Travis “Schleprok” McCoy met drummer, Matt McGinley in a high school gym class in Geneva, New York, in 1997. Somewhere between facing the supervillians like push-ups and dodge ball, they found time to form Gym Class Heroes.
The quartet wouldn’t be complete until guitarist, Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo, and bassist Eric Roberts joined forces to create one of the most popular acts in music today.
“I think we’ve accomplished what we set out to do,” said Roberts. “Anything that comes after this point is just a blessing.”
“We have gold records, and touring in a Bus with a crew is something we’ve always dreamed of.”
Last month GCH released The Quilt, which is the follow-up their gold album, As Cruel as School Children. The album continues in true “gym class” by mixing Travis’ lyrical flow with various styles of music.
“I think that a quilt is a good visual representation of what our album sounds like,” said Roberts. “It’s basically put together like a quilt, because each song could be considered its own patch.”
The Quilt is an album built on the purity of jamming between band mates who make music for themselves. By doing so GCH has created a product that lets the characters of each member shine through the music.
Songs like Cookie Jar and Peace Sign/Index Down are examples of how GCH use creative metaphors to convey common concepts. Drnk Txt Rmeo is to be adored by any partygoer, and is an example of the subtly injected genius that makes them different.
“We did it old school. Over half the record was recorded live in the studio,” said Roberts. “That’s something we haven’t gotten to do until now.”
GCH recently began their “dream tour” with The Roots, and UK sensation Estelle.
“Four years ago we thought it would be awesome to go on tour with The Roots,” said Roberts. “We’ve always been compared to them.”
Everyone on the tour has in common a mutual respect for each other’s work, and backgrounds in hip-hop music. This chemistry, coupled with the element of live performance, is certain to make for many shows with fans nodding heads and tapping their feet to the beats.
GCH remains humble despite their rise to stardom and being on a major tour. They remember that they’ve worked years to become established, and know that their fans began the backbone of their success.
You can tuck yourself in a musical “quilt” of hip-hop at The Meridian in Houston this Friday, where GCH will begin their Texas tour stops. The heroes love playing shows in the Lone Star State, and according to them, Texans know how to party.
“I want to see a lot of cowboy and cowgirl hats thrown on stage,” Roberts said. “There are enough to have a collection. I know, I’ve seen them.”