Gramercy Arms

Gramercy Arms is a revolving NYC-based collective of musicians and artists. Masterminded by main songwriter/producer Dave Derby (Dambuilders/Lloyd Cole) the group is releasing its second full-length record, The Seasons of Love on UK label Reveal Records this summer. Expanding from the sunny, unapologetically pop approach of the debut, The Seasons of Love widens the musical palette as well as the range of collaboration by featuring Lloyd Cole, Joan Wasser, Tanya Donnely, Matthew Caws, Kendall Meade, Claudia Gonson, Doug Gillard, Erin Moran, Joan As Police Woman, Renee Lo Bue, Ray Ketchem, Verena Wiesendanger, Gedeon Luke and others. The album was recorded by Derby and Ketchem, mixed by acclaimed engineer Thom Monahan and mastered by Eric Broyhill. Eternally inspired by the artistic heyday of ‘70s and ‘80s-era New York City, Gramercy Arms makes crisp, multi-layered pop music that elicits authentic emotion. Wistful, joyous, contemplative, cool and triumphant— depending on the track you land on, The Seasons of Love might make you feel it all. A Q&A with Gramercy Arms songwriter and producer, Dave Derby: How long did it take to make Seasons of Love? Almost 5 years. With so many contributors, you have to be patient when scheduling countless recording sessions. Aside from legendary songwriter Lloyd Cole, which bands did you pull from when choosing contributors for this album? Luna, Nada Surf, Joan As Policewoman, Throwing Muses, A Girl Called Eddy, Magnetic Fields, Mascott, Elk City, Guided by Voices. Lloyd and Joan Wasser take lead vocal duties on Beautiful Disguise. Tell us about how this came to be: I wanted the song to be a duet and I wanted it to have an element of drama and world-weariness, and I thought Lloyd and Joan would be perfect for it. Also we happened to all be working together on vocals for Lloyd's record, Standards, at the Magic Shop in NYC, so it seemed like it was fated to be. How is this album different from the first one? I think the first album has a sunnier vibe to it. This one still has a lot of upbeat pop songs but also more melancholic undertones to it with songs like "Beautiful Disguise," "Yours Untruly" and "Playing with Fire." I think it's richer and more sophisticated. Any major influences while making this record? I would say old friendships. One influence of this record was reconnecting with people I hadn't seen in awhile like Tanya Donnely, or finally actually meeting and working with Erin Moran. I was very influenced by Scott Walker on "Playing with Fire" though I'm not sure how much that shows. Would you say NYC itself is a member of the band? Absolutely. It's hard not to live here and feel inspired (and sometimes frustrated) by the city.