EX-GUIDED BY VOICES¹ GUITARIST DOUG GILLARD TO PLAY FIRST SOLO SHOW IN SUPPORT OF HIS ACCLAIMED DEBUT SOLO LP SALAMANDER, HEADLINING GRAND FINALE SHOWCASE OF THE D.I.Y. FESTIVAL IN LOS ANGELES FEB. 10 (HE WILL ALSO BE A KEYNOTE SPEAKER)
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MORE GOOD PRESS FOR GILLARD, LAST BURNING EMBERS

Fresh from Guided By Voices¹ farewell tour that ended in Chicago December 31, lead guitarist Doug Gillard has put together a hot backing band to play his first solo concert in support of his debut solo album, Salamander‹the universally praised first release on new Big Takeover Magazine imprint Pink Frost Records, distributed exclusively by Red Eye. (See appropriate attached new frothing press; Salamander was selected by the editors of Amazon.com for their coveted list of the "Top 10 Alternative Rock LPs of 2004.") The special concert takes place in Los Angeles February 10, headlining the grand finale show of the DIY festival, and the second as part of Austin, TX¹s SXSW festival. He will be joined for just this occasion by old Cleveland friend, bassist Tony Maimone (ex-Pere Ubu, Bob Mould, They Might Be Giants, Friction, etc.), and fellow GBV drummer Kevin March (ex-Dambuilders) on drums.

The gig, the focal point of the D.I.Y. Festival dedicated to "Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books," will take place Thursday Feb 10th at the Ex Plex club under the Echo nightclub (1822 W Sunset Blvd near Lemoyne in Los Angeles, 90026 - (213) 413-8200). It will feature Gillard headlining after the three winners of the DIY Music Festival competition from thousands of entries, Team Tomato of Chesterfield, MO (winners of the DIY Album of the Year award); Fredalba (an L.A. band that's DIY songwriters of the year); and Amilia K. Spicer, DIY song of the year winner (for her "Seamless"). The ticket price at the door will be $12. The venue is 21 and over, and Gillard, Maimone, and March should appear soon after 9 p.m. (The Mountain Goats are playing upstairs the same night, so it sounds like a great place to be)

Along with John Waite, Gillard, who was also formerly of such hallowed Œ80s/¹90s Cleveland underground rock Œn¹ roll bands as Death of Samantha, Cobra Verde, and Gem, will then deliver a Keynote address for the festival at the famed Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood on Saturday the 12th at noon. (According to the festival guide, Gillard will tell stories about recording with Ric Ocasek and GBV, discuss some of Bob Pollard's writing habits, and explain the way he himself records in a one-on-one conversation with Bug Music's Mara Schwartz followed by audience questions. To purchase a pass to the DIY Festival and attend the speech: Go to www.diyconvention.com or call their office at 323-665-8080.)

Gillard will then make an SXSW festival appearance in Austin, TX on March 19 at the Friends nightclub, playing alongside Chris Brokaw, fellow Ohioans Moviola, and Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves. The singer-songwriter plans further tour dates to be announced with other spirited collaborators.

On the back of the surprising Salamander and his yeoman GBV work, Gillard has also now been nominated in two categories for the Cleveland Free Times Music Awards, for best singer/songwriter, and also best guitarist.

Salamander can be ordered directly from Pink Frost records via the Big Takeover online store (just $13 a pop including postage!) at www.bigtakeover.com, or also online from amazon.com, barnes & noble, tower, borders, best buy, cd universe, www.idealcopy.com, Itunes, or your favorite online CD outlet, or CD store of your choice.

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THREE NEW REVIEWS OF DOUG GILLARD¹S SALAMANDER CD:


HARP MAGAZINE, FEB 2005


DOUG GILLARD
Salamander (Pink Frost)

To any honest Guided By Voices fan, Doug Gillard was the real reason why the band ever flirted with mainstream success. The lone GBV member with real chops, Gillard made Robert Pollard's bedroom anthems seem like plausible arena-rock. But Salamander, Gillard's solo debut, surprises not just because Gillard plays all the instruments- and does it well- but because his songwriting is as sharp. Gillard always had an unorthodox sense of structure in Cobra Verde and GBV, something like a classical rock Frank Black, full of unexpected left-turns that made for an eminently rewarding listen. From the T-Rex chug of "Going Back (To You)," to the brilliant Bacharach knockoff in "(But) I See Something," Salamander easily stands as one of the best guitar albums of the year. Gillard has not only come out from Pollard's shadow with Salamander, he's created one of his own.--Matthew Lurie


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MAGNET MAGAZINE



Doug Gillard
Salamander
After two decades of hiding his lustrous guitar work behind the names of various Ohio combos ranging from Death of Samantha and Cobra Verde to Guided By Voices and several Robert Pollard solo projects, Doug Gillard has finally decided to stand up and be recognized. It's no surprise that Gillard, who plays almost all the instruments on his solo debut, can do thrilling indie-pop jangle like falling off a log. "Valpolicella" and "Wait For You" resonate as heartily as anything by Tommy Keene or early Velvet Crush. What's especially appealing on Salamander, however, is Gillard's flexible voice, a limited tool he wields most effectively. (Gillard has previous experience behind the mic in Gem, his mid-'90s band.) In a startling bit of quick-change artistry worthy of a chameleon on a paisley shirt, "Momma" finds him mutating from the head-in-the-gas-oven desperation of Ray Davies to the two-pack-a-day wheeze of the other half of the Kinks' brother act, Dave Davies. Of course, it's an easily virtuosic guitar and his Nick Drake-like way with a tune that should help pay Gillard's room and board in his post-GBV career. (Pink Frost/Big Takeover, www.pinkfrostrecords.com ) - --Jud Cost


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SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN, JANUARY 12-18, 2005
By Kimberly Chun (TOP 10 OF 2004 SELECTION!)


Doug Gillard
Salamander (Pink Frost)
Think of Guided by Voices lead guitarist Doug Gillard¹s solo debut, Salamander, as a Cleveland rock Sideways. Unpretentious, human, verging-on-middle-aged side-guy soul, with a healthy pour of heart. There¹s even a sorta-schmaltzy image of a wine bottle on the cover. But open it up, and you¹ll find that it¹s a mature not musty, tasty not tacky, lean not lame, keeping-it-real bouquet of sensitive midtempo rock flavors " you know, the stuff of not-so-svelte, Rogaine-free manly feeling that GBV once secretly specialized in. Oh yeah, and it¹s good, really good.
Salamander Œs first three tracks sum up the differences between the former Cobra Verde and Death of Samantha guitarist¹s newly uncorked vintage indie and GBV¹s now-flattened Bud. The opening song " a breezy ditty titled "Valpolicella" (not "Pinot Noir"; the Sideways comparison only goes so far) " is an effortless and enjoyable sip of pop, perfectly complemented by the lumbering crunch of the bandmate-loyalty love song "Wait for You." Then Gillard seals the rock-solid fate of Salamander with the coulda-been-GBV ballad "Going Back (to You)." That song has all the spare melodicism Gillard brought to GBV, though none of Robert Pollard¹s lyrical twists. Sure, words are the weakest links here, and Gillard tends to prefer the comfort of closure when it comes to writing his own songs, in contrast to GBV¹s more haywire tendencies, but who¹s complaining when the guitarist captures an emotional turning point so exquisitely, with so little. Though ethereal solo-Beatles-ish songs like "Momma" are startlingly touching, and reminiscent of songs off Gillard¹s Malamute Jute EP (Cushion, 1999), the rocky tunes stand out " including the martial "Symbols, Signs," the clangy Œ60s girl-group pop "(But) I See Something," and the lovably lunkish "Give Me Something," which finds Gillard sounding like he¹s taking a page on playing dumb from Our Bad Girl of Oberlin Liz Phair¹s book. In all, Salamander adds up to an insinuatingly addictive recording " a quaffable, classico take on GBV¹s tipsier moments of indie rock-o.


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GAIL WORLEY (WRITER, ROLLING STONE.COM, MODERN DRUMMER, INK 19, ETC.) 'S TOP TEN CDS OF 2004
1. Pre(thing, 22nd Century Lifestyle
2. Steve Morse, Major Impacts 2
3. Ambulance LTD
4. Audio Karate, Lady Melody
5. Josh Todd, You Made Me
6. The Killers, Hot Fuss
7. VAST, Nude
8. Jonny Polonsky, The Power of Sound
9. Doug Gillard, Salamander
10. Eric Anders, Not At One