Gutterball

Gutterball brings together a collection of college-radio stalwarts: Steve Wynn on vocals and guitar, Stephen McCarthy on guitar and vocals, Bryan Harvey on vocals and guitar, Johnny Hott on drums, and Bob Rupe on bass and vocals. Each musician already carried a rock résumé familiar to left-of-the-dial audiences. In the early ’80s Wynn had fronted the neo-psychedelic band the Dream Syndicate, an essential part of Los Angeles’ Paisley Underground; McCarthy had played with the roots-rock outfit the Long Ryders; Harvey and Hott had formed House of Freaks; and Rupe had come from the Silos. The project began when Wynn joined Harvey for a four-day writing retreat in Richmond, VA, during the early ’90s. Elektra Records signed the group after its fifth show, and Gutterball subsequently toured with the Black Crowes. The self-titled debut album appeared in 1993, with much of the material co-written by Wynn and Harvey. Wynn relocated to New York City the following year to record the solo album Melting in the Dark. Gutterball’s second record, Weasel, surfaced in 1995, the same year Harvey and Hott disbanded House of Freaks.