Max: Dave’s Dad Will Be ‘Huge Inspiration’ For Next Album
Dave Le’aupepe’s dad, Tattersall, is sure to have a big influence on the next Gang of Youths album. That’s the word from Max Dunn in a new interview out today from the US-based music magazine, RIFF.
“I know that our record that we’re about to start making will definitely be touched by what happened with his father,” Max says. “I think that will be a lot of the bigger issues. But it’s never small with David.”
The what happened is a reference to Mr. Le’aupepe’s death last summer from cancer at the age of 80. It forced the band to cancel appearances at several North American festivals, including big ones like Lollapalooza and Outside Lands.
Speaking with RIFF, Max says he expects Dave will write about his dad and the experience of losing a parent as a major theme on the next GOY album — just as the band’s first two albums covered big, serious subject matter.
“That’s probably what’s going to happen on the next album and you know, Tattersall, Dave’s dad, will obviously be a huge inspiration for us,” Dunn said. “Writing from experience is one of our greatest strengths and abilities — to kind of take these huge, fucked-up things like death … and go, ‘This is me being human.'”
Dave has been paying tribute to his dad in concert when the band plays “The Heart Is A Muscle.” During last year’s MTV Unplugged performance, he said “This song is for the man who taught me to love the best.” More recently, at the band’s show in Cologne eight days ago, he talked about his dad’s influence at length before the song began. Listen here:
The interview also serves, to some degree, as an introduction to the band for music fans who might be getting their GOY introduction this weekend at the Boston Calling and BottleRock festivals, where the band is due to perform tomorrow and Sunday, respectively. Max talks about the band’s formation, musical influences and the influence that Hillsong church has had on their development.
Check it out at RIFFmagazine.com.
And for the latest on GOY’s next album, see our dedicated Gang of Youths new album page.
(Video and photo by Bas Jensen for DeepestSighs.com.)