Two years have passed since influential Dayton, Ohio rockers Guided By Voices rocked a stage in Greater Cincinnati. And while area hardcore fans who need to experience the communal epic-ness of GBV’s live show at least once a month in order to function have been able to drive a few hours to catch the band (the group just played Evanston, Ill. and not too long ago did a set at a fest in Yellow Springs, Ohio), there are probably more than a couple of fans without the wherewithal to travel who are needing a fix as badly as a sweaty Bob Pollard needs a fresh, cold Miller Light before the first encore.
Some area musicians have teamed up to offer their services as a GBV temp and pay tribute to the band’s music by performing what can only possibly be a tiny fraction of Pollard’s song catalog (because that catalog is thousands of songs deep).
“Blazing Gentlemen: A NKY Tribute to GBV” features singer/songwriter/guitarist Billy Catfish in the Bob Pollard role, joined by fellow singer/songwriter Mike Ingram (formerly of The Seedy Seeds and The Scrubs) on guitar and Jeff Meeker (also ex-Scrubs) on drums. The bassist is Dan Nolan, who, if they were playing a game of “Seven Degrees of Bob Pollard,” would likely win vs. his Blazing Gentleman bandmates. He’s also the bassist for the Detroit/Dayton band Joseph Airport, which has released music through Rockathon Records, the Dayton label founded to issue Pollard’s music in its various forms. Pollard also made the collage that appears on Joseph Airport’s 2014 album debut, Stronger and Better.
It was Nolan (a Northern Kentucky resident and relatively recent addition to Joseph Airport) who first brought up the idea of the tribute.
“When Dan first approached me about the project, I delivered an enthusiastic, unequivocal ‘Yes!,’ ” Billy Catfish says. “About a week later I realized he wanted me to sing, rather than play guitar. We quickly added Mike and Jeff to the band and our rehearsals have been some of the most fun I’ve had playing music.
“We’re all big fans and already knew the material by heart before we even met in my basement to tackle a case of Miller Lite and take a stab at some of the greatest tunes ever written.”
Blazing Gentlemen, who do a wide-range of GBV material (from the bigger tunes known to the normies to the deep cuts beloved by the die-hards), play their first show this Friday at the Lounge at Southgate House Revival. Dayton’s Smug Brothers are slated to open, adding to the GBVness of it all; the band’s beat-keeper — longtime Dayton music journalist Don Thrasher — was an early GBV drummer.
After Friday’s show, the future is wide open for Blazing Gentlemen.
“Not sure where we’ll go from here,” Catfish says, “but hopefully this is a project we can keep in motion as Pollard and his guys continue to evolve and churn out their masterworks.”
You can follow the band on Facebook here (and sniff around a little for a hint at what they’ll be playing Friday night).
This article appears in Aug 22-29, 2018.
