The Gufs

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The Gufs
Gufs NYE 2019.jpg
The Gufs in concert
Background information
OriginMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Genres pop/rock
Years active1988-present
LabelsRed Submarine Records, Atlantic Records
Members Goran Kralj
Dejan Kralj
Morgan Dawley
Scott Schwebel
Past membersTony Luna
Brian Pettit
Website www.thegufsmusic.com

The Gufs are an American pop and rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band's latest album A Different Sea was released on October 17, 2006. Their first single from the album was "Beautiful Disaster", [1] which was the #2 unsigned artist download in October 2006 at the website www.purevolume.com. [2]

Contents

The Gufs are best known for their songs "Smile" and "Crash (into Me)". [3] [4]

To celebrate their twentieth anniversary in 2008, The Gufs played a series of four free concerts with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in June. [5]

History

The Gufs began as an eastside Milwaukee band in 1988, [6] with University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee students Goran Kralj and Scott Schwebel. Kralj and Schwebel, roommates and teammates on UWM's soccer team, recruited Kralj's younger brother, Dejan Kralj (still in high school in Northwestern Indiana), and high school friend Tony Luna, to round-off the quartet on bass and lead guitar. The band took their name from a place where a baby's soul comes from before the child is born, a phrase used in the Demi Moore film The Seventh Sign . After a few years of playing local eastside Milwaukee bars, the band lineup changed, as Luna left in 1990 to pursue a career in sound engineering, opening the way for Marquette University student and Milwaukee native Morgan Dawley to fill the vacancy. [7] The band soon gained momentum, performing more frequently throughout Milwaukee. The band also featured percussionist Brian Pettit on all of their albums up to their Atlantic Records Release of "The Gufs." After the album release and tour, Brian left the band to pursue other interests.

The band took second place at a battle of the bands at Marquette University in 1991. [8]

The band released several independent label records and gained increasing exposure nationwide on college radio before being signed by Atlantic Records. The Gufs' tour with Matchbox Twenty resulted in Rob Thomas singing backup on the song "Give Back Yourself" on their Holiday from You album. [3] [9] The band broke up in 1999 after being disillusioned with the music industry and after feeling like Atlantic wasn't promoting the album properly. [10]

The Gufs got back together in 2006 and released the album A Different Sea. [1] They released the song "A Beautiful Disaster" and went on a national tour. [10] The Gufs have often played Summerfest throughout their career. [11]

Members

Discography

Albums

YearTitleLabelOther information
1991 Staring Into The Sun Red Submarine Records
1992 Songs of Life Red Submarine Records
1993Circa '89Red Submarine Records
1995 Collide Red Submarine Records
1996 The Gufs Atlantic Records This album is composed mainly of material first released on Collide. [4] [12]
1997 Collide Sessions Red Submarine Records/Don't Records
1999 Holiday From You Atlantic Records The album peaked at #33 on the Billboard magazine Top Heatseekers chart. [13] Holiday From You was re-released on Red Submarine Records, with some alternate tracks and revamped artwork, in 2006.
2006 A Different Sea Red Submarine RecordsThe album features string arrangements from the Milwaukee Symphony. [14] Review [15]

Live albums

YearTitleLabelOther information
1993 Circa 89 Red Submarine Records

Singles

"Smile" was included on the compilation CDs Sounds of the Leisure Class Records: Midwest Collection, [16] and WIIL Rock 95.1 Live. [17] "Smile" was also remixed into a techno trance song at one point in the late 1990s, and recorded acoustic "Give Back Yourself" was included on the compilation CD Aware Compilation, Vol. 7. [18]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goran Kralj</span> Musical artist

Goran Kralj is the lead singer and songwriter for The Gufs, a Milwaukee pop-rock band active from 1988 to 1999. The group released their follow-up in 2006 after a seven-year hiatus. Goran and his brother Dejan are graduates of Munster High School in Munster, Indiana. Goran lives in Chicago area and works in the restorative/aesthetic dental industry.

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<i>Staring into the Sun</i> 1990 studio album by The Gufs

Staring into the Sun is the first studio album by the Milwaukee-based rock band The Gufs.

<i>Songs of Life</i> (The Gufs album) 1992 studio album by The Gufs

Songs Of Life is the second studio album by the Milwaukee-based rock band The Gufs. It was released in 1992 and may be classified as alternative music.

<i>Circa 89</i> 1993 studio album by The Gufs

Circa 89 is a Live recording by the Milwaukee-based rock band The Gufs.

<i>Collide</i> (The Gufs album) 1995 studio album by The Gufs

Collide is the Third studio album by the Milwaukee-based rock band The Gufs.

<i>Holiday from You</i> 1999 studio album by The Gufs

Holiday From You is the second major label release by the Milwaukee-based rock band The Gufs. The album peaked at #33 on the Billboard magazine Top Heatseekers chart. Holiday From You was re-released on Red Submarine Records, with some alternate tracks and revamped artwork, in 2006. The track "Give Back Yourself" features vocals by Rob Thomas. The 2006 reissued version features the Don Gilmore remixes of "Last Goodbye" and "Give Back Yourself".

<i>The Gufs</i> (album) 1996 studio album by The Gufs

The Gufs is a studio album by the rock band The Gufs. It was released in 1996 on Atlantic Records. The album is the band's major record label debut, and mainly consists of songs first released on their 1995 album Collide.

<i>A Different Sea</i> 2006 studio album by The Gufs

A Different Sea is a studio album by The Gufs, released seven years after their last album, Holiday From You. The album features string arrangements from the Milwaukee Symphony.

<i>Any Day Now</i> (Goran Kralj album) 2004 studio album by Goran Kralj

Any Day Now is the first solo release by Goran Kralj. Goran was the lead singer with the Milwaukee-based rock band The Gufs.

<i>Collide Sessions</i> 1997 studio album by The Gufs

Collide is the fifth studio album by the Milwaukee-based rock band The Gufs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Sucher</span> American record producer

Kevin Sucher is an American record producer, recording engineer, mixer, and Artist who is best known for his work with Eric Benet and Diane Warren. In March 2020, Sucher was named the Executive Director of 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Currently, Sucher is starring in and producing a residency with America's Favorite Yacht Rock Band™ - The Docksiders - in Las Vegas.

References

  1. 1 2 www.ink19.com review of A Different Sea
  2. The Gufs at Purevolume.com
  3. 1 2 Riverfest this year: Better Than Ezra from Watertown Daily Times
  4. 1 2 The Gufs return to Milwaukee at www.onmilwaukee.com
  5. The Gufs tour page
  6. Weber, Paul (March 14, 2013). "The Gufs, 25 years later". MilwaukeeMag.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-10. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  7. Milwaukee's Best at www.marquettetribune.com [ permanent dead link ]
  8. Milwaukee's Best at www.marquettetribune.com (page 2)
  9. Milwaukee Talks: The Gufs from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  10. 1 2 "Goran and Dejan Kralj to Give a Concert at UW-Eau Claire May 11". University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Archived from the original on 2014-05-09. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  11. Gufs rock the rained-on faithful at www.onmilwaukee.com
  12. Albums at VH1.com
  13. The Gufs album chart success at allmusic.com
  14. After A 7-year Hiatus, The Gufs Are Back [ permanent dead link ] from the Wisconsin State Journal
  15. Review of "A Different Sea" by Johan Wippsson; melodic.net; Retrieved January 21, 2007
  16. www.allmusic.com
  17. www.allmusic.com
  18. www.allmusic.com