John Gourley

“The reason I got into music was obviously because of bands like The Beatles and Pink Floyd, things like that.”

“My dad would come to pick me up from high school in a beaver-skin cap, big gloves, his parka and everything. It was so funny to see him show up - his beard all frozen from being out with the dogs.”

“My first concert was Pantera.”

“Some New York bands you'll see rocking Ones or Dunks and things like that, but it is weird that the sneakerhead thing has become so massive. Personally, I think it's really silly.”

“I want to share music that we grew up with for this generation, the music my parents shared with me.”

“Portugal. The Man, to me, doesn't have any real ties. We try to change things up with every album, really progress, and let things happen.”

“When I was in high school and first starting to drive by myself, I listened to Wu Tang in the car, and I recognized their soul and R&B roots.”

“Money messes up everything. It ruins art. The second you start putting price tags on this stuff, it's... Art isn't for just the wealthy. It's for everybody to enjoy.”

“Growing up, the only acts that came to us in Alaska were the big ones. The Mariah Careys.”

“We have an amazing job. We get to travel around the world and experience different cultures and just learn so many things.”

“We're just nerds that play music. Because we get played on the radio and have a Vitaminwater ad with Aaron Paul dancing on a treadmill, people are going to say we sold out. I don't write music for that. I write music for me.”

“There are some athletes who I feel like are just looking for likes, and then there are people who are just real.”

“When I talk to my mom and dad, and I'm in Paris, I'm like, 'Can you believe it?' It's ridiculous. I have a serious love for what we do. It's not something we take for granted.”

“It's really hard to escape where you were brought up. Not that I would ever want to escape it.”

“I love running and good running shoes.”

“Growing up, I just always doodled, which is the worst word for it. I would just draw things in class, get yelled at by my teachers, get my drawings taken away. That stuff happened all the time.”

“The worst gift I have ever gotten on Christmas is going to see Tim Allen in 'The Santa Clause.'”

“Whether it be tour posters, album packaging, videos, stage design, etc., the visual aspect of music is very important to us.”

“We should be able to write songs for a new album every six months. If you think about it, it's not a crazy amount of writing.”

“The Alaskan summers are one of the most amazing things you can see.”