Gemm is a rock band from Phoenix, Arizona. The band is coming off the release of their summer promo with the infectious tracks ‘Dizzy’ and ‘World On Fire’. Gemm is made up of Peter on vocals and bass, Ryan on guitar, Garrett on drums, and Russ rounding it all out on vocals and guitar. Their sound invokes 90’s grunge with hints of shoegaze, but overall the band comes at your ears with straight forward rock ‘n’ roll. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Peter to talk about Gemm.
The band has been playing together for 3 years, starting at the end of 2020. However, Russ, Ryan, and Peter have been playing in bands together since 2010. Since then, the members have worked on other projects and have all improved greatly as musicians and artists.
‘[It’s all come] full circle… we’re all on the top of our game and it feels organic’.
What are some of the band’s influences, musically?
Gemm has so many influences musically, but the main influence is felt with 90’s grunge. Bands such as, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and newer bands, Superheaven and Basement. Regarding their influences, Peter had this to say, ‘That’s a hard question because I hear things that influence my specific part.’
This sentiment rings true with each of the other members as well. They pull individually from different places and create a melting pot of music that sounds simultaneously nostalgic and fresh.
What plans does Gemm have coming down the pipe?
‘We have a few things coming up. We have a run of shows with friends of ours, All Eyez and Shiiva, we have a 6 song EP coming as well, and we have a show coming up with Teenage Wrist, Spiritual Cramp, and Slow Joy. There’s more to come, definitely some stuff coming in November.’
What bands are you currently listening to that you feel deserve more attention?
‘There’s so many Arizona bands that deserve attention’ expresses Peter. ‘Hard Luck, One Life Taken, Skin Ticket, Beyond All Doubt, Dreamcast. With Tucson there’s Maldita Gente, Fortuna Malvada, Velour, Commoner, Final Stance, and more. There’s also Beg For Life, and Chain. Big shout out to Jeff Yuma for keeping things going and booking shows.’ The list of locals goes on further but other bands mentioned was Chlorine from Portland and Ultra Lite from Philadelphia.
How has the writing process changed or evolved from the first release to this?
‘Initially,’ stated Peter, ‘we weren’t sure we wanted to be a band. It took us a while to dive into wanting to actually write music. We jammed and played different iterations until settling into the Gemm sound. That first release was kind of chaotic.’
Following the first tape release, the band went back into the studio to answer with something more focused. About the second release Peter says,
‘we learned a lot. We took a few months following the first time back in the studio to get back in the mode of being a machine.’
With that happening, the band was able to write and flesh out 6 songs in total.
What other interests or projects do each of the members have?
Each member has other interests outside the band as well. Peter does photography, - check out Tremendous Visuals - music, and has other media projects. Russ has experience in carpentry, airbrushing, and working on his motorcycle. Garrett is into horticulture. Ryan plays guitar and currently has other musical projects in the works, and he paints.
What’s been one constant message or ethos that the band has had and will continue to have?
‘At its roots Gemm is a hardcore band…’ Says Peter, ‘we have the mindset that it’s 1 or 1 million, it doesn’t matter. If you show up to see us we’re giving it our all. In everything we do we want to create a space for people to feel important and welcome.’
The band has so much going on, with more to come. This experience helped me to see the band in a light outside of the music. It feels more like an effort to create a movement, one of ‘we’re all in this together’. Go check out the band on Spotify, or watch the music videos for ‘Dizzy’ and ‘World on Fire’.
