Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs
Follow The Big Takeover
Described by Kevin Rutmanis as ‘tasty, tasteful, and undeniably sexy,’ Gaswar’s self-titled debut album is set to ignite the music scene. Comprising the formidable talents of Apollo Liftoff and Jeff Mooridian, both members of the notorious Minneapolis band, Hammerhead, Gaswar kicks off an exciting inception in their musical venture.
The musical journey began with a fateful encounter between Rutmanis and his future bandmates. “Cows played a show with Hammerhead sometime in late 80s or early 90s at The Uptown Bar in Minneapolis…” – explains Kevin reflecting on those early days. “It was one of the only times Shannon (singer for the Cows) told me I’d better go check out the opening band because they were so good!”.
By the late ’90s, with both Cows and Hammerhead on hiatus, these three artists joined forces to create what would become the debut release of Gaswar. Rutmanis reminisces about their creative process, saying: “There was a basement we could rehearse in during the brutally cold Minnesota winter. We all played pretty much all the time, and were in each other’s company most of the time. It was only natural to combine these two activities.”
More than two decades after its initial recording, Gaswar’s debut album offers a collection of songs that unite three trailblazing artists in an intense and occasionally dissonant musical journey. “To me nothing is more comprehensive and complex for the mind than playing music.” – reflects Jeff Mooridan aptly revealing the nature of their creativity. “Yet, you’re often engaging with the primal to say a whole litany of things in the briefest amount of time.”
Recording their debut ‘Girl Vanishes on way to Jive Club’ in 1999 with Mike Wisti, the different members of Gaswar drifted apart working on their other projects. Rutmanis recalls: “The LP drifted off into space. As we got busy with Vaz, The Melvins ( and later, with Tomahawk).” – explains Kevin: “I heard it again a few months ago via random shuffle and remembered how much I liked it. The boys encouraged me to go ahead and wrap it up. Did some vocals, added a little guitar here, a few scratches there, some drums from Jeff… ran it by everybody for a final OK.”
Their relentless debut explores the essence of musical expression, naturally stemming from the human spirit’s transgressive nature. “Music should start with the blood, if nothing else,” remarks Jeff Mooridian. “Simple, instinctive, probably even chaotic. You can refine and redefine it, transforming music into a progressively stranger experience.” The artists share a profound curiosity and love for music, fueling their boundless creativity. Beneath the alluring surface lies an invitation, drawing the audience into its sonic depths.
The record would be available for pre-orders via Rock Is Hell In Europe or directly from Gaswar through Gina Skwoz – DM for order. Pre-order the digital version via Bandcamp here.
A quote from Kevin Rutmanis (exclusive): “The terrible melding of 2 crushing machines. Rusted chrome shitting and spitting gelatinous globes of deep red matter. In the dawn of noise, 2 bands : hammerhead and the cows , uncoiled their sinewy songs of pleasure into the pants and ears of thousands of basement dwelling creeps. From this slimy bulb, a third band spewed forth: GASWAR. Apollo Liftoff, and Jeff Mooridian, both of hammerhead, and Kevin Rutmanis of Cows, scratched out a record of greasy songs, 30 years in the making. They finally got around to finishing it. It takes a long time to hatch a rotten egg.”
