White Stripes frontman Jack White gets a lot of attention, tons of accolades and his face on the cover of just about any music-related publication he could want. Why? He’s an artist who manages to draw so much sound out of a relatively spare set-up.
“The White Stripes sound so loud with just two musicians,” seems to be an attractive trope that’s roped in countless fans and critics.
I wonder what those same folks would think of Richmond, Virginia’s GULL:
[youtubevid id=”KvyNZTG8Uwo”]
That’s right. One guitar, one drum set, one voice, one dude. That’s, like, half the number of people in The White Stripes! Wow!
Granted, acts like GULL have the potential to fall into the gimmickry category. Fortunately, there’s a nice bit of musicianship and a lean songwriting style behind GULL (aka Nathaniel Rappole.) With nothing but a fistful of power chords, a powerful drumming arm and a keen sense of rhythm, Rappole manages to pull together a handful of engrossing tunes that are enticing even without the video of Rappole’s agile performance.
You can pick up GULL’s The Thin King 7″ at Molsook Records, and, of course, watch plenty of fascinating live GULL videos on YouTube.
[youtubevid id=”rYDG_BU1dFA”]
Wow. That guy is a damn good band.