Seeing GOULASH perform live is like being at a party in a Minneapolis basement. It’s 4 a.m. The drunk and stoned are mixing with the mischievous and wild. Around every corner is another expressive scene, another form of satiation, another potential explosion.

Formed in 2008 by friends Gordon Johnson (vocals and guitar) and Jesse Gaston (drums), and fleshed out with the thumping low end of Nick Johnston (bass guitar) GOULASH is a band that defies categories. Its music is a merger of such genres as Heavy Rock, Reggae, Psych, Dub and Blues. 

The hard driving backing of Gaston and Johnston serves as a catapult for the always theatrical Johnson, a sexy, serious-faced madman who is mellow one second, desperate and explosive the next. The band’s tight-knit history and common philosophy that the show is the antecedent to the ‘biz’ combines to form a cool and easy, creative and ferocious stage presence that makes for a raucous and unpredictable live performance.

An underground band at its heart, GOULASH has nonetheless stepped into the spotlight since its inception, sharing the stage with an impressive array of bands, including The Dirty Heads, The Wailers, Tantric, H.R. (Badbrains), Passafire, Jon Wayne and the Pain and Wookiefoot. Over the years, a diverse appeal and reputation for incredible live performances even in spite of inconsistent releases, have still earned them a loyal following of fans, who come from all corners of the music spectrum and will continue to cross genre lines to witness the rock ‘n’ roll spectacle that is GOULASH.

Tony Tree Thompson

Rapper. Writer. Entertainer.

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