filled with frolicking families to break up the monotony of life on the road. "It was total chaos," laughs Gob guitarist / vocalist / chief mischief-maker Theo, who pulled the stool stunt during a recent tour stopover in Chicago. "We had just checked in when I noticed the pool was filled with parents and their kids," he says. "So I bought a king-sized Oh Henry bar from the lobby vending machine and tossed it in when no one was looking. All of a sudden, some kid screamed, "there's a log in the water! And all hell broke loose. It was pretty damn funny."

Theo and his Gob mates (guitarist / vocalist Tom, bassist Craig, and drummer Gabe) enjoy playing practical jokes almost as much as pounding out pop-happy punk should come as no surprise to anyone who's seen the group live. "People come to our shows knowing they're in for a good time," says Gob co-founder Tom. "We have a blast on stage and I think audiences appreciate seeing a band that is not embarrassed to get up there and have fun. That's the way it should be.

It's astounding to think that until recently, most of us hadn't heard of the other platinum-selling Canadian pop-punk quartet, even though they've been around since 1996. Since then, they've released four albums (Too Late ... No Friends, Ass Seen on TV, How Far Shallow Takes You and last year's gold-selling The World According to Gob), scored a handful of radio hits, garnered video airplay on Canada's MuchMusic Network and snagged three years on the Warped Tour. Up north, where everything comes second to hockey, Gob are also hailed as heroes for appearing as characters in Electronic Arts' new NHL 2003 video game. "We had a couple of songs on the 2002 version," says Theo. "We'll have another two songs on the 2003 version, and we can be drafted to play for your team. A couple of us are pretty big hockey fans, so this is a pretty big deal for us."

The Vancouver-based band has been following an indie route since day one, and has spent the past few years stratagizing for a U.S. breakthrough. Last year, fellow Canucks, Sum 41 helped Gob build a buzz by taking them on four separate road trips across the country. "We played a few shows together a couple of years ago," says Theo. "Now they've become this super-huge multi platinum band. It's really cool that they didn't forget about us. We're really grateful for their support." The success of Sum 41 tours led to mass applause and major radio airplay for "I Hear You Calling," a caffienated pop hit that whipped American kids into a lather.

This past spring, Gob took a major label step forward when they signed with Arista Records. The ink on the contract had barely dried when they entered a Los Angeles studio with producer Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World, blink-182) to record their Arista debut, Foot in Mouth Disease, due in early 2003. "We've been approached by major labels before, but it never felt right," says Theo. "Within five days of hearing our demo, Arista flew us to New York to play for (label president and CEO) L.A. Reid."

About doing the industry showcase, Tom says, "We were told to expect a few people to show up with notebooks, who'd jot down notes and pass them back and forth without saying a word while we'd play. But it wasn't like that at all. Arista had fifty or sixty people there and they were definitely into it." Adds Theo, "Afterward, L.A. told us we were really tight and on of the best bands he's ever seen live. They showed us right away that they believed in us and we were really excited about that."

"The EP helps introduce us to the U.S.," says Tom. "It features some of the old favorites that we play live, along with three new songs that were recorded exclusively for this record. There's also one new track that will appear on the full album later on."

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