Gaunt

History: The year was 1991, and the Columbus, Ohio, music scene was just a tad less well known than it is today. The university town was beginning to see bands like Appalachian Death Ride, Greenhorn and The Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments (in their infancy), and Gaunt was as green as bread mold. Its introduction to the world was recorded no less than three weeks after its inception in 1991. The seven-inch was a split single with drinking buddies (and then relative unknowns) New Bomb Turks. The audio fidelity along with the songwriting was still in its embryonic stages and thus began Gaunt's ambitious climb ... ahem...to the middle.

After a smattering of compilation and seven-inch appearances, Chicago-based Thrill Jockey Records became the home for the fair-haired boys from Ohio. As the label's first signing, the band produced two EP's, two full-lengths, a ten-inch and a single, and penned such sing-along hits as "Fuck The Rich Kids" and" Superman," bringing their speedy high-octane rock to the college airwaves. In addition, the band did a one-off affair titled Yeah, Me Too which was graciously released by the thick-necked, yet tenderhearted, dock-workers at Amphetamine Reptile Records in Minneapolis. And, of course, Gaunt peppered their fans with the occasional seven-inch release just to prove that they, too, could clog the vinyl bins at independent record stores around the world. Somewhere along the way (experts point to late '95-early '96), the band paid more attention, learned how to write better songs and made them sound like they weren't recorded on a boom box.

Add to this, amidst the flurry of writing, touring, recording and just bellying up to the bar at happy hour, Gaunt made its entrance into the world of television jingles by writing the theme song to MTV's Buzzkill. This show, of course, became well known for humiliating unsuspecting victims for the sake of Nielsen ratings.

Gaunt has been led from day one by Jerry Wick (primary songwriter) and Jovan Karcic, both on guitar. Sam Brown has been drummer for the past three albums now, and Breft Falcon makes his debut appearance on Bdcks And Blackouts as Gaunt's new bass player.

Gaunt's final record Bricks and Blackouts was released by Warner Brothers in March of 1998 but the label dropped the band later that year and they broke up soon after.

On January 10, 2001, Jerry Wick was struck by a car while riding his bicycle in downtown Columbus. Within minutes he died of severe head and neck injuries. He was 33. He leaves behind an impressive body of work.