The Green Gallows are a folk rock/ indie music group from Astoria. The members are Cara Cooley, Adam Steiner, Sean Ryan Donnelly, and Blake Smith. FEBRUARY 2014 | BOROMAG.COM | 33 from the ground up. It’s so important nowadays. A foundation of success is creating your own entity. We are just finishing up our new EP coming out, and it’s called Wanted. That will be our first fullfledged Gallows recording. We have 5 tunes on there. We are going to shop that around, and go on a small tour in the Midwest in February. We try to play in New York at least 3 times a week. We play open mics, we play gigs, and we play anywhere. Everything is coming from playing. The more we play, the more we hear things are happening. AS: My early influences are Frank Sinatra and Elvis. As I got older, it’s more like the country folk rock that’s out there. I love Shovels and Rope, I love the Lone Bellow (which is a Brooklyn Band). I love Mumford and Sons, of course. The Mowgli’s and Aretha Franklin are favorites too. CC: My influences are pretty much the same. The Mowgli’s, Lone Bellow, the Lumineers. SD: I grew up with a lot of Irish folk and bluegrass, and a lot of classic rock. I’m more into new grass, blue grass and alternative country. Ryan Young, from Trample by Turtles, is one of my bigger influences. BS: Growing up in Texas, country music was all we listened to, and my dad was a country music DJ. For harmonica, Norton Buffalo, Sunny Terry, Charlie McCoy and Orange Blossom Special—the first time I heard it—I was like, ‘Oh that’s music!’ I love Drive By Truckers. I’m still a sucker for pop country. BS: I got involved with the Green Gallows at a showcase called Whiskey Wednesdays at Over the Eight in Brooklyn. I opened for the band. The first time I heard them play, I was drunkenly chomping at the bit at the side of the stage with my harmonica in hand. “Can I jump on?” I played one song and it went great, and the rest was history. CC: And he brings the lady fans… SD: We do have a sound that’s very different. Especially in New York. I feel like if we were in a city that had more folk, country, and bluegrass it might be easier. Especially coming from Astoria where it’s more metal and indie rock. We don’t exactly fit in. We have a crazy amount of support from Astoria and the city. It’s kind of a cool thing to be a part of a burgeoning genre. AS: I think everybody is reverting to good music. Is alt country the next big deal of music? Who is to say if it’s the next big thing--or just something. AS: In the next year we would like to see Green Gallows without day jobs… CC: And touring... Check out the Green Gallows at www.facebook.com/thegreengallows and www.youtube.com/user/thegreengallows
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