Quick Q and A with Brian Gundersdorf (We’re About 9)
 by Kathy S-B  ·  30 September 2011

A whole lot of words come to mind when I think about We’re About 9. Creative. Humorous. Intelligent. Quirky. Harmonious. First-rate. Their lyrics are as memorable as their lyrics. One reviewer called it “short format fiction, long format harmony.” Whatever you call it, it’s fun and it’s fantastic. Learn more about We’re About 9 on their website. Here’s a video that shows how much fun We’re About 9 is in concert.

You are known for your witty lyrics. Are you all just genuinely witty or do you have to work at it? ;-)

Ha! I mean, thank you. Well, how can I answer that? The truth is that there’s a witty person in me. I can’t always find him, but I’m always looking. When he shows up, I drop everything and write. That’s the secret. I always tell people that the song is like a cat. If you’re always chasing it, you’ll never catch it. But eventually, when you’re not trying so hard, it’ll come climb on your lap. Whether you’re a songwriter or not depends on what you do at that moment. That’s a sweeping statement, of course. Some people can outrun cats, and some people can decide when they’re going to write songs. Once I have the seed of a song, I work hard to make the most of it. During an eight hour drive this past weekend, I spent at least six hours refining twenty seconds worth of lyrics.

Is there any one song that you’ve written that you’re especially proud of?

I’m always the most proud of whichever one I wrote the most recently. But, after nine years of playing it, the song I get the most positive feedback on is “If You See William.” It’s the story of a guy that grew up in love with the arts, but took a different direction in his adult life and fell in love with the art of corporate ladder climbing. I think of this narrator as alternate-universe Gundersdorf.

WA9 has won numerous awards and has played at several prestigious festivals and venues. Any highlights thus far?

So many. Honestly, we’re the luckiest people ever. We had a list of things we wanted to do when we started, and we’ve done it all. We got to open for Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer. We’ve played the main stage at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival four times (this was, and still is, THE dream gig for us). We once drove eight hours to play one song at the Club Passim open mic — now we get to play our own feature shows there regularly. First Acoustics, The Birchmere, The Panzer House, Cat in the Cream, Four Corners Folk Festival, Mountain Stage New Song Festival — I mean, there have just been so many venues and audiences that have blown our minds. I can’t wait for Me&Thee to join that list. I enjoy the perfect sound and warm atmosphere at Me&Thee so much. And we’re completely honored to get to open for the legendary Cris Williamson. I have a very good feeling about this show!

We’re About 9. Explain the name.

When we do our Tibetan throat singing we’re able to create nine different overtones. Just kidding. We don’t do that, although we are deeply focused on harmony singing. And I wish I could sing more parts than I can. So maybe the name is really about our hopes and dreams. The real answer to this question is on our website which your readers can find at www.wereabout9.com.