I didn't know that the Gufs had been playing music that long

The Gufs have just announced another show. They are performing at the Turner Hall Ballroom this Saturday night. The strange thing about the ad is that it states that The Gufs have been playing together for 20 years. I had to look that up. Yes, they started as college kids, and made a splash nearly ten years ago. Within two years of that splash, their relationship with the record label that they were on went sour, and The Gufs were released from their contract. They fell off the map by 2001.



My coworker, Jimmy The Bear, loves the Gufs. He's been to at least twelve shows since they first hit the stage. They have never been about the money, the fame, the album sales, the recognition, the accolades, the respect, the status, or anything that comes with success. They only do it for the fans. That's a good thing, because the Gufs really aren't known outside of Milwaukee anymore. Those Milwaukee fans are as solid as a block of hard cheese.



When you take seven years off, and then come back to the music scene, you can pretty much forget about fame. Unless of course you were a superstar prior to your departure. In the case of the Gufs, an album charting at #33 back in 1999 is not superstar territory. Being tagged as a band that made trouble for their label is going to put you in the permanent penalty box as well.
Right on their own website, they state that they are only in it for the fun. I'm not trying to rip them a new one.


In 2006 they were recognized as having the second most downloads for an unsigned band on Purevolume.com, a website that allows artists to post their own DIY projects. The Gufs might crawl their way back to moderate success in the music business. You never know.