Gaslight Anthem drummer discusses fame, influences and playing with Springsteen

The Gaslight Anthem played to an enthusiastic audience at the Boston House of Blues this past Saturday night, with openers Murder By Death, Jesse Malin and Broadway Calls. The New Jersey soul-punk band has been receiving more mainstream attention since the release of their critically acclaimed second album, "The '59 Sound" (2008), which ranked among "New Musical Express'" (NME) 50 Best Albums of 2008. The Daily sat down with drummer Benny Horowitz before the show to talk about Jersey, Bruce Springsteen and soul-punk.

Josh Zeidel: 2008 was a big year for your band. "The '59 Sound" represented a huge step forward for Gaslight, and it catapulted you into a wider spotlight. How has your live show evolved to fill larger venues?

Benny Horowitz: I think just through the process of playing together for a few years we've adapted our style … We like going from song to song, not wasting a lot of time. We play a lot longer, but we feel a responsibility to do that as well, because these are our shows now, and whatever the ticket price is, if it's a sh-t show, that's on us … So we want to make sure that people are getting their money's worth.

JZ: This past summer, you were joined on stage twice by fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen — what was it like for you to play with a rock musician who has been so influential on your band?

BH: It was really surreal, you know? But in a way, it kind of humanizes him, someone you've been seeing on TV your whole life … He was really relaxed, didn't seem to want to talk about himself at all, he was interested in what was going on with us … He was just a really nice guy. In retrospect, looking back, I'm still having a hard time believing we met him.

JZ: How did The Gaslight Anthem form? What does the name mean, and how did you settle on it?

BH: Brian [Fallon, guitar, lead vocals] had a project called This Charming Man. They were signed to a label and did a tour, and I guess a couple members combusted on tour. So he needed a new rhythm section … and he started playing with his brother-in-law Alex [Levine, bass, backing vocals]. One of the guys he was working with … was an old friend of mine from the hardcore scene who knew that I was … playing with whoever at the time. So he hooked me and Brian up, and I went up there to practice … We got Alex Rosamilia [lead guitar, backing vocals] who I had previously played with in other bands, and that's when we formed for real, in late 2005 … I was thinking some of the songs were coming out anthem-ic and big, so I suggested "The Anthem," which would have been totally cliché. The Gaslight was this folk bar in New York back in the '60s, which [Bob] Dylan and Joni Mitchell used to play [in], that was Brian's idea, and it was sort of the combination of the two things.

JZ: The music, lyrics and recording process of "The '59 Sound" are influenced by an older generation of musicians, from Tom Petty to Otis Redding. How do you reconcile these influences with your New Jersey punk roots?

BH: It was a process. There were times when the combination of those elements was difficult to put together. That EP we did, "Señor and the Queen" (2008), was sort of like us learning how to write "The '59 Sound." It was a semi-conscious effort, because we all love [soul] music and it was an idea to see how it could happen, how you could mix the two [influences].

JZ: Many of your songs contain references to the New Jersey region you call home. How much would you say your music is a product of your environment?

BH: Quite a bit. All four of us were born and raised and still live in that area. It happens to be a pretty unique place with a lot of glory and a lot of struggle … When you're from there, it makes your life more trying, but in a way it kind of solidifies a lot of things in yourself, just being able to get through it. Not to say that we all grew up with massive struggle, but it's what you see and what you listen to. Even if we're not struggling, we're watching other people struggle.

JZ: What bands or artists have you been listening to recently?

BH: A ton of stuff, and if you looked at all of our iPods, there'd be some pretty singularly different things. A lot of the bands that we reference are bands that all of us love: The Clash, Hot Water Music, The Bouncing Souls, The Descendants, a lot of the soul stuff, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson … We're all pretty big Constantines fans, those guys are a big band for us right now.

JZ: When can your fans expect to hear the next album?

BH: By the middle of January we're going to start recording in New York with producer Ted Hutt who did the last record. It should come out by the middle of next summer, barring any major catastrophes.