Music Style indie/prog/space/jazz/rock

Musical Influences Yes, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, The Beatles, Sonic Youth, Rush, Jane's Addiction, Bjork, Miles Davis, Radiohead, Sebadoh, Boredoms.

Similar Artists Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Sonic Youth, Yes, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Doors, Rush, Bjork, Miles Davis, Jane's Addiction, Radiohead, Sebadoh, Boredoms.

Artist History It all started in 1994. Grunge had become the dominant genre in music, and bands were beginning to evolve. Only a mere block apart, Flow and Willis were being born. Flow was initially comprised of Jeff Wagner (vocals, drums), James Parker (guitar), and Ben Manburg (bass). Only a few houses away was Willis: Randy Garcia (vocals, guitar), Rich Wilson (bass), and Eddie Fernandez (drums). Both had essentially the same influences, ranging from Nirvana to Pink Floyd to Primus to Rush. Both bands recorded and gigged until the Spring of 1995, when both separated. From the ashes of those days came the brief grouping of Burning Otis: Jeff Wagner (vocals, guitar), Ben Manburg (guitar), Rich Wilson (bass), and Eddie Fernandez (drums). Events beyond our control prevented this from evolving until March of 1996, when Jeff and Randy Garcia formed Blanche with Ben. Blanche was a project in which Jeff and Randy were both given opportunities to air their new material while the other would support on drums. Rich came back into the picture in April 1996 when he was asked by Randy to play guitar in the group. This line-up would play continuously through July 1996 until Rich relocated, leaving the original nucleus intact for another month when Randy would leave as well, effectively dissolving the band. Jeff continued to write music and when Rich returned in September that year, he was introduced to the basis of "To Go Without". Rich contributed ideas and the Jeff arranged the song over the next year. Afterwords, they would continue working together, as well as in other musical settings. On April 8, 1998, a reunited Blanche took the stage at Dastardly's in Ft. Lauderdale playing the music of Blanche, Flow, and Willis. This incarnation featured Rich on bass. Without a rehearsal, the band played their set to an energetic crowd on an altogether electric night. On that night, Kat made her first contribution by photographing the event. Over the course of 1998, the trio played occasional dates at coffeehouses. In February 1999, Jeff and Rich decided on a new beginning by changing the name in an attempt to chart a new course of exploration. Scribbled on a page in one of Jeff's poetry books were the words "Grace Guise (gray skies)". Thus, Grace Guise was born. New music was rehearsed loosely for another year until the frustration of being without a rhythm section prompted the pair to explore other projects. Among these were Idle Time, in which Rich played bass on and off until July 2000. Jeff was experimenting with electronic music and eventually formed Lowercase with Randy and Adam Daugherty, where he developed a few new tunes. After its dissolution, Randy formed another band with Rich, Kat, Mike Mell on keyboards, and drummer Jeremy Gager under the name State of Head. This lasted until late July, when a turn of events prompted the proposition of a return to older ideas with a renewed feel and approach. The idea was to combine the nucleus of Grace Guise with the rhythm section of State of Head. This brings us to the present, marking the birth of the solid line-up of Grace Guise. We're counting on this being the genesis of a productive career. The Grace Guise album is expected to debut in Spring/Summer 2002.

Group Members Jeff Wagner - vocals, guitar, keyboards Rich Wilson - guitar, vocals Kat - bass Jeremy Gager - drums

Instruments voice, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards: piano, organ, moog.

Albums Untitled - Spring/Summer 2002

Location Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, Florida - USA

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