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The Gulf
By Miriam Lamey
Photo by Lara Woolfson
Unconventional and highly unique, The Gulf is unconcerned with fitting neatly into the established Boston music scene. "The built-in Boston audience expects a certain thing, which is not necessarily what we're doing," explains singer Adam Garland. "We're definitely sort of outliers," agrees trumpet player Brian McGrath. So what is The Gulf trying to do? Apparently, the band wants to create remarkable, highly collaborative and professional music. This goal seems realistic, especially after listening to The Gulf's debut album, Chinatown - a dazzling collection of songs that channels elements of Leonard Cohen, early Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Built to Spill, Bright Eyes and rootsy New Orleans jazz.
The Gulf's members hail from cities far from Boston. Their hometowns range from Seattle to New Orleans to Rochester, New York. Yet Adam Garland, Brian McGrath, drummer Steve Turcott, pedal steel and slide guitarist Dave Barabree, bassist Sven Larson and guitarist Adam Brock simultaneously ended up in Boston. Craigslist and a few chance encounters brought about fortunate meetings, but the band's story isn't that simple. According to McGrath, The Gulf boasts a mysterious history that involves a lot of "random" events," "a whole bunch of different drummers," and "a lot of [different] people in every position in the band." However, the current band members are responsible for the most natural, productive lineup yet, as well as the brilliance behind Chinatown.
The Gulf's sound is from haphazard. Each sonic element feels clean and tight, but not overly polished. Rather, all different instruments, including trumpets, piano, harmonica, and strings, come together seamlessly. Where one might expect a cacophonous mess, The Gulf beautifully balances each instrument in their compositions. Garland explains that the band's complicated sound comes from the fact each musician has "a very detailed idea of what [each] song is." He notes, "when we record [music] and when we play [our songs], we don't step on each other because we all know what's going to be happening [as] the arrangement is so detailed and personal." In fact, this style also compliments Brock's musical preferences, for, as he explains, "I'm not very good at improvisation ... Everything I do musically is scripted."
Despite the level of order that The Gulf insists on, these musicians know that they're far from being mainstream. In Garland's opinion, The Gulf is "pretty weird" and Turcott appreciates the "moody" and "bi-polar" sound. "I heard their EP," Turcott says, "and I was like, 'Oh my God, people make music like this? ... [It's] everything I like!'"
"We like a lot of [music]," Brock explains. "I'm more into classical, Steve's more into Built to Spill ... Dylan comes up a lot." However, all musicians effectively weave their varied tastes together. Yet Garland recognizes one pitfall in having a distinct sound. "I think a lot of times when a band just sounds different, people are going to think it sounds experimental," he explains. "[But] I don't really think we sound experimental."
The Gulf wants to be taken seriously. Each member passionately produces music to the best of his capacity and they respect other musicians who transmit a similar dedication and intensity. "We're inspired by anyone who's at the top of their game, whatever the genre might be," muses Garland. McGrath agrees, for he favors "any genre of music where people really push it ... when they're putting on a display of themselves, basically ... [and] when an [album] has that mysterious quality where you can hear that someone is going for something that is way bigger than they are."
The Gulf hopes to achieve a comparable response from listeners, if their level of excitement and career ideals are any indication. As Turcott explains, "We want the album to be anywhere and everywhere. We want to tour and be played on the radio." Equipped with a larger-than-life outlook and a keen ability to produce insightful, intelligent music, The Gulf may soon be everywhere all at once.