Gabe Kubanda is an alternative indie pop artist based out of Phoenix, Arizona. He has blazed his own trail with catchy and appealing songs. The “Epic Proportions Tour” of 2011 was his own creation in which he travelled the United States with other bands on an old school bus powered by used vegetable oil. He also has a non-profit program called “EduMusication” which promotes the importance of musical education to aspiring high school and college students. With over 650 concerts and 22 tours under his belt across the U.S., Australia and Europe, Gabe continues to gain momentum in 2019 with multiple tours, new music and videos planned for release. He has also been seen as a cast member on Season 2 of VH1 Classic’s: Rock N Roll Fantasy Camp, where he performed in bands all over the country. He has played for the United States military, and performed on Vans Warped Tour, Summerfest, SXSW, CMJ Festival and NAMM to name just a few.
“Damn Plans” is a brand new single offered by Gabe Kubanda. This song begins with vocals, and spares no time in luring the listener right in. The vocals are soulful, the lyrics are poetic, and the entire song is jam packed with hooks making this the type of song you will want to turn up and put on repeat. The arrangement is delicately arranged, with the beat dropping in and out at times creating a varied landscape of tender and energetic moments. It is quite impressive the amount and variety of material Gabe Kubanda is able to put into a song that is just over two and a half minutes. We highly recommend you give “Damn Plans” a listen, you’ll thank us later!
Check it out here! Read more with Gabe in our interview below!
Hey, thanks for catching up with us! Would you mind starting off by describing your background and how you first got involved with music?
Thanks for having me! I actually started on drums in high school jazz band near Seattle, but fell in love with guitar and singing. I had a killer choir teacher, and had started to sing in my church choir as well.I wrote my first song when I was 17 for my senior project, and I tried to sound like Eddie Vedder, haha. I was a grunge kid for sure.
Your new single “Damn Plans” is filled with hooks. What does your songwriting process look like and how does your music take shape?
I feel that music needs to uplift and move you, in any way possible. So the hooks are very much intentional in every song I write. For this song, I got the opportunity to co-write with Curtis Douglas (Katastro, The Maine, This Century)
and immediately we felt a vibe within a few chords, and the melody took form. I think Curtis had hummed a partial melody into his iPhone, and we built up the chorus around that.
Every songwriting process is different, and it just comes down to creating a vibe that will flow the rest of the song to completion.
You have an incredible experiential touring background. Do you ever feel the burnout or does being on the road just inspire you more?
Haha, the burnout is real sometimes, but honestly, I really do love touring. In fact, almost the entirety of my full-length album Flow Fail Prevail was written on the road!
I especially love performing overseas in different countries. It's so amazing to be out there doing what you love for a living.
Who would you describe as your biggest artistic influences?
Man... When I was a kid, my dad played records in the house. Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, U2, Zeppelin, Toto etc... I really vibe off of proggy bands like Coheed and Cambria, some screamo and djent bands, but also I love me some Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak... the list could go on forever!
What can we hope to expect from you in the future?
I'm touring through California from April 9 - 19th, and I'm really excited about our non-profit EduMusication program (EduMusication.org), where we get to go to music classes and spend time with the kids talking about how to put their passions to work and to have a fulfilling career. But more US and International tours and festivals are coming up soon, and I'll be back in the studio this summer to write a few more bangers!
Connect with Gabe Kubanda on social media!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gabekubanda
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gabekubanda