GTG RECORDS

No Skull – Fields of None LP

GTG once again partnered with Madlantis Records to issue the 2024 full-length Fields Of None by the great No Skull. Primary writer and band mainstay RK Andrews is joined on this record by Jason Wicks on guitar and GTG veteran Dave Shilakes on drums and the power trio’s steel trap chops are on display throughout all 8 of the album’s tracks (with the vinyl presented as two side-long unbroken pieces of music). While the album may be titled after a Dark Tower reference, and “doom” may be a common genre umbrella these guys fall under, the album has a unique melodicism that colors the gloom in a bizarrely catchy way, leaving the listener in an unexpectedly bright headspace when the album is over. These guys do it right – the basic sound of it is a band playing live and the production effects are used tastefully. This record, as with most of No Skull/RK Andrews releases, was engineered and mixed by Corey Derushia, and the warm, heavy sounds of Fields Of None immediately show why they continue to work together.

Random notes – the record release party for Fields Of None was the final show at our longtime GTG House venue (2006-2024!). Hattie Plural and Adam Aymor have cameos on this record too – Adam almost made an appearance on every single GTG release of the 2024. So close!

Wilderhoney/ The Wild Honey Collective EP

The original concept of a rotating “collective” was slightly shifted by Wild Honey’s 2020 official inception being contemporaneous to a pandemic, thus limiting the pool of players into somewhat of a core band, but once the live music industry settled back into a regular groove different lineups and collaborations started naturally occurring. One steady lineup in the mix has been the improv-heavy duo of Tommy and Adam, so while the “full six” Wild Honey Collective band chipped away at lining up recording schedules for the Volume 3 LP, relaxed recordings started happening at Adam’s house with drummer Joel helping out (and eventually, some vocal assists by Danielle and the Rueful Duo of Nicholas and Jenny). The result, from essentially just two unplanned afternoon recording sessions, was this 6-track side EP that adds to the Wild Honey catalog while also serving as its own little path in the wilderness. In keeping with the general Wild Honey Collective composition, there’s arrangements of traditional folk songs informed by the ever-present Dead/Byrds-mid/late 20th century stew, an original song, a cover of a Jeremy Porter song, and, to shake things up, an actual Byrds cover and some Sonic Youth. Like the amorphous catalogs of these Collective inspirations, most of these tunes have made it into the performances of all the Wild Honey variants, lighting the way of yet another path forward for the musical future.

A Rueful Noise – The Ashen Glow LP

The stage was set by the 2022 debut EP and a handful of compilation appearances/singles for this Lansing gloomy indie rock trio to truly come into their own on the excellent The Ashen Glow (co-released by our family at Silver Maple Kill Records). The vocals of Jennifer Toms and Nicholas Merz are likely the initial draw for many – and with good reason as they expertly share lead and backing vocal duties, weaving in and out of parts with their wide ranges and differing approaches to “soft” and “heavy” styles. But the music is certainly no slouch, with Todd Karinen’s drums perfectly serving the songs with their pummel, forming a rock-solid rhythm section with Jenny’s bass while Nicholas’ grunge-jazz-noise-pop guitar covers each song with even more hooks. This record (and band in general) has elements of new wave, sludge, punk, and psychedelia, and put simply there’s something for anyone that’s enjoyed so-called “alternative rock” made in the last 40 years. A Rueful Noise also delivers the goods live, immediately showing that the musical and vocal feats of The Ashen Glow are not the results of mere studio magic – but they (and recording/ mixing engineer Jason Roedel) certainly did a hell of a job capturing it on record.

The Wild Honey Collective – Volume 3 LP

Wild Honey Collective has had a prolific first four years as a band – 3 LPs, 2 EPs, some comp tracks, and over 200 shows covering both peninsulas of Michigan and various midwest, east coast and New England spots. Volume 3 is the most “band” record of the bunch, primarily made by the regular live performing sextet of Tommy McCord, Danielle Gyger, Adam Aymor, Timmy Rodriguez, Dan O’Brien, and Joel Kuiper, but the formula of the first two Volumes continues with the record consisting of original songs, songs written by friends of the band, folk standards, string band tunes, and rootsy covers. It’s all kind of a blur but the sweet vocals and aching sounds of pedal steel and fiddle cut through the fog and, boy, it’s amazing this whole thing started as a way to keep our sanity during pandemic lockdown. The collective is rolling down the road and picking up new collaborators and spitting out new spinoffs all the time, come hang!

Jeremy Porter – Dynamite Alley

This record really ties together the punk rock history of GTG Records and the modern country/Americana etc that lots of us are playing these days. Jeremy’s done it all, and probably better than the rest of us, with Dynamite Alley blending powerpop, classic rock, country, and diversions into Latin music and a string-laden Scorpions cover. Now that’s how solo albums are supposed to be! The supporting players include The Tucos, Wild Honey Collective (including a song worked up on a joint tour in 2021 where Jeremy played in the band), Jay from Drive-By-Truckers, and many more talented folks from the Detroit scene and beyond. The varied styles and players hang together with Jeremy’s earnest vocal delivery and engaging song characters – elements that are certainly also part of The Tucos material but really shine here with the mellower backing. Michigan music veteran Tim Patalan manned the studio controls alongside Gabriel Doman, bringing the disparate studio environments into a cohesive whole that ties the whole year’s release catalog together.

Narc Out The Reds … Will Strum The Band Bloody

At last, the final installment in the trilogy of EPs that started with 2010’s …Are On The Run (an all-time great release in the GTG catalog) and, like any good third act, this one is weirder, denser, and incredibly confident in its execution, leaving the listener slightly bewildered and ready to start it all over again. Singer/songwriter Chris Baratono and longtime bandmates Ben Southwell (guitar) and Josh Siwek (bass) are joined by drummer Dan Jaquint (Small Brown Bike, Fencemen, La Salle etc) to form the most precise and angular lineup yet of this progressive indie rock band, with longtime collaborator Isaac Vander Schuur at the studio console once again. “So Sobering” and “Little Bitch” have some of the biggest hooks in tandem with the most heart-wrenching lyrics yet from Chris’ pen, and the sound collage elements on “Brand New Spine” and “Mosquitos” offer a welcome new flavor to the Narc Out catalog. The release party for this EP unfortunately coincided with a drummer injury (but he’s well on the mend, don’t worry) so the band has actually yet to really support the record with show dates – definitely keep an eye on the socials for when they do get announced. In the meantime we recommend playing all 3 of the Narc Out EPs in a row, it’s a hell of a listen!

As always, we finished out the year with Bermuda Snowhawk and Jeremy one-upped as all again by releasing “Colorado Christmas” (another Wild Honey collab) in multiple formats and mixes. In addition to this Nitty Gritty Dirt Band chestnut, the whole holiday comp features an instant-classic bummer Plurals tune, further new material from A Rueful Noise and Cavalcade, the debut recording of the Grateful Dead-leaning Dead Honey Collective alter ego, whatever Cabin Fever is, and it all… well, maybe it doesn’t work, per se, but it feels natural. And thus begins the 20th year of GTG Records. Sure!