What is your name and role within Acidic?
My name is Michael Gossard. I am the lead singer and I play guitar in Acidic.
Where are you currently based?
We are based in Los Angeles right now. It is a beautiful place to be.
You’re going on another overseas tour where you will serve as U.S. “Cultural ambassadors”, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, from September 1 through to Sept. 19. Where will you be touring?
We will be touring as Cultural Ambassadors in Malaysia and the Marshall Islands. This will be our second tour in this capacity this year and we are very excited.
How did this sponsorship come about?
We auditioned for American Music Abroad back in 2016. We were selected to participate in a Eurasian tour the same year and it was amazing. After the fact, embassies and the State Department kept us in mind and we have been offered several trips overseas.
What is expected of you as a part of this U.S State Department sponsorship?
We are expected to show up and be ourselves. We represent American Culture and meet with local people in order to share our experiences with each other and explore our commonalities. We will show up on time, looking like we would normally look, and act like Americans.
What are the greatest challenges of touring?
The great challenge of touring is maintaining a life back home. It is a lot of fun, but keeping bills paid, relationships going, and a future building can be difficult out on the road. It is easy to stigmatize touring as an absolute escape and rockstar experience. We have toured for almost a decade and I can tell you that it can be hard, drudging work.
What do you enjoy the most about touring?
I enjoy the feeling of being satisfied by a performance. Often times, the only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I have performed well. A good show can lift my spirits and open my mind to new experiences.
Any up coming releases?
We are always working on new music. At the moment, we’ve got a few songs being recorded. More soon.
How did the band start?
The band started in 2007. I started playing at my parents’ house in High School with my two best friends. Then Matt(drummer) joined in 2008 and we started moving along. Josh joined in 2012 after seeing us play in his town a year earlier. Max joined in 2014 and we haven’t looked back. We have been around the world.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Believe it or not, I listen to a lot of classical music and news. I listen a lot to mixes I am working on as well. I don’t listen to much current music, but there is a song or two that is on the charts that I have in the back of my mind.
Favorite food and place to hang out?
My favorite food is Sushi. I am a sushi freak. My favorite place to hang out is in my out of town somewhere nice with my girlfriend or in my office working on music.
