InsomniacsDream
Reviewed by
Nils Jacobson

Ken Thomson
Ken Thomson's parents like to tell the story of when he was three and played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on a toy xylophone - once he figured out how to play the tune, he started playing it in all the different keys. His father looked at his mother and said, "God - I couldn't do that!"

When he was six, he got a piano which was one of the most thrilling things in his life up to that point - until one day when his mom came home and said, "Good news! We got you lessons!" A few years later, Ken quit piano and took up the clarinet. He picked up the saxophone at 13 'cause he needed something to play in jazz band (although he took a ripping solo on "Louis, Louis" on bass clarinet the year before). The alto was the smallest saxophone he knew of, so he picked that one (those bus rides were a bitch!). Ken's never taken a saxophone "lesson," but he took nine years of clarinet lessons - though to be fair, he wasn't exactly on speaking terms with his last teacher when he left.

Ken's always complaining about boring jazz people, but he secretly listens to all of them, and is afraid of most of them. Especially when Coltrane comes to him in his dreams screaming, "Stop jumping up and down, you motherfucker!"

Ty Citerman
Ty Citerman's parents were modified hippies, even though his dad won't admit it. His mom tried to name him Graham, after that CSNY guy, but can you imagine the graham cracker kindergarten torture? Playing the violin at age 7 wouldn't do. Even screechy free jazz versions of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" weren't sustainably fun. So the guitar entered the picture - and so did lots of new noises - Led Zeppelin, power chords, distortion pedals, and whammy bars. It was overwhelming and a bit unhealthy. Ty lost some hearing in his right ear by age 12. Every great guitarist has to lose some hearing, right? What?

At his Bar Mitzvah party Ty upstaged the band and jammed through "Purple Haze" and other classic favorites, proclaiming his manhood to the St. Louis music scene. After stints with local underage heroes The Pedestrians and Manly Pointer, it was time to move to NYC and get some more education.

But the big city was no mere magnified Midwest. NYC is tough - especially for those who pluck guitars. Swimming in a sea of guitar wanker competitive mayhem, Ty was flustered and knew he needed to make a change. No longer interested in rugged, individual, rock'n'roll dreams, he went undercover. He began listening to Ornette Coleman and Derek Bailey. He began studying with Chris Rosenberg. He played in Super String Theory, a 96-string guitorchestra, with the likes of Tor Snyder and Bruce Eisenbeil. He stopped shopping on 48th street. He cut his long locks of hair.And in search of revolutionary music, Ty joined Ken, Paul, and Eric to create gutbucket.

When he's not writing, teaching or trying to learn one of Eric's new tunes, Ty can be found walking the earth, not often alone, as his journey continues.

Eric Rockwin
Eric "Stonehenge was born two weeks early, and is still early for almost everything, 24 years later. His musical training began in the womb. That's what you get with parents who are musicians. Once he discovered the Beatles, all other instruments were abandoned in favor of the bass guitar. After learning all of McCartney's basslines, Eric started to get a bit of an ego, so his dad introduced him to the playing of jazzers like Ray Brown.

While most of his friends were playing roller hockey, Eric stayed at home and practiced, and eventually ended up at NYU in the jazz program, studying with Mike Richmond. In college, Eric began to focus on the acoustic upright bass. In love with the sound, but in hate with having to carry the mammoth beast around, Eric eventually got his electric upright stick. It's a great conversation starter, "Yes, it is a bazooka." It looks weird and it sounds good, too, which is a nice bonus.

Numerous bands and musical relationships began in college, but it wasn't until after graduation that Eric met the three other individuals that, together, would come to be known as gutbucket. Just like Voltron, they're pretty cool on their own, but almost invincible when they combine forces. Eric took the influence of Scotty LaFaro, James Jamerson, and a slew of others, along with his own warped mind, to develop his approach to the bass. As a composer, Eric's influences are eclectic and numerous, and trying to list them all here would be futile.

Paul Chuffo
The doctor held the newborn Paul upside down, slapped him in the ass and told his mom "Mrs. Chuffo, he's, um, well, blue." That's how most buddhas come into the world, apparently, so Paul's not complaining. His professional career began at age 4 in the living room, pillowcase (and pillow) on head, pan and spoon in hand singing the Beatles "Taxman." Next came the trumpet, but poor Paul in 5th grade didn't feel like carrying that heavy trumpet around, so, like most of us shortsighted in the irony department, he took up the drums and has learned to accept the 100 pounds of gear he sportingly totes to performances. At fourteen, Paul bought his first kit and taught himself to play along to records by the giants of classic rock.

Since then, he's been the overplaying psychopath in the back of the stage behind punk, folk, funk, rock, jazz and countless other, more indefinable, groups. Oh, and don't forget the Slayer cover band. Then gutbucket rose from the musical soup, allowing Paul to make noise in any style that tickles his fancy at the moment. Ahh, freedom. Early in gutbucket's existence as a band, Paul was playing it safe and simple until the other gutbucketeers said "no, you should be the fourth melodic part in all this. Go crazy." There's been an ear-to-ear grin on Paul's face since, and don't expect it to go away anytime soon.