The Drew Gardner Interview
New York-based multi-instrumentalist and prolific guitarist Drew Gardner has been on the sonic scene for several decades since forming Mayfirst with longtime friend and creative collaborator Jesse Sheppard in high school in the late 1980s. Since then, the duo has eagerly established the beloved Elkhorn, which has proven to be a powerhouse of psychedelic probabilities from their 2016 self-titled effort to their most recent effort, “Other Worlds”. Also participating with Jeffrey Alexander and The Heavy Lidders, Gardner is always in search of the next sonic surge of spiritual energy, intense improv, and heavy harmonies. While focusing on his solo career over the last few years, most recently 2026’s “Wave Field” and “Rabbit Years”, which is set for release on the Seattle-based label Eiderdown Records in early August, the veteran musician has entered into this echoing ecosystem that only he knows the location of its tinder thermostat.
Photo Christopher Bruno
Take us all the way back to the beginning when you first became aware of music in a way that was both sonically significant and spiritually sobering. Are you originally from NYC? As a multi-instrumentalist whose overall creative output is simply stunning, I’m very curious to know about those early inspirations, motivations, and the drive that ultimately pushed you to where you are now.
Photo Christopher Bruno
Going all the way back would be something like listening to thunderstorms and the sounds of nature. I grew up in New Jersey, not far from Trenton. The first live concert I ever saw was a bluegrass band in the auditorium of my grammar school. I remember being totally electrified by it. My parents had a small collection of vinyl in the living room, including the first Paul McCartney solo album and George Harrison's “All Things Must Pass”, which I listened to a lot as a kid. Among that small record collection were The Beatles’ “Abby Road” and an album of Charles Ives songs. In some ways, I'm still trying to reconcile these two sounds in my music today. Later, my older sister started buying records, and she got a copy of Jimi Hendrix's “Are You Experienced”, which completely blew my preadolescent mind. I started playing guitar, drums, and piano pretty early. In high school, I played drums in a post-punk band called Mayfirst (which included Jesse Sheppard from Elkhorn on bass. Later, in college, I studied music with Wadada Leo Smith.
Photo: Christopher Bruno
With seven or so albums with the New York-based duo Elkhorn and dozens of releases with the prolific Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders, you’ve also released a handful of solo works since 2021's self-titled on the beloved label Eiderdown Records. What are the dynamics like working alongside other musicians on projects compared to working on a solo record under your own thumb and creative control?
I like collaboration, and they both involve collaboration, but in different ways. With solo records, I have a vision and sound that I'm aiming for, and that involves leadership, which gives the other players freedom, while also providing clear guidance. A lot of the work is done by including players whom I've heard play in several different contexts, so I already know the language they use and how they make musical decisions. With the Lidders, it's a matter of coming up with what the songs need and figuring out a role that enhances the music as much as possible. With Elkhorn, everything is meant to have a 50/50 balance, and we’re always adjusting the consensus process.
Is the creative challenge still as important as it was in the beginning, or is it more like a melodic muscle that's sonically strong where you need it to be, if that makes sense? Recorded in the spring of 2023 as a quartet, I’m curious to know about the overall process and approach to this meditative material and what was most important for you to express as well as explore with these songs in comparison to previous works. What does this album ultimately mean to you with this cosmic configuration of players, and what do you hope listeners will gain from these songs as we push deeper into this smoldering summer? Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?
Photo: Christopher Bruno
The albums are like pictures of where I am at the time. My world as an artist... I think that's just my listeners. I'm always just trying to get the music to the listeners. The songs are improvisational, using a latticework/template song system I've developed to structure the different material while keeping it feeling open. “Rabbit Ears” was recorded in the same set of sessions as “Wave Field”, my previous record from this year on VHF, but Rabbit Ears is the more meditative material, and “Wave Field” the more rocking. The band is weaving the songs together collectively along certain parameters, and I structure it so it works as a kind of suite over the course of the whole album. I always hope to connect with listeners and hope they get something worthwhile out of the music.
