Q&A: Aron Sanchez of Buke & Gass

You were both in another band, Hominid, prior to creating Buke & Gass. What brought you guys back together?

Aron Sanchez: I was in another band which was dissolving—this was a couple of years ago—and was looking for something new to do. So I got a hold of Arone and, without any idea of what was going to happen, we just started playing together again. This is what came out of it. She hadn’t been playing in like three years—she was doing a lot of bike racing and other bike-related stuff. Being a bike mechanic and stuff like that. She was also in a place of wanting to do music again. The timing worked out, we got a hold of each other and just started playing music again.

It’s interesting that both of you decided to make your own instruments. How did that come about?

Thats been my job for many years—designing instruments. Thats just always been a part of most of my musical projects, me using instruments I’ve made or modified. The last band I was in, which was called Proton Proton, I was using a version of the instrument that I play now, which is called the gass. I was already in development of that instrument when I started this band. So I had already had that in process and its continued to develop in this project. As far as Arone’s instrument, that came about because she was looking for an instrument that was a little more ergonomic for her; she’s had some wrist trouble playing a normal size guitar. So then we found a baritone ukulele, which is basically a smaller guitar, and then started messing around with that and modifying that. We’re both very interested in instruments and making stuff in general.

So the buke is a six string ukulele and the gass is a guitar-bass. Can you describe the other instruments you guys play in addition to these two?

I play a bass drum; which is also a little bit more than a bass drum because it has a snare inside it and also a tambourine. So when you hit it, it makes a more explosive sound. [Laughs] There’s some high frequency stuff going on with the snare and the tambourine jangling. Arone plays these ankle bells that she wears and then she also has this thing called a toe-bourine. She made a shoe that has a tambourine built into it. Other than that, we have a bunch of effects pedals that we use. But that’s basically it—and our voices.

What made you opt to play more instruments yourselves instead of bringing in people to play other instruments?

We started out as just two people, we were writing some songs and then we brought a drummer in. It became more of a band because we had drums. Then he left and we were like, what do we do? We just kinda went back to being strings and voice. Then we were recording some stuff and I was like, what if I brought a bass drum in? We started playing around with that and that seemed to fill out enough percussion that we needed. Then Arone put the bells on her ankles and it became like, well, we’re two people—this is great. We don’t need to get a third person, this is kinda fun. It’s really efficient in terms of songwriting, all the decision making is 50-50. It’s so much less complicated than being in a four-piece band. If we can make this much noise and only be two people this is great.

With so much for both of you to do instrumentally, what was recording Riposte like?

It’s difficult and it’s easy at the same time. We try to play everything at the same time when we’re recording, but we do the vocals afterward. It’s kind of like a performance. I’d say the most difficult part of recording us is that we record ourselves. It’s hard to be the performers and the engineers at the same time.

You guys begin touring next month. Are any songs off of the album especially challenging for you to play live?

A lot of them are challenging, it’s a lot of coordination. Almost every song, at least for me, I have to concentrate a lot. [Laughs] It’s easy for everything to fall apart. It’s not easy, some days I’m like, man, I wish I could just play a bass—rock out with a bass part. We have to be sitting and really thinking about what’s happening. But it’s fun.

It doesn’t sound easy, that’s for sure. Is there a song where you just feel beat after playing it?

“Your Face Left Before You” is a challenge, there are a lot of subtleties going on in that one. I think some of our slower songs, pieces like “Red Hood Came Home,” are challenging just because they’re quieter. You have to really hit the right subtlety.

In an interview I read, you said that your instruments are continuously changing. What do the buke and gass look like right now?

This time last year my instrument was a different version. It was made of a classical guitar, but now it’s a steel body. Arone also has a new one but it basically looks the same. I have a new version of my instrument that I’m going to do when I get the time. I’m always thinking about ways to improve it. I don’t think it’s there yet.

What do you think it’ll look like next?

I’m going to try an all wooden one instead of a steel body. I can’t really say what it’s gonna look like next, it’ll look different.

I know it’s probably a little soon to ask since your first full-length is just about to come out. But do you guys see yourselves continuing to make music with homemade instruments? Would you consider switching it up in the future and maybe going more traditional?

I don’t want to say we’ll never do this or that, but I can’t really see us doing anything that traditional. It’s just not something I’m really interested in. I like to push the boundaries and come up with something unique musically. I’m just not satisfied with picking up a traditional instrument and doing something I’ve heard before. I kinda want something new all the time. But if this stays together for a while, I’m sure we’re gonna march into other things. Maybe we’ll add another person. Maybe we’ll change instruments somehow. I’m open to anything. F