Prypyat is a Durham-based band consisting of couple Duncan Webster and Leah Gibson. On the heels of releasing its EP Floor to Sky the group is beginning to tour more heavily. This Thursday, Prypyat will be opening for Kishi Bashi and My Darling Fury at Cat’s Cradle.
Diversions: Have you played Cat’s Cradle before?
Duncan Webster: I’ve played with my other band—Hammer No More the Fingers—at Cat’s Cradle before. But this is the first time Leah and I have played there together.
Dive: How did you come about opening for Kishi Bashi?
DW: We actually opened up for Kishi Bashi at the Motorco in Durham a few months ago. Also we’re really good friends with the banjo player for Kishi Bashi,Mike Savino, so it just came about that way.
Dive: How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
DW: I play guitar and Leah plays cello. There is a lot of classical influence, but it also includes elements of pop and rock. We’ve recently incorporated a third member of sorts to our band—a drum machine—so with that there’s now more of a hip hop influence. Our music is definitely mellow but can be upbeat at times too.
Diversions: How long have you two been playing together?
DW: We’ve been playing ever since we started dating about three years ago. Leah used to play in the band Lost in the Trees, so we met each other playing shows around the area. But we haven’t really been taking it seriously until about three months ago.
Dive: Why did you begin to take a seriously all of a sudden?
DW: We’ve always been psyched about the music we make, but we finally realized that we really wanted everyone else to hear what we’ve been making. So for the past three months we’ve been playing shows more regularly.
Dive: Could you describe the songwriting process?
DW: I usually write something on guitar or keyboard and give it to Leah and she adds the cello part, which is really cool because she has perspectives on the songs that I could never even think of. So it completely changes the style of the song.
Dive: Any plans after the Floor to Sky EP?
DW: We actually recorded the songs on Floor to Sky a year ago, so we’re already working on a full-length album. We’ve laid down the tracks on it so we’re now starting to mix it down. We’re hoping that we’ll have it out around late Winter to early Spring because the album has a “seasons-changing” feel to it.
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