|
Guided By Voices News
W♥M saw Guided by Voices in August 2016 and reported that they played over 50 songs. GBV is known for their massive music output!
Don’t believe me? The double album Zeppelin Over China to be released on February 1, 2019, followed by Warp and Woof in April 2019. According to the band, they’ve recorded the songs in various locations: studios, club soundchecks, hotel rooms and even in the tour van. If that’s not enough, be on the lookout for four vinyl-only (1000 copies) limited edition 7-inch EPs: Winecork Stonehenge and 100 Dougs will be released on December 7, Umlaut Over The Özone and 1901 Acid Rock in March 2019. Tour Dates
12/30 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
12/31 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge Read More
|
Closer You Are: The Story of Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices - BOOK REVIEW
By Dena Maxwell
It’s not every day that an elementary school teacher gets to become a rock star. Yet that’s exactly what happened to Guided By Voices frontman Robert Pollard. Picture him sitting at his desk in front of the class, designing covers for albums that may never be realized.
In reading Matthew Cutter’s Closer You Are, I deduced that Guided By Voices probably holds the record for most times being banned from venues for alcohol-related misconduct. I knew they liked beer, as evidenced by the well-stocked beverage cooler that always sits onstage when they play. I just never realized quite how much they like it. American beer, that is. And I never realized how attached Robert Pollard is to his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. It’s the only place he’s ever lived and likely the only place he ever will. Due to the dearth of American beer and food, it pains him to tour outside the U.S., even though he gets to do his hard-won dream job while he’s away.
Inside the pages of this book, you can learn about all the band’s (and Pollard’s) gazillion albums and how they came into being. All joking aside, Guided By Voices is one of the most prolific bands around. Their creative output is astounding. On the band’s website under ‘Recent Releases’ there are 19 albums listed. As of today, that is. As you might have guessed, Robert Pollard writes lyrics pretty much every day. Ditto regarding album cover design. Even though Guided By Voices has gained a huge cult following, Bob still designs most of their uniquely awesome album covers himself.
Bob is not only a dynamite singer; he’s also a kickass guitarist. Just listen to the studio version of Watch Me Jumpstart. That’s Bob playing those hot guitar licks. Yet if you’ve ever seen them live, you can probably understand why he chooses to keep his hands free and perform sans guitar. He conveys much emotion in the way he grips his microphone, in his jumps and high kicks. His agility while cavorting onstage is amazing, and it’s no wonder. He was a star baseball, basketball and football player in high school and in college. Pollard is the quintessential beer-guzzling rock’n’roll athlete.
The center of the book is filled with black-and-white photos that trace GBV’s lineage from baby Bob to his sports glory days to the ever-changing GBV lineup. Near the end you’ll find “The Rock’n’Roll Rule Book,” Bob’s list of do’s and don’ts on “how to avoid pomposity and cliché.” One of my favorites is “guitar must be played at crotch level (not above or below).”
The bulk of the chapters begin with excerpts from Pollard’s lyrics, and more lyrics are sandwiched inside. Many of these you might recognize, but there are likely others you won’t, especially some early stuff written before Guided By Voices fully came into being. Keeping up with all GBV’s songs, lyrics and albums is really a fulltime job. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the fascinating origin story of GBV and take that delightful plunge into the seemingly bottomless rabbit hole that is the Guided By Voices catalog. In Bob we trust.
Comments