Gibson Musisko has been writing songs and playing in bands for a decade, though he’s just 19 years old. His latest project — PosterChild — recently released the album "Vengeance Says."
Musisko recently spoke with WYEP's Joey Spehar.
What’s your musical history up to this point?
I’m 19 now, and I started on guitar probably when I was nine. I played in a bunch of bands growing up, and I owe a lot to my parents for being so encouraging. 2020 changed things for me though, and music became an obsession. I was writing and recording music at home every single day, and I’d soon amassed hundreds of solid songs. I gathered PosterChild around me to make them happen live, and the project has taken on a life of its own since.
How do you describe your sound?
Expressive indie rock that’s not afraid of pop.
Tell us more about the song “Vengeance Says.” What inspired you to write it and what does it mean to you?
"Vengeance Says" is a song that’s kinda supposed to have a sense of humor to it, but still takes a dig at real feelings. It’s about this character who’s a sort of supernatural private eye type guy, and his goal is to get some kind of karmic revenge on an invisible wrongdoer who ruined his client’s past. Turns out the best way he can get the job done is just by being there for the person. I wrote the song shortly after watching the movie "Casablanca" for the first time, and I’m pretty sure it cast a certain light on the song.
What was the first album that really changed your life?
I have to call a definitive tie between "Is This It" by The Strokes and "Grace" by Jeff Buckley. They competed for dominance in my brain for most of my pre-songwriting life, and they both had this overwhelming bittersweetness to them, at least to my ears, and I loved that.
Who are some other Pittsburgh artists you think more people should listen to?
Me and the band go see a lot of different local shows, and we come away amazed every time! But if I had to pick a few, I’d say the most recent fixations have been Meeting Of Important People, Forestry Division, Funky Lamp, and King Blue Heron (who just shared a double header release show with us for the release of their single, Allegheny River).
And of course, we always love seeing Jon Bindley and his band, at the Honky-Tonk or otherwise!
Any other super interesting things about you we should know?
I’m gonna take this opportunity to shine light on some fun stuff about the band!
- We recorded our album in a temporary setup at the home of our guitarist Seamus’ grandpa, which was wild.
- Cassandra (our drummer) and her sister Vanessa (another guitarist) have played together in every band they’ve ever been in (which have been a lot)!
- Gabe and I have known each other since second grade, and he’s also my roommate right now.
- We’re a young band, most of us are 19 and one of us is 16.
We are so excited for the future, and so grateful for everyone who’s loved the album so far.
PosterChild are:
Gibson Musisko (Guitar, keyboard, vocals)
Cassandra Prentiss (Drums, vocals)
Seamus Quigley (Guitar)
Gabe Escalante (Bass)
Vanessa Prentiss (Guitar)
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