Pistola’s Patricia Gradin Interview
Interview – Patricia Gradin of Pistola
by Rev. Shakes Spear
With the release of their phenomenal debut EP, Hold for Bliss, NYC’s Pistola carved a jagged, little niche: a hypnotic, thunderous thrill-ride of sound & fury racing toward oblivion. Imagine equal parts Jane’s Addiction, PJ Harvey and a bare-knuckle fistfight – that’ll give you just a hint of the raw beauty that washes over you with each listen of Bliss.
Co-founded in 2002 by vocalist Patricia Gradin and guitarist/sound-sculptor George Podolak, Pistola includes the ocean-size rhythm section of bassist Alan Dooley and drummer Randy Satarsky. Currently, Pistola is enjoying growing popularity with their live shows and the singles ‘Til 3 A.M.’ and ‘Drive’.
I got the privilege of interviewing Patricia Gradin about the band and what moves her to create such incredible sounds.
Rev. Shakes Spear: Pistola recently played the CMJ Music Marathon. How’d it go?
Patricia Gradin: Our showcase was great, no doubt one of the best shows we’ve had so far! We played Saturday night, which was the last night of the marathon, and we had an incredible crowd. People in the audience seemed to have rubbed on some kind of “CMJ” energy that allowed them to really lose themselves in the music, which is a lot to say about NYC audiences. Now, as far as the CMJ marathon itself, those things are surrounded by so much hype, that sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between reality and fiction! Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of good shows going on, and I was happy to discover a few new artists that I really liked, but at times, it felt like people were trying to out-do each other by showing off all their music knowledge and connections. It was weird, funny, and fun. I guess you just have to be careful not to get caught up in the game and really keep focused on your music.
RSS: Your voice is incredibly powerful and the music so mesmerizing, but your lyrics are just as captivating. Tell me about your lyrical intent.
PG: Lyrics are very important to me. That’s not to say that you need words of literary proportions to have a good song. A good melody is priceless and doesn’t need words! Personally, I write lyrics that capture pieces of my own reality. It’s easier for me to sing about things I know and how they affect me than to sing about a given subject and at the end of the song give the listener some kind of generic advice. I don’t like to preach, that’s not me. I sort through a lot of my emotions by writing lyrics, and once that’s done, I move on and no longer focus on the who and why. That’s why I think it’s cool when people take a song that they like and sing along with it, thinking that the words are about this or that, when really it has nothing to do with what the writer intended to say, and that’s ok because music can be a very personal experience. I don’t necessarily want to be overly explicit about what I write every single time. I’m a little selfish about music, and most certainly about my lyrics.
RSS: You and George were in a band for a while that disbanded in ‘99 and then you got together again to form Pistola. What changed in the interim that caused the lush, volcanic chemistry that resulted in Hold for Bliss?
PG: Well, basically we both took time off from music for a while and, ironically, that’s one of the best things that happened to us. During that time we realized that music was not an optional matter for us. We learned that whether we are in a band or not, we are probably going to be making music for most of our lives in one capacity or another. It’s just something we have to do. So when George and I re-connected a few years after that, we both had grown a lot personally and musically. We were much more focused and determined. Our plan was not to have any specific agenda regarding the music. That was a key factor because that allowed us to experiment and have fun and really enjoy the process again. We weren’t concerned about proving a point or meeting someone else’s expectations. We were basically writing all these new songs for ourselves. Most of those songs, by the way, became Hold for Bliss.
RSS: So much of Pistola’s music comes across as a challenging, threatening provocation. Is there a philosophical agenda you’re trying to push with your music?
PG: Well, I like to push buttons and provoke reactions. However, that doesn’t mean that that is something we all do as a band. On the other hand, if the music we make has some sort of effect on the listener, I can only take that as a sign of accomplishment and maturity gained at our craft.
RSS: Your music is very dramatic & explosive. What do you do to relax?
PG: I sing in a band.
RSS: Have you had the chance to write any new songs?
PG: George and I are working on new music all the time. Aside from our rehearsals with the rest of the band, we try to have writing sessions every week just to keep us in that “forward” mode. Right now, half our live set is all new material.
RSS: Are there plans for a full-length album anytime soon?
PG: YES! No specifics yet, but sometime next year!
RSS: My final question: what can save the world?
PG: Millions of portable personal mirrors attached to people’s minds and all major arteries so we can all take a good look at ourselves.
