Howlin Wuelf Media :: Gods & Monsters

World class guitar hero, Grammy-nominated songwriter, international recording artist with over 20 acclaimed albums to date, and soundtrack composer for film and television, Gary Lucas is on the move in 2011! He is releasing a new studio recording with his psychedelic super-group Gods and Monsters, The Ordeal of Civility produced by Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads). The Ordeal of Civility is being released May 10th on Knitting Factory Records, distributed by Sony/Red, and Lucas will celebrate its release taking the group to the US and Europe for live dates this Spring.

Described as “a 21st century Cream” by Rolling Stone, Gods and Monsters features Gary on guitar and vocals, Billy Ficca (Television) on drums, Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers, Flying Hearts) on bass, Jason Candler (Hungry March Band) on alto and tenor sax, and Joe Hendel (Faddy Acids) on trombone and keyboards. The Ordeal of Civility is a razor-sharp effort reflecting Lucas and co.’s sensibilities without sacrifice or concession. The opening “LuvzOldSweetSong” is a soft exhibition, nimbly driven by the Ficca/Brooks rhythm team and Hendel’s resonant keyboards burbling low in support of Gary’s understated vocal and hypnotic guitar motif. The sage advice found within “Chime On” enjoys the classic twang of a country-blues, incorporating snatches of forgotten Americana along the way. “Swamp T’ing” is a slashing blast of Blank Generation rawk straight outta NYC—and that’s the way, the way that it is. And for the technique freaks, there are three instrumental tracks—the steady-rolling “Whirlygig” showcases Gary’s trademark guitar flourishes, “Hot & Cold Everything” features G&M’s kicking horn section with some gnarly, high-decibel fingerbusting from Señor Lucas, and the kinder, gentler solo guitar of “Lazy Flowers” provides an introspective pause before the ominous closing opus, “Jedwabne.”

Gods & Monsters has featured many notable figures in its ranks over its long history including the late Jeff Buckley. During his tenure in Gods & Monsters, Gary and Jeff wrote two of Buckley’s most famous songs “Grace” and “Mojo Pin.” The former became the title track and opener track on Jeff’s double platinum Sony album Grace—which MOJO magazine recently named the #1 Modern Classic Rock Album. Their collaborations can also be heard on the Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas album Songs to No One, which charted internationally with worldwide sales approaching 100,000.

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Dubbed “The Thinking Man’s Guitar Hero” by The New Yorker, “The world’s most popular avant-rock guitarist” by The Independent (UK), “Legendary leftfield guitarist” by The Guardian (UK), “Guitarist of 1000 Ideas” by The New York Times, “a true axe God” by Melody Maker (UK), and “One of the five best guitarists in the world” by the national Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny, the British world music magazine fRoots recently described Gary Lucas as “without question, the most innovative and challenging guitarist playing today.” Rolling Stone’s David Fricke wrote: “Gary Lucas is one of the best and most original guitarists in America.” Gary was selected by the editors of DownBeat Magazine as one of their “Hot 66 6-Stringers”. He was recently cited as one of the “100 Greatest Living Guitarists” in Classic Rock magazine (UK).

Gary Lucas established his reputation as a guitarist’s guitarist with five years spent playing with his childhood hero, the visionary avant-garde vocalist/composer/bandleader Captain Beefheart (a/k/a Don Van Vliet). A graduate of Yale University, where he was a DJ and served as Music Director at WYBC FM, Gary’s childhood dream of joining Beefheart’s band came true when he recorded two Captain Beefheart albums in the early 80’s on Virgin Records, Doc at the Radar Station (1980) and Ice Cream for Crow (1982), which featured his explosive solo renditions of Don Van Vliet’s twisted instrumental compositions, “Flavor Bud Living” and “Evening Bell”—about which the latter piece Esquire wrote “Gary Lucas apparently grew extra fingers in order to negotiate his way through it”. These recordings put Gary on the musical map as a force to be reckoned with, and laid the groundwork for his subsequent career. Lucas is currently taking his Captain Beefheart Symposium on the road to celebrate the visionary genius of his late mentor Don Van Vliet.

In 1988, Gary Lucas mounted his first solo guitar show at New York’s downtown mecca for avant-garde and alternative music, the Knitting Factory, and was an instant hit. The club became the launching pad for Gary’s ensuing European success, as he was invited shortly after his first Knitting Factory gig to appear at the prestigious 1988 Berlin JazzFest, where a performance of his solo piece “Verklarte Kristallnacht” was broadcast live from the festival on WDR on the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht and absolutely stunned the audience. The Berlin Morgenpost raved in a review the next day: “It is Lucas!”

In the years since, Gary Lucas has released over 20 highly acclaimed albums in various different genres (psychedelic rock, solo acoustic, world music, electronic dance, rock-jazz, classical, ambient), played as a guest on over 50 other albums, and has toured relentlessly, performing in over 40 countries around the world, from Tokyo to Tel Aviv - solo, with his various ensembles, and providing live scores to a variety of films.

All in all, GARY LUCAS continues to live up the credo of his favorite artist, Bob Dylan—“He not busy being born is busy dying”—by continuing to record, release and perform an astonishing variety of music in as many arenas of the global village as possible.

Gary Lucas makes his home in New York City.

For more info—
www.garylucas.com
www.myspace.com/garylucas
Email: gary@garylucas.com