Interview: Lavisher - Gavin Cushman III on how to be 'Aligned & Vital'

 

Illinois is known for so many things and one of them is certainly killer music. So many heralded outfits from the area have made their mark in music history, from Cheap Trick to Los Crudos to Smashing Pumpkins to the Atlas Moth and beyond. Thinking person's hard rock outfit Lavisher have been turning heads for a few years now and continue the Chicago penchant for music that is smart, edgy and which you shouldn't underestimate! 

Sophomore album Aligned & Vital will be released on November 14th pressed on Ultra Clear 12" vinyl LP with printed inner sleeves and lyric insert, and a 4-panel digipak CD with 8-panel booklet. Multiple singles from Aligned & Vital have been leaking into the digital streaming universe throughout the past few months.

After being a fan of the project for years now, it seemed only fitting to finally do an interview with bandleader Gavin Cushman III at last! Fans of outside the box bands like Fireside, Traindodge, Failure or even Night Verses will likely find a lot to love in Lavisher's confident yet smooth and mercurial explorations of the Id. 

1. Hi Gavin! How are you today? Excited to do this as I have enjoyed your work for a while now! What are you up to? 'Aligned and Vital' is a good name for the new Lavisher as you sound locked in as a group and the music also "feels" important. You put a lot of 'intention' energy into these takes. What was the process like this time out? Obviously there was a new drummer.

Morgan! Thanks for having me, I’m excited to be in Metal Riot--we’ve been connected for a while! This album feels important to me as well. The title track Aligned & Vital was chosen since I feel it has the most important message. It's a call for a constant psyche reset to maximize your potential. Personal growth/enlightenment is hindered by routine and contentment. Get sad to get happy, get uncomfortable to grow.

So yes!-- I have a new drummer now.  The first Lavisher EP had a few different drummers (including me on two tracks).  The 2019 Drastic Shadows LP was a collaboration between me and drummer Gabriel Zunino, as well as the 3 follow up stand alone singles (2021/2022).  We had a great time working together, but life took us separate ways.  

In 2022, I was at The Empty Bottle watching Black Cross Hotel. It was there I first met Benjamin Standage (he was selling merch for them).  We had a delightful conversation and traded contact info.  Soon after that he responded to an ad I posted looking for a new drummer, and we got to work right away. A few songs on Aligned & Vital were already ready to go, but most of what you hear on the new album was born out of us jamming together at his house in the country north of Chicago.  Every time I go up there, we seem to get a lot of work done very fast.  Ben is a super skilled songwriter, producer and an all around amazing presence.  Also he's funny as hell.  I feel super lucky to have him on board.

2. I always loved bands like Hum or Failure or even the melodic singing in Porcupine Tree or something, where the music can be rocking but the vocal stays kind of bold and confidently aloof sounding. IDK if that is the right word, but rather you sort of take your time and aren't sounding hyper excitable... While the emotion and lyrics are still conveyed almost patiently. The melodies are really woven in tightly even more this time and really become addicting!

Well thank you!  I do try to write a catchy melody whenever possible if nothing for my own pleasure.  Failure has definitely played a big role in my life and it probably seeps into our songs.  I used to try and push my voice to try and sing higher and louder, always wished I could “scream” but was never really able to figure that out.  This time I tried to use more of my chest voice, sing a bit lower while maintaining power, and also flooded this record with falsetto too.  As a result I am more satisfied with these songs than anything I’ve done before.

3. "Way Too Much" is very memorable. I like the way it kind of builds and swings and also has that sort of dry drum repeated pre chorus bashing section that almost reminds me of peak Taylor Hawkins. The mix on this album sounds insane. Everything is like perfectly placed to benefit the whole. Was it important to you to get studio takes that still felt organic? You can feel the blood pumping even in some proggier parts on the album that lesser bands would end up neutering or being too much in "head" and not enough "body". 

That one was a lot of fun to record (especially guitars).  Adrian Kobziar at Ohmstead really killed it (engineered all the guitars/mixed the album).  On that track, we mixed a couple different cleaner amp distortions with a super fuzzed out track, it has its own feeling for sure. This song was actually originally written and demoed by my brother Andrew years back when he was writing songs for his solo project.  Since he never ended up pursuing said project, he mentioned that I could use any of those songs if I wanted.  I always loved Way Too Much, so I showed it to Ben, he dug it, and we whipped up a fresh version (mostly just changing the drums and lyrics a bit).  

4. The songs all are unique but the band's style also lends them to kind of blending into a bigger tapestry. Your vibe makes it easier to keep listening to most. I relaxed and had it on during Vinland Saga cartoon episodes of warriors being slaughtered and it was oddly relaxing, hahaha. It has a lot of 'rewind' or little payoff moments in each song you want to go back for or that reward immersion and not just casual listening. Like, they'd sound cool if you just put on "Topped and Tailed", but if you are really invested it is even more impactful.

Haha, maybe it DOES go well with anime, you’re actually not the first one to say that.  Yeah some of these songs might take a couple listens to fully sink in.  I have a silly habit of throwing non-repeating phrases here and there, but I think that makes them fun and rewind worthy! So I appreciate you supporting those decisions haha.

5. How has it been for you enjoying the continued relationship with Nefarious Industries? Greg is such a wonderful dude and unlike many label sharks is a true musician and fan of different genres. Do you feel like he really gets you? How was it working with him on the album layout?

Having Greg/Nefarious by our side has been incredible.  He is such an inspiring dude, and I do think he really does get me/Lavisher.  He’s also an incredible drummer, bassist and guitarist.  He can learn parts incredibly fast to fill in for whoever, whenever.  Ever since I met him he’s pushed me to keep going and helped in any way he can, as he selflessly does with countless others.  Working with him on the album layout was a real treat, I didn’t need to give much guidance there, he definitely knows what looks good. He took all this awesome art and ran with it. It turned out beautiful. Thanks Greg!

6. This album seems like it will really gain slow burn respect with time as listeners process it and unravel all the layers. It feels like you write for real music heads and fans rather than chasing casuals. Is that accurate? I mean, we'd all like to blow up probably (haha, maybe literally sometimes in this industry), but in the long run it is better to have fans who really live for the material.

Well, I write music that's pleasing for me to listen to/play first and foremost. If people dig it that's a fantastic bonus! The album overall might cater a little more to musicians, but I’d like to think some tracks are pretty accessible to anyone. There's a lot of layers and every song is a pretty unique journey.  I believe this album deserves a chance to grow, so I am excited to get out there and play as many shows as possible!

7. "Howl" is such a beautiful song and then has these dark but big guitar textures. Prob my favorite, though I guess maybe not about Ginsburg? 

Glad you like it! I love how huge the guitars turned out on the choruses. Ben actually wrote most of the lyrics for "Howl". It’s the only vaguely political one: war profiteering, colonialism, identity politics, nationalism.  It's quite enjoyable to sing someone else's words and really get behind them.

Thanks for having me and taking the time!

Cheers!