Wednesday, April 21, 2004  

Gaunt, "Maybe in the Next World" (demo)
from a 4-song sampler EP to promote Bricks and Blackouts (Warner Bros.)
Gaunt, "Transistor Sister"
from Kryptonite (Thrill Jockey)

I haven't thought about Gaunt in a while, but an e-mail from my old buddy Bruce, who found me through this site, made me think of the band. He signed them to Warner Bros., where they produced their best CD, 1998's Bricks and Blackouts. "Maybe in the Next World" is one of that CD's coolest tracks, and the demo version here mainly differs in that the lead guitar is relatively buried, whereas on the album version it's front and center---think Steve Vai. Then stop.

I love Gaunt because they remind me of The Saints and Radio Birdman (check the lyrics to "Transistor Sister" for proof of that influence), and both of those bands remind me of Sonic Tom, who introduced them to me back in those heady days when the Ypsilanti and East Lansing posses shared songs and broke bread. If only Tupac Biggie Sendra could bring us all together again....

Gaunt played Washington, D.C., during the Bricks and Blackouts tour at a rotten club called The Metro. Actually, the club space was cool, but the joint was totally mismanaged. They had to wait until 10 p.m. to start shows because of a theater next door, and yet they would still double-book shows---even on weeknights---or cram way too many bands onto one bill. I went to see Gaunt on a Sunday night, and they didn't go on until 1 a.m. There were seven people in the audience including me, my wife, Bruce, and four guys from the opening acts. If you throw in the bartender and the manager there were 9 people total. The way I figure it, none of us paid (I was reviewing the show). And yet Gaunt jumped up on stage and played about 13 songs in 25 minutes, and they tore up the place. It was a punk-rock ephiphany for me. One of the best damn ROCK shows I've ever been to.

I'm almost positive that Bricks and Blackouts tanked---indie numbnutz thought the CD was overproduced and the group didn't translate to the mainstream---and the band broke up soon after. You can probably find the CD in cutout bins coast to coast---or you can buy it here for one cent. And just to add to Gaunt's rotten luck, guitarist-singer-songwriter Jerry Wick was killed in 2001 in a hit-and-run accident.

Baseball season is in full effect and my Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles look good---for the first time in years! And the NHL playoffs have just been killer this year (as they always are; too bad the league will implode in September). Go Wings! And I consulted the WizzNutzz about the NBA, and they say the Pistons will be in the NBA finals, mos def. (They love a man named Chauncey.) Granted, they picked the Wizards for the finals as well.

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Posted by CP | Link |

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