Raw McCartney is an eccentric band whose oddity extends well past their music. They are a self-labeled chill, psych and punk rock 'n' roll band from Indianapolis. They will be performing tonight alongside bands SOON and the mineral girls at Local 506. Staff writer Everett Handy interviewed Raw McCartney band members Jacob Gardner and Brian Bissart.
The Daily Tar Heel: How did the band get its start?
Jacob Gardner: The band started out as a joke punk band because I kept losing my job. When we started playing we focused on that kind of frustration — losing your job, losing your wallet, losing your mind.
DTH: Why is the band called Raw McCartney?
JG: Raw McCartney is a man-made legend who survived in the wild for most of his childhood after running away from his commune of birth in southeastern Indiana. He found his way to Indianapolis where he began playing as a street musician from talents he learned in the wild. He was discovered by an art professor who sent young Raw McCartney to Paris to finish high school and study poetry and painting. ... Enlightened, he left school and returned to be with his friends in Indiana and pursue a life of rock and roll in its nastiest, puss-spewing form.
DTH: Is any of that real?
JG: Well no, not really. It’s all part of the joke. We want it to sound like a shamanistic head rapt – that we’re natural artists – but it’s all fiction. It was also a way to keep my face out of the spotlight and add to the anonymity and mystique of the band.
DTH: How has your tour been going?
JG: It’s been really great. We’re driving on the road most days, but these are my best friends, so it’s just been a blast so far.
