The new album is underway and will be released and promoted in the fall.

Come see The Gulf on Friday, June 6th, in Cambridge, MA. The Lizard Lounge is very nice…

Thanks to our recent signing with IODA, you can listen to Chinatown and buy MP3s at Amazon.com.

Also listen for free or purchase songs at Rhapsody.

In the coming weeks, Chinatown will be released at hundreds of stores around the internet, including iTunes.

The Gulf is the editors pick in this week’s issue of the Portland Phoenix. The editor described The Gulf as “a twangy, opulent five-piece from Boston I like quite a bit”. Thanks, Portland Phoenix!

The Gulf is currently ranked #12 on The Noise Radio Charts for Boston. view the chart online

Some quotes from a review of Chinatown in DOA:
“macro-musicality…an intriguing album…not an experimental album…songs both familiar and fugitive… large in scope… songs materialize like a forgotten word on the tip of your tongue… deep eclecticism… spaced out but very rooted… folks with eclectic tastes would do well to investigate.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The Gulf was in invited to record a live studio session for Breakthru Radio. The recording session featured four brand new songs that haven’t been recorded before. Check out www.breakthruradio.com

Northeast Performer - June, 2007

“According to The Gulf’s press materials, the band recorded its full-length debut in a run-down schoolhouse in Boston’s Chinatown district, changing the locks on a former storage room and converting it to a makeshift studio. Listening to the music on Chinatown, the offspring of this nine-month squatting experiment, one can almost picture the six talented band members making the most of the unlimited recording time in their clandestine studio, bouncing ideas off one another and exploring every musical whim.

Band co-founders Adam Garland and Adam Brock have lived in various parts of the country over the years, and they’ve obviously soaked up the local culture during their stays. Channeling tones from the West Texas desert to the Spanish countryside, with stops at Bourbon Street and even Coney Island along the way, The Gulf create soundscapes as vast as their name implies.

Take “Codeine,” for instance: a Morricone-style trumpet solo drifts into druggy verses, painted with a spacey slide guitar and a jazzy beat, followed by a sloppy barroom sing-along chorus. A few minutes later, a trippy break with the lyrics, “Like a kid in a playpen / No conversations / But I’ve made so many friends,” is dramatically underscored with a full-band barrage of carnival music.

Many songs follow a similar structure, subtly shifting direction mid-song, incorporating extensive instrumental breaks, and building up plenty of tension and release. As dizzy as the trip sounds, the impressive songwriting keeps things grounded and firmly on track, even though many tunes play out like five-minute song-suites with multiple movements.

Stealing the spotlight are the more traditional instruments - mainly Brian McGrath’s trumpet, Adam Brock’s piano, and Dave Barbaree’s slide guitar. Perhaps it’s the use of these instruments, or perhaps the complex, yet seamless song arrangements mentioned above - regardless, there’s an inherent sophistication in The Gulf’s songs that gives them a timeless quality rarely found in today’s hipster elite. This element makes the music a hell of a lot more listener-friendly than one would expect given its eclectic genes.

If your Calexico CDs and Meddle-era Floyd vinyl are getting stale, then try an interesting combination of the two with Chinatown. (Ultracold Records)”

-Brett Cromwell, Northeast Performer Magazine, June 2007

In a live review of their March show in Cambridge, MA, Northeast Performer Magazine called The Gulf “one of the most original acts on the current Boston scene.” Here’s the full review…

Northeast Performer, June 2006.
Live Review by Brett Cromwell

“Filling most of the club’s live performance area, The Gulf was clearly the most anticipated band of the evening. In contrast to the earlier performers, the band displayed a unique ability to marry elements from a variety of genres into a well-executed stew that was completely their own. Long, complex songs brought to mind everything from the desert soundtrack music of Calexico to a heavier, more powerful sound recalling Explosions in the Sky. Keyboardist Adam Brock and guitarist Adam Garland traded vocals while slide guitarist Dave Barbaree and trumpet player Brian McGrath added traces of Nashville and Barcelona to the palette. The band announced that the night would be bassist Sven Larson’s final show. One can only hope his departure will have a minimal effect on his colleagues, as The Gulf is one of the most original acts on the current Boston scene.”

Dagger Zine (Portland, Oregon) reviewed The Gulf’s debut album “Chinatown” in their March 2007 issue:

“Beantown bunch who definitely are not playing the clubs over in Roxbury or Southie. The two leaders Adam Brock and Adam Garland are both quite talented and this spacey/trippy pop will appeal to fans of both Pink Floyd and The Flaming Lips.”

Miriam Lamey did a spotlight on The Gulf in the March 2007 issue of Northeast Performer:

“The Gulf boasts a mysterious history that involves a lot of “random” events,” “a whole bunch of different drummers,” and “a lot of [different] people in every position in the band.” However, the current band members are responsible for the most natural, productive lineup yet, as well as the brilliance behind Chinatown…a dazzling collection of songs that channels elements of Leonard Cohen, early Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Built to Spill, Bright Eyes and rootsy jazz. Each sonic element feels clean and tight, but not overly polished. Rather, all different instruments, including trumpets, piano, harmonica, and strings, come together seamlessly…The Gulf beautifully balances each instrument in their compositions. Equipped with a larger-than-life outlook and a keen ability to produce insightful, intelligent music, The Gulf may soon be everywhere all at once.”