Biography
Originating with a name drawn from a Syd Barrett composition, the buoyant power-pop outfit Gigolo Aunts first assembled in 1981 in Potsdam, New York, under the initial banner Sniper. Its roster included vocalist and guitarist Dave Gibbs, brothers Phil Hurley on lead guitar and Steve Hurley on bass, plus drummer Phil Brouwer. After cycling through alternate titles such as Marauder and Rosetta Stone, the band adopted Gigolo Aunts—proposed by Gibbs’ father—and relocated to Boston in 1986. Their first album, Everybody Happy, surfaced in 1988 to scant notice, after which the group faded from view until Gibbs joined fellow East Coast popsters Velvet Crush on guitar for a U.K. tour. While abroad he forged key ties with Creation Records’ Alan McGee and members of Teenage Fanclub, prompting renewed attention for the Gigolo Aunts. A sequence of strong EPs—Gigolo Aunts, Gun, and Full-On Bloom—followed, as did the 1994 full-length Flippin’ Out. After Gibbs and Phil Hurley declined offers to join the reunited Big Star, they released the 1995 EP Where I Find My Heaven; shortly afterward Jon Skibic replaced Phil Hurley and Fred Eltringham took over for Brouwer. Minor Chords and Major Themes appeared in 1999.
Albums
