Man's Gin is a dark

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk music, folk and rock music, rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the American fo ...

band, led by multi-instrumentalist Erik Wunder of the black metal band

Cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, ...

. Wunder is the vocalist, lyricist, guitarist, drummer, and composer of the band. Man’s Gin began in 2005 as a two-man project in

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The ci ...

, consisting of Erik Wunder and guitarist friend Clint Kamerzell. The two focused on the interaction of voice and guitars and building expansive epic songs on simplistic platforms. ‘The Rum Demos’ (never widely released) was recorded in the winter months of 2006, receiving praise and recognition in many circles of the local Colorado underground scene. Original member Clint Kamerzell left Colorado in early 2009, and Erik Wunder saw the release of Cobalt’s ''Gin''. Wunder then toured Europe as drummer for Atlanta-based avant-garde musician

Jarboe Jarboe Devereaux, known mononymously as Jarboe (), is an American singer and musician who came to prominence as a member of the New York City experimental rock band Swans in 1985. Jarboe and Michael Gira, the founder of Swans, were the two cons ...

(formerly of Swans) and relocate himself to Brooklyn, New York, where he spent the next five years. Wunder’s New York band consisted of musicians Joshua Lozano (of Inswarm and Jarboe) on upright bass and Scott Edward on lead guitar and piano. This incarnation of Man’s Gin had a rotating roster of drummers and additional live/studio musicians, however the core of the band remained Wunder, Lozano, and Edward. Man’s Gin became widely known in New York during this time for to its live shows, gaining a dedicated fan following. Music critics at the time often described Man's Gin as 'cocktail grunge'. The band has played shows with such artists as Scott Kelly (Neurosis),

Scott "Wino" Weinrich Robert Scott Weinrich (born 1961), better known as Wino, is an American singer and guitarist. He has been highly influential in helping develop and codify doom metal's trademark sound, and is also considered an influential figure in the stoner r ...

(

Saint Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical D ...

and

The Obsessed The Obsessed is an American heavy metal band from Potomac, Maryland, led by Scott "Wino" Weinrich. The band combines elements of doom metal, stoner rock, and punk rock. Formed in 1980, they recorded a few demos and played a handful of live ...

), Jarboe,

Dax Riggs Dax David Riggs (born October 15, 1973) is an American musician, best known for fronting the sludge metal band Acid Bath in the 1990s. He has been a part of many projects since then, including Agents of Oblivion and Deadboy & the Elephantmen. ...

, Bruce Lamont (

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...

/Corrections House), Eugene Robinson (

Oxbow __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term "oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meander in a river, ...

) and Kirk Lloyd Fisher (

Buzzoven Buzzoven (typeset Buzzov•en) is an American heavy metal band from Salisbury, North Carolina, formed in 1990. The band was known for being one of the founders of the sludge genre along with NOLA's Eyehategod and Acid Bath, and also for their o ...

). Man’s Gin has released two albums on

Profound Lore Records Profound Lore Records is a Canadian independent record label founded in May 2004, which "began as the 'hobby-like venture' of a few friends but, over the past six years, the label has evolved into a one-man enterprise, shaped a distinct 'aestheti ...

. Their debut album, ''Smiling Dogs'', was released in 2010, followed by ''Rebellion Hymns'' in 2013. ''Smiling Dogs'' was recorded with

Colin Marston Colin Marston (born September 13, 1982) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer residing in New York City. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music technology in 2004, and runs Mene ...

(Krallice/Gorguts/Dysrythmia) at Menegroth: The Thousand Caves studio in Queens, New York. ''Rebellion Hymns'' was recorded with Andrew Schneider (Pigs/Unsane/Keelhaul/Julie Christmas/Converge) at Translator Audio in Brooklyn, shortly before Hurricane Sandy demolished the entire studio building in the fall of 2012. Wunder left New York in early 2014 and is currently working on a follow-up to ''Rebellion Hymns'' in Colorado.

References

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External links

Allmusic.comPopmatters.comLast.fmProfoundlorerecords.comSputnikmusic.comPitchfork.comStereogum.comBrooklynvegan.com
American folk rock groups