“The man sat down beside her/The man used tools and rope to guide her/Back home on the deep blue sea,” vocalists Paul Gillcrist and Sarah De La Isla croon on standout “And They Sailed.” Tinkling cymbals back ukulele, keyboard, guitar, bass, violin and the winsome dual harmonies, managing lively charm without sounding gimmicky or overwhelming. They’ve even explored the untapped potential of the humble conch.
“We were in a band rehearsal and [bass player] Samuel [Narveson] had to go to the bathroom,” Gillcrist recently told the Guardian. “When he came out of the bathroom, he came out with a conch shell in his hand and he just started blowing.”
With seven members and upwards of 18 instruments, it’s difficult to imagine Fighting With Irons fitting on stage. During their March 9 show at Porter’s Pub, they managed an additional three members for a total of ten performers, oddball instruments in hand. They ended the night with a saxophone jam session, a hand-and-body percussive performance, and (naturally) a conch shell solo. Crowd participation was at a startling high; the entire audience clapped and sang along, and even the pub owner joined in.
But while the space was crowded, the music was hardly overwhelming. Gillcrist’s simple lyrics and the expert, non-intrusive employment of instrumentals keep Fighting With Irons’ sound refreshingly mellow.
Though they each have a long history of musical education — both vocalist/keyboardist De La Isla’s parents are musicians, while bassist Andy Walsh is set to attend music school in the fall — their ages range from a youthful 15 to 20. Not sur- prisingly, given his evident penchant for swashbuckling theatrics, freshman Gillcrist is a fencer at UCSD and teaches sailing classes at Mission Bay Sports Center during the summer. Though he is in college himself, he has an appreciation for younger crowds, thanks to his band mates.
“I’m open to the idea of playing at coffee shops and trying to get people that are in high school able to go to shows,” Gillcrist said. “Most of the bands in our genre play at bars or places that are over 21.”
“Tell me about it,” De La Isla added. Though she’s only sixteen, De La Isla recently tested out of high school in order to focus on film and music.
Intimate spaces, like Porter’s Pub and a slew of local coffee shops, seem to create the ideal environment for Fighting With Irons’ brand of indie rock. It’s the direct relationship, and even collaboration, between the audience and the musicians that have gained them an increasing amount of followers. And despite their many members and cluttered arsenal of instruments, what the group truly strives for is simple: creating a fun experience for the crowd by having fun themselves. That sentiment remains on the Fighting With Irons’ debut.
“When people back in the day would buy an album, they’d buy it and listen to the entire thing… The way I’ve written the EP, the five songs, is a storyline,” Gillcrist said. “It’s a concept album, a concept EP. I would describe it as a journey of finding yourself or of having a second chance. ‘Sunset Cliffs’ is a song about suicide and drowning in the sea, and for whatever reason, the main protagonist has a second chance and is able to find a boat in ‘And They Sailed’ and repair it.”
But despite their ambitious narratives, Fighting With Irons are satisfied with the simple experience of playing their music for a live audience, or reaching someone through their jubilantly recorded material.
“There’s no goal of trying to make it big or get any financial outcome of it,” Gillcrist said. “When we’re going on seven people in our band, there’s no way you’re going to make it financially on the small-time level. It’s not about the money, it’s not about success — it’s about playing the music.”
Their EP release show is Friday, May 27 at the Pacific Beach Women’s Club at 7:30 p.m. Entrance (including a copy of the EP) is $10. Sunset Cliffs will also become available the night of the release show on their website, http://www.fightingwithirons.com.
— Naomi Sweo
