Photography by Susie Ceruto of Sassy Photography of SHOCK & AWE Productions.
I interviewed Jungol at the Earl just prior to their performance the night of their CD release show for Over The Sun, And Under The Radar. By the time the second band was mid-set, the place was brimming with people from wall to wall, all eager to hear the talented trio’s new material. After reviewing their last album, Places, I already knew that between the hypnotizing vocals and skillful melodies their new album would be a smash among the crowd. These down to earth, laid back guys and I settled into the back of The Earl in a room covered with odd décor and sharpie messages on every wall. Josh, Jason, and Graham along with their manager, Lauren Wilson, shared their upcoming plans and their never ending quest to create.
Your band used to be called Liquid Jungol. What preempted the change to Jungol?
Graham: I guess we had used it since high school and we pretty much just got tired of the name. Our music was kind of changing too and we just thought it was fitting to change to something new. We had thought of other names too that didn’t have anything to do with Jungol, but we wanted to keep with the old name somehow, and we just changed a letter. It really has no meaning; it just kind of looks cool.
Josh: It has an essence of our past because it’s similar. It’s pretty silly, but basically it has no meaning.
Graham: When the sound was changing we just felt like it was time for a change. It seemed right to do.
Your 4th release is called “Over The Sun And Under The Radar”. Can fans expect the sound of Jungol they love, or did you try to branch into new territory?
Graham: I think the constant thing that we always have as a band and on every album is funk and having a groove of some sort underneath what we do, and that’s still there. It’s definitely different. There’s not as many ripping guitar solos, and it’s not as “notey”. Some of our other albums were more progressive maybe, and we were into weird time signatures and stretching songs out real long. On this one all the songs are shorter and more concise. I think the vocals are really important for us too, we’ve just been layering lots of harmonies, and we’ve been getting more into electronics.
Josh: It’s very different in that. Basically our EP Places had an electronic kind of feel at certain parts of it, but we didn’t really embrace it fully. So on the new CD instead of playing real bass on every song I play real bass on less than half. I play like synth and other things on it.
***Read the review of “Places” on www.RockFistReviews.com
Graham: We’re not like synth-pop and we don’t use electronic beats; it’s more about the textures what the synths bring. We use it more for texturing as opposed to making straight-up dance music.
Where did you record the album and who helped produce it?
Jason: Rich ‘n’ Roll Studios in Alpharetta with Rich Grillo.We recorded Places and Tiny Heaven there.
So you have some history.
Jason: yeah, that’s been our go to guy for awhile. He’s very reasonable and very cool and he’s got really good equipment.
Josh: That’s what’s cool about it; we get to go to Rich’s place and just really get laid back and take our time. We essentially produce ourselves, pretty much. Justin Mullinix at Generator Sound Studios in Decatur is the guy that mixes everything we do and he has acted more like a producer on the new album and Places. We’ll be working a lot more with him in the future too.
Have you guys already started talking about creating new material?
Graham: We already have a bunch of songs in the works. We always have tunes that we’re working on. We probably already have another album cooking.
Josh: It’s in the oven, or it’s about to be in the oven.
Jungol already has a CD Release Tour scheduled in May up and down the east coast. Do you have any plans to venture west this year?
Josh & Graham: Yes!
Jason: Definitely!
Graham: When we can afford it.
Josh: We’re not there yet. We’ve been out there once, and that was a couple of years ago. It was great, it was awesome. We had two shows in LA and played everywhere we wanted to play, but we just can’t do it yet. It’s expensive. But we go up to New York a lot. We’ve been there like six times.
Jason: We do want to be able to tour all over the world one day; Japan, Australia, everywhere we get the opportunity to do it.
Have you sought out management?
Graham: Lauren Wilson, and she’s been working with us for… well we talked about it for a long time. It’s been in the works for over a year.
Lauren Wilson: Officially April 1st they signed to Local Evolution of the World Entertainment. Which will be focused on marketing, management, and promotion. And their brain child is my brain child. You can find my website within the next month at www.localevolotionoftheworld.com.
Graham: We have a publicist too. She’s awesome, Liz Lawson. She’s from Atlanta and she’s great.
Josh and Graham, you’re both brothers. Does that ever create challenges in writing music or touring? Jason feel free to answer as well.
Josh: The great thing is we’re always searching out new music. We keep each other from really being stagnant. It’s just been a process our whole lives I guess. Writing and creating and we’ve always been creating something since we were really little. We’re always doing stuff and it still works for us at 27. It hasn’t gotten in the way of that. But touring, I think we get along pretty well.
Graham: We get along pretty well. I mean there is the brother fights. We’re twins so we’re extra f*d up.
What’s an average day on tour like?
Jason: Driving.
Josh: Looking for coffee shops.
Jason: Making sure we’re on time for load in. And if we can, if we have time, wherever we’re at we’ll go check out the scene, hang out with people.
Graham: Get some good food.
Jungol will be performing at two festivals this summer in Atlanta: No Fest at Eyedrum on July 24th and The Strange Daze Music & Arts Festival on August 14th. Can you tell us a little about these shows?
Lauren Wilson: Strange Daze is a serious collective of bands in Atlanta and the southeastern regional acts. It really spands all different genres. Nadia Lelutiu With The Moon & Pluto has really done an amazing job of tapping into the newest, and in my opinion the best, of the southeast and Georgia’s different genres. It’s really a great festival.
Josh: And we’re going on at 11pm on the last day.
What bands do you hope to get the opportunity to perform with some day?
Graham: Bjork.
Josh: Bjork. If Mars Volta ever had an opening band, but they never will. They don’t do that.
If you could give any advice to other aspiring artists, what would it be?
Jason: Don’t take shit from anybody.
Graham: I would say just keep searching out and experimenting and just keep loving playing music. That’s the main thing that keeps like…
Josh: That keeps a good band going. I think bands that always keep going are bands that just love the process of it.
Graham: And bands that dig the whole business process too. To be a good band you really have to dig in and uh..
Jason: Get dirty in the whole thing.
Graham: But you have to enjoy it to some extent.
Jason: Don’t give up.
Josh: Don’t give up.
Graham: Don’t give up. Never give up.
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