GIVERS Spread Louisiana Love With Rocking Performance on The Interface

GIVERS are one big happy family. Since going on tour last year with avant-rock mainstays Dirty Projectors, the Lafayette, La.-based indie poppers have experienced a whirlwind of success, culminating in a label deal with the venerable Glassnote Records. Even in the face of adversity and grueling travel schedules, the group has committed to a message of positivity. GIVERS sat down with us after an amazing performance on The Interface to talk about their debut album 'In Light,' hometown traditions and a bearded man named Heart. Check out the performance and full Q&A below.



Were you guys all raised in similar ways? You all have seriously positive energy.

Tiffany Lamson (vocals, percussion): Well I don't think everybody was like this their whole lives. We all go through changes and have decided to be this way. It was a decision, like, "OK, are we going to be this way or are we going to move forward and evolve?" So I think it was more of a decision.

Josh LeBlanc (bass, guitar): Yeah, there are tests everyday. And we have so many moments where we could just freak out or be pissed at each other about something. But we have to kind of work against our nature.

Taylor Guarisco (vocals, guitar): A big part of the way we've clicked as far as like the way we were all brought up, for the most part we've all had some kind of supportive music from family, and just a general support just of who we are. Maybe just the way we were raised in Louisiana, just being in that environment, where music is kind of glorified as part of the culture, I think that helps. That helps us see things the same way.

You guys are like one big family. How do you keep it all sane?

Guarisco: I think we don't. I mean it's like we don't really think about it. Either you love people or you have a hard time getting along with people and you chose not to hang out with them. We've chosen to hang out with each other every day. Because it works, you know? This band works, both in the van hanging out listening to music and just making each other laugh as much as we can. And making music, making the best music we can as a band ... I don't know if luck is the word, but it just happens to work out that we all really like each other and we all have this shared goal and vision for this band. It's a very fortunate and amazing thing.

LeBlanc: Regardless if you have boobs, or not.

Guarisco: Yeah.

Lamson: Right.

Guarisco: And don't talk about me like that, especially on camera.
What's it like going back to Louisiana now? Are you guys, like, famous?

Guarisco: No, whenever you say that, my first thought is that we get to fall in love with Louisiana every time we go home. We get to go back to Lafayette, our hometown, and go to all the places that you like to go in Lafayette and kind of fall in love again, which sounds too romantic and cheesy.

LeBlanc: And gain about five or six pounds in the process.

Guarisco: Josh just gains so much weight.

LeBlanc: I like Cajun food. When I go back, it's just kind of like a disgusting amount of food and overindulgence ... but it's awesome.

What's the best food in Lafayette?

LeBlanc: That's the million-dollar question. Dude, you could ask something like "What's the best po'boy?" or you could ask "What's the best gumbo?" but you can't ask "What's the best food?" That's like saying, "Who's the best person in the world?"

Lamson: Yeah.

LeBlanc: The best food is ...

Lamson: [interrupts] He's going to put it out there.

LeBlanc: ... If you have a real experience with real Cajun people, and everybody's a cook and everybody has their own way of doing it and it's like a party, that's the best way. There's no restaurant or anything that is that real.

Guarisco: It's somebody's aunt. That's the best cook.

Lamson: Aunt or grandma.

Guarisco: That's how Louisiana is -- every other person is a great chef, you know? It's crazy.

Tell us about the inspiration behind your video for 'Meantime.' Oh, and who's that bearded guy?

LeBlanc: Well, location was a big thing.

Guarisco: Oh yeah, it was Kirby's uncle's place.

Lamson: The "Lachalay" house.

Kirby Campbell (drums, vocals): Yeah it kind of seemed perfect. Ben brought us this idea of doing a video inside of a house, where we all went around searching for something and we kind of just thought it'd be like a perfect place to do it would be my uncle's house that we kept talking about maybe turning into a studio or something. And so we went there and did it there and he actually just sold it right after we finished the video. So no more studio.

Guarisco: 'Cause we ruined it.

Lamson: We ruined it for the video. It's like this old plantation home from the late 1700s and it really gave the vibe of the whole Louisiana kind of style. And so, yeah the whole idea of like searching around and then finding kids that looked like us.

Guarisco: That was cool.

Lamson: That was fun.

Guarisco: But more importantly, the guy, the big bearded guy, his name was Heart.

Lamson: Heart Fortenberry.

Guarisco: Or just Heart. He's basically this force to be reckoned with. Like, he writes the best rock 'n' roll songs you'll ever hear. There are few people that we let get on stage and just take over the mic and we just back them up you know? Actually, there's one, just one -- Heart. So just keep your eyes open, America.

LeBlanc: He'll tell you a story about his life, that just this grandiose tale of so many different things. And then he'll sing you the song he wrote about that whole experience at the end, which is like, watching this kind of country-ass shaman talk to you. It's fun.