"As they've done since their inception, Gutbucket delights in moments of aural squirming and brainy humor. Here, the band tried out a new approach...as the quartet storms through a series of odd-meter rhythms and dissonant melodies, an underpinning of tenderness emerges to smooth out some of the material's complex, angular edges.... That constant presence of something soft and vulnerable throughout such math-rock-oriented material adds depth. It also provides a lifeline when the band's punk instincts kick into overdrive and they start grinding out chords with the frenetic pace that makes their live shows so memorable" – Downbeat

“...achieves an impressive balance of passionate lyricism and pummeling angularity.” - Time Out New York

“Forcing a conversation between punk, funk and free jazz for saxophone, guitar, bass and drums.” - The New York Times

“A classic case of a band that defies categorization.” – The Washington Post

With Flock, the group's fifth release, the twelve year-old Brooklyn-based quartet push their composer-driven, art-rock-tainted chamber jazz into new terrain. The group attacks their jazz with the ferocity usually reserved for punk. Their music is filled with layers of mature arrangements and a full-throttle blend of energy, chops, melody, intricacy and noise.

From the beginning, Gutbucket’s music challenged New York’s downtown norm – “a no-holds-barred approach to the jazz-rock paradigm” (The New York Times, 2010) – bringing a completely unique, road-tested performance and a sound that tilted much further towards rock than many of its jazz contemporaries. Gutbucket’s brand of jazz continues to have its signature biting edge, cunning sense of humor and appreciation for the loud and theatrical. Improvisations are woven seamlessly and sometimes unexpectedly into the band’s growing repertoire, and each composer in the group has developed an individual voice that simultaneously supports the collective.

Flock cements Gutbucket’s sound – still wearing the indie rock influences on its sleeve, but delving deeply into all four members’ work as individual composers, assimilating contemporary classical, free jazz, mathy art rock, and more. Audibly, Gutbucket learned from its decade of record-making and has produced its most ambitious disc yet. The band has produced a CD that is hard-hitting yet nuanced, with a new sonic and compositional breadth. Gutbucket’s imagination is in full bloom on Flock; the band sounds exactly like itself: immediate, ferocious, ambitious and inviting. During their dozen year ride, Gutbucket has brought its “impressive balance of passionate lyricism and pummeling angularity” (Time Out New York) to festivals, clubs and concert halls in 33 US states and 19 countries. All of this work and energy and power has been harnessed on Flock, the latest in their series of impressive albums!

Flock press release

Destroying walls between art-rock, avant-squonk, jazz-core and beyond, the decade-old New York quartet Gutbucket is not only equally comfortable playing in front of 900 sweatily pogo-ing teenage skate-punks, a crowd of cosmic indie-psych freaks, on an anarchist German art collective’s house-boat or even teaching master classes in the music departments of schools around the country, but most importantly, their music fits right in. A Modest Proposal solidifies Gutbucket's place at the forefront of a revitalized avant-garde music scene in New York, where sparkling new venues pack in 20-somethings at Steve Reich gigs and Bang on a Can's all-night music marathons draw crowds for Stockhausen at Sunrise. The band has spent the past 10 years injecting a shot of exuberance into the minimalist cool of the New York downtown scene. Founded by bassist Eric Rockwin, saxophonist Ken Thomson, guitarist Ty Citerman, and drummer Paul Chuffo, Gutbucket built their all-important live reputation in New York clubs before spreading across east coast college towns. Trips to Europe soon followed, with over a dozen tours in 19 countries taken to date. Joined in 2007 by longtime friend Adam D Gold on drums following Chuffo's departure, Gold's musical voice was quickly deemed a necessity. A close friend, he's also good for van conversation. Which is good. Because there are miles to go before Gutbucket sleeps!

"Alright! Heavy metal guitar riffs a la Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple meet avant skronk a la Henry Cow and late-period Mothers of Invention. Somehow, it comes out as instrumental prog punk jazz, and somehow, it works to a ridiculously successful degree." – The Big Takeover

"Imagine the bastard child of King Crimson and Soft Machine, with Albert Ayler and Eugene Chadbourne as godparents, and you come close to capturing the essence of Gutbucket. There's plenty of madness from this quartet, but there's a method to it, a twisted prog rock aesthetic that can plunge from the manic to the deliciously melodic (as on part of "Side Effects May Include," where saxman Ken Thomson becomes almost elegiac). Although they don't flaunt it, all the bandmembers are superb musicians, capable of moving through warped klezmer into avant jazz without missing a beat. However, none of this is showing off of the look-how-clever-we-are kind. Rather, it's music-making and exploring the edges, nibbling at them to re-create the elements and discover something new, which they do admirably. It's a superb record, one that fans will love..." – Chris Nickson/All Music Guide

"Gutbucket continues to play with the frantic intensity of a punk band while exhibiting dazzling turn-on-dime chops." – JazzWeek

"...teeming with a certain benevolent mania, a clearly discernible sense of humor, considerable virtuosity, and not a little imagination...." – San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Like any self-respecting jazz-thrash-rock-latin-noise band from the dark underbelly of New York, Gutbucket have a peerless way.... There is something smart, sleek and assured about Gutbucket, and when they begin firing on all cylinders it makes for an exhilarating, intelligently performed racket." – The Guardian (UK)

A Modest Proposal press release