Interview - GUMP

We sat down with hip-hop/psych band GUMP to for a quick conversation about what they’re up to and what we should expect from them in the next few months. The Maryland-based foursome talks touring, their best moment from 2016, and what they expect from their free DC Punk Archive Library Basement Show. Read below for more from GUMP.

CSDC: Recently, you've done shows with April and Vista, Nag Champa, SIR E.U. You're all completely unique and progressive to the music in our area. Do you think that there can be a Renaissance in music can be brewing in DC?

GUMP: There’s a musical renaissance brewing around the whole world right now. There’s so much different music coming from every place in the world right now, not just DC.

CSDC: I often see GUMP on bills spanning the east coast. Can we expect you on a full or west coast foot soon? Did you catch the eye of any upcoming touring artist?

GUMP: There have been talks! Our tentative plan is for right now is, hopefully sometime in April, to do a quick east coast run. As for supporting on tour, there are a few conversations. As far out in the UK, there are conversations. Definitely by next year though, we want to be touring this country as much as we can.

CSDC: All in this year, you released your debut EP Sleven, performed at Art All Night, and toured for the first time as a band. What do you think was your biggest highlight from 2016?

GUMP: I think getting the record Sleven out for sure, it took us about two years to get it out.

CSDC: You have a free show at the Smithsonian coming up on October 27th, can you tell us how that got set up and what can we expect from your performance?

GUMP: The DC Public Library hosts free shows at The MLK Library, the DC Punk Archive Library Basement Show. A while ago we filled out and submitted a form to play and a couple months later they hit us back and put us on the bill. We're definitely gonna have a lot of fun. I wonder what the DC Library have to offer... probably a lot of cheese?

CSDC: You guys are in GUMP, but also bump around and work on various projects in a number of different genres. Who would you form a super group with?

GUMP: Anderson .Paak would be a big one. From around here, we always love playing with Nag Champa. They definitely have an interesting set and do very eclectic stuff. 2Chainz would be a good look. We gotta get Paper Boi, that collab would be fire.

CSDC: What's next for GUMP?

GUMP: We just started working on finishing the second EP. Hopefully we have it out by early 2017. We’re definitely touring soon. We’ve been working on new videos for some of the songs from Sleven, those will be dropping sooner than later.

All photos taken by Ilhan Alyanak for Capitol Sound DC.