Fronted by singer and guitarist Mitch DeLong, Gaadge have been delighting audiences of Pittsburgh basement dwellers for almost a decade. Their latest album – "Somewhere Down Below" – and its invigorating production – just begs to bring Gaadge into the national spotlight thanks to their adventurous playing rooted in exceptional pop songwriting.
Mitch DeLong recently spoke with WYEP’s Joey Spehar.
Gaadge are:
Mitch Delong – guitar, vocals, bass, synth, drums, telephone
Nick Boston – bass, vocals, guitar, telephone
Ethan Oliva – drums, vocals, guitar, bass, telephone
Andy Yadeski – guitar, vocals, synth, drums, telephone
This conversation may be lightly edited for content, clarity, or length.
What’s your musical history up to this point?
I’ve (Mitch) had Gaadge going on for almost a decade now, but it’s only been a full-fledged band for about five years. Gaadge was mostly a recording project of mine until we released a few EPs and splits, and then began playing shows as a four-piece. After we put out our first full album “Yeah?” in 2021, it became much more of a group effort and Ethan, Andy and Nick all started taking on more song-writing duties. That’s where we were at when we went into the studio to record “Somewhere Down Below.”
Tell us more about the song “No Go.” What inspired you to write it and what does it mean to you?
“No Go” was actually demoed around April 2020, right before I started recording “Yeah?” It’s about seeing the end of certain things in your life beginning to creep up on you, and finding a way to grapple with it. That’s around the time I was finding myself with a lot of free-time, and I was dealing with an empty kind of feeling while trying to figure out how to fill that void.
What was the first album that really changed your life?
I was seven when “Oops I Did It Again” by Britney Spears came out and my mom got it for me because I loved Britney. I was listening to whatever was on the radio cause I was a little kid, but I remember that album coming out and I remember that being the first album I would listen to straight through all the time. Those are the first memories I have of listening to every song on an album and picking up on melodies. It’s really funny looking back on that being my answer to this question considering what we do with Gaadge.
Who are some other Pittsburgh artists you think more people should listen to?
Silver Car Crash, Sleeping Witch and Saturn, String Machine, Gundy, definitely Gina Gory. Feeble Little Horse has a lot of people listening but there can always be more. I could go on, there’s a really good music scene here.
Any other super interesting things we should know about you?
Nah, we’re just a bunch of dudes who like writing music.
Learn more about Gaadge:
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Check out previous Pittsburgh Artists of the Week here.
