Gibson Kite

Multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Gibson Kite (Spitfire Tree, The Whole Bolivian Army) has lent his drum talents to the latest Obol album entitled “Chimera”, to be released in 2025. Below is an introduction Q&A with Gibson so you can learn a little bit about the artist and his music.

How did you end up connecting with the Obol project? How is it different from other bands you’ve played with?
I figured I’d shoot my shot when I heard Obol was looking for a drummer, so I messaged Barry, and we ended up synergizing pretty quickly. I have a heavily progressive rock background, which worked well with Obol’s style and sensibilities. Several of the tracks I’ve done for the band have been wonderfully challenging to get my head around, more so than I’m used to with other projects. Love that.

Some people describe Obol as progressive rock. What do you think that means / what defines a song as “progressive”?
I imagine the term once meant something broader but gained specificity over time. After a while, lots of bands that all sound alike get labeled prog, and so prog ends up having “a sound.” But I think prog is more of an attitude than a sound. Something can be progressive or innovative without busy guitars and odd times (not that those things aren’t great). So it’s just about making something unique and complex in a way that serves the music, I think.

The music industry has changed a lot in recent years. As a music creator, publishing and performing and sharing your own music, what are your thoughts on the music “scene” these days?
There’s something to be said for the accessibility that comes with releasing music digitally. I think it’s wonderful that music is no longer gatekept by record companies. But, of course, now it’s all under the rule of distributers and streaming platforms. So capitalism still finds a way to turn art into business—to keep control in the hands of owners rather than makers. But at least it’s easier now to throw your music out into the sea. And it is a sea—a big one, and each new release is just a drop. There’s so much music now to discover, and I’m often haunted by the thought that so many great records will go unheard.

What are some of your favorite bands/ albums/ influences?
So many to list, from all over the spectrum musically. And it changes all the time. Radiohead, C418, Talk Talk, Bjork, Aurora, Ólafur Arnalds . . . Tool and Porcupine Tree on the heavier side of things. I’ve been listening to a lot of Tyler the Creator recently. And that new stuff from The Smile is really wonderful. Albums wise . . . In Rainbows, C418’s two volume Minecraft soundtrack, Lift Your Skinny Fists (Godspeed), Laughing Stalk (Talk Talk) . . . Homogenic and Vespertine (Bjork), Bowie’s last album Blackstar, Mezzanine (Massive Attack), Transatlanticism (Death Cab), Sophie’s first album (R.I.P), Fear of a Blank Planet, Hand Cannot Erase. And Rush was my favorite band as a kid, so I have to shout out classic albums like Hemispheres and Moving Pictures too. Lastly, I want to mention Portishead’s album Third. Yeah Dummy is great, but you’ve already heard it fifty times. Go listen to the weird newer one. It’s amazing.

What instruments do you play? What kind of gear do you use that you love and want to mention?
Drums, mostly, and piano and vocals and other stuff, sort of. When it comes to gear I can get pretty obsessive. But really the most important thing about a piece of gear is just that it has some kind of a story and a reason for being there. I record all my piano on a hundred-or-so year old Baldwin spinet. It’s got so much character to it. It’s heavily informed the sound of my music, which is remarkable. That’s the best kind of instrument, I think. It’s nice when instruments do exactly what you want/expect, but it’s better when they give you something back; something you didn’t know you were looking for.

Are you a better drummer, singer, or pianist? This is the kind of thing people ask me and I am personally curious what your answer would be.
I’m by far the most confident and competent behind a drum kit, though I’m stubbornly self-taught, as is also the case with piano and vocals. The music always comes first, so I just learn whatever I need to in order to achieve what I’m trying to achieve. I don’t really care if I’m doing something the “proper” way, or if I don’t even know what key I’m in. Not that I don’t have incredible respect for well educated musicians. But I’m a music maker first and an instrument player second, if that makes sense.

What keeps you busy outside of music?
Writing, mostly. I’ve been telling stories, whether on paper or just in my head, since I was very very young. I’ve always got books and things I’m cooking up in the background. I’ve also got animals (snakes and a gecko) to take care of, and occasionally I make videos about things (that often goes hand in hand with the story telling).

What kind of things do you love?
Music. Fiction. Animals (especially the extinct ones). Nature. Maps. Really just the whole world, aside from the stuff humans put in it. Though even that stuff is good sometimes. I love food, and good drinks, communities, cities (not the American ones though). And I do love people too; specific ones, and the weird ones usually. I love seeing solidarity defeat division. I love shared stories and experiences.

What pisses you off?
People, sort of. Not what we are to begin with, more so what the system turns us into—how it convinces us to think. People aren’t inherently bad, but we are frustratingly susceptible to propaganda. I also hate how cynical/soulless art has become within certain industries. So many new films are just corporate slop, and people continue to consume them uncritically. Generative AI is another thing that scares me quite a bit when it comes to art. It delivers value without cost; the value of art without the cost of labor. It’s often labeled as a “tool.” And it is one, I think. But it’s not a tool for the people.

Yahoo news says there is probably going to be an attack of water gibbons from Mars soon. If so, what do you want people to remember about you?
Well, I’d like people to remember the things I made rather than just me the person. I hope people remember Spitfire Tree. I hope I make music that will mean something to someone after I’m dead. That would be cool.