The Gufs
are a pop rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band's latest album A Different Sea
was released on October 17, 2006. Their first single from the album is "Beautiful Disaster" [1], which was the #2 unsigned artist download in October 2006 at the website www.purevolume.com. [2]
The Gufs are best known for their songs "Smile" and "Crash (into me)". [3] [4]
To celebrate their twentieth anniversary in 2008, The Gufs played a series of four free concerts with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in June. [5]
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THE GUFS TICKETS
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History
The Gufs began as an eastside Milwaukee band in 1988, with
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students Goran Kralj and Scott Schwebel. Kralj and Schwebel, roommates and teammates on UWM's
soccer team, recruited Kralj's younger brother, Dejan Kralj (still in high school in Northwestern Indiana), and high school friend Tony Luna, to round-off the
quartet on bass and lead guitar. The band took their name from
a place where a baby's soul comes from before the child is born, a phrase used in the
Demi Moore film
The Seventh Sign
. After a few years of playing local eastside Milwaukee bars, the band lineup changed, as Luna left in 1990 to pursue a career in
sound engineering, opening the way for
Marquette University student and Milwaukee native Morgan Dawley to fill the vacancy.
[6] The band soon gained momentum, performing more frequently throughout Milwaukee. The band also featured percussionist Brian Pettit on all of their albums up to their Atlantic Records Release of "The Gufs." After the album release and tour, Brian left the band to pursue other interests.
The band took second place at a battle of the bands at Marquette University in 1991.
[7]
The band released several independent label records and gained increasing exposure nationwide on college radio before being signed by
Atlantic Records. The Gufs' tour with
Matchbox Twenty resulted in
Rob Thomas singing backup on the song "Give Back Yourself" on their "Holiday from You" album.
[8] The Gufs often play
Summerfest.
[9]
Members
- Goran Kralj - Lead singer
- Dejan Kralj - bass guitar
- Morgan Dawley - lead guitar and backup vocals
- Scott Schwebel - drums
Discography
Albums
Year
| Title
| Label
| Other information
|
1990
| Staring Into The Sun
| Red Submarine Records
|
|
1992
| Songs of Life
| Red Submarine Records
|
|
1995
| Collide
| Red Submarine Records
|
|
1996
| The Gufs
| Atlantic Records
| This album is comprised mainly of material first released on Collide. [10]
|
1997
| Collide Sessions
| Red Submarine Records/Don't Records
|
|
1999
| Holiday From You
| Atlantic Records
| The album peaked at #33 on the Billboard magazine Top Heatseekers chart. [11] Holiday From You
was re-released on Red Submarine Records, with some alternate tracks and revamped artwork, in 2006.
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2006
| A Different Sea
| Red Submarine Records
| The album features string arrangements from the Milwaukee Symphony. [12] [13]
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Live Albums
Year
| Title
| Label
| Other information
|
1993
| Circa 89
| Red Submarine Records
|
|
Singles
"Smile" was included on the compilation CDs
Sounds of the Leisure Class Records: Midwest Collection
[14] and
WIIL Rock 95.1 Live
[15]. "Smile" was also remixed into a techno trance song at one point in the late 90s, and recorded
acoustic. "Give back yourself" was included on the compilation CD
Aware Compilation, Vol. 7
[16]
References
- www.ink19.com review of ''A Different Sea''
- The Gufs at Purevolume.com
- Riverfest this year: Better Than Ezra from Watertown Daily Times
- The Gufs return to Milwaukee at www.onmilwaukee.com
- The Gufs tour page
- Milwaukee's Best at www.marquettetribune.com
- Milwaukee's Best at www.marquettetribune.com (page 2)
- Milwaukee Talks: The Gufs from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Gufs rock the rained-on faithful at www.onmilwaukee.com
- Albums at VH1.com
- The Gufs album chart success at allmusic.com
- After A 7-year Hiatus, The Gufs Are Back from the Wisconsin State Journal
- Review of "A Different Sea" by Johan Wippsson; melodic.net; Retrieved January 21 2007
- www.allmusic.com
- www.allmusic.com
- www.allmusic.com