Peter Gutteridge
Peter Gutteridge (19 May 1961 – 15 September 2014) was a musician from Dunedin, New Zealand, credited with pioneering the "Dunedin sound" with The Clean and The Chills.[1]
Peter Gutteridge | |
---|---|
Born | Dunedin, New Zealand | 19 May 1961
Died | 15 September 2014 53) Auckland, New Zealand | (aged
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instruments | Guitar, keyboards |
Years active | 1978–2014 |
Labels | Flying Nun Records |
Associated acts | The Clean, Snapper, The Chills |
Life and career
Gutteridge was a founding member of The Clean in 1978,[2] alongside Hamish and David Kilgour, whom Gutteridge had known from his schooldays.[3] He was a founding member of The Chills in 1980, staying with the band for only a few months.[4] He left because he found the environment "too controlling."[5]
In 1982–83 he was a member of The Cartilage Family, alongside Shayne Carter.,[6] for their two performances.[7] After leaving the band, he rejoined with The Clean's Kilgour brothers to form The Great Unwashed in 1983, bringing four songs he had written for The Cartilage Family.[7] The band later performed on the John Peel Show.[8]
Gutteridge later formed the band Snapper, with whom he performed from 1986.[9] Other bands in which Gutteridge has been involved have included the Alpaca Brothers and The Puddle.
Gutteridge released one solo album, Pure, on Xpressway Records in 1989.[10]
Peter Gutteridge died on 15 September 2014, in Auckland, New Zealand.
Legacy
SPIN Magazine noted, "the lilting looseness of bands like Yo La Tengo, Ducktails, Beach Fossils, and Twerps owes a fair debt to the sound that Gutteridge helped craft."[1]
Yo La Tengo covered "Gentle Hour" and Wooden Shjips often covered "Buddy" in concert.[5]
Gutteridge did not particularly like being associated with the Dunedin sound. He stated, "People didn't think about the sound of things, people put on guitars and then clanged out stuff. I just got tired of a guitar sound that wasn't thought about. I had my own personal style. I mean, I wrote [The Clean's] Point That Thing [Somewhere Else]' at 17."[5][11]
Michael Hann, writing in The Guardian music blog, indicated that he derived some of his fame from his label: "Whatever Gutteridge’s feelings about his peers, he did not exist in a vacuum: part of what drew people to his work was the knowledge of the other Flying Nun bands" but that he was different and influential in his own right.[8]
Discography
Solo
- Pure (1989), Xpressway Records X/WAY 9
with Snapper
- Shotgun Blossom (1990), Avalanche Records (ONLYLP010)
- re-released 1992, Flying Nun Records (FN216)
- ADM (1996), Flying Nun Records (FN294)
Extended plays
- Snapper (1988), Flying Nun Records (FN110)
Singles
- Snapper (1988) – Charted No. 49 on the NZ Singles chart.[12]
- "Dark Sensation" / "Snapper and the Ocean" (1990)
- "Vader" / "Gentle Hour" (1993)
- "Alive" / "Hammerhead" (2002)
References
- Joyce, Colin. "New Zealand Indie Rock Icon Peter Gutteridge Dies".SPIN. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- Davey & Putschmann (1996), p. 34
- Eggleton (2003), p. 100
- Davey & Putschmann (1996), pp. 24–25
- Holland, Wes. "Gentle Hour: Snapper's Peter Gutteridge." 14 April 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- Dix (1988), p. 286
- Colbert, Roi. "The Cartilage Family – Profile". Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- Hann, Michael. "RIP Peter Gutteridge, one of New Zealand music's spiky heroes." The Guardian Music Blog. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- Davey & Putschmann (1996), pp. 82–83
- Davey & Putschmann (1996), p. 155.
- "Death of underground music legend Peter Gutteridge". The New Zealand Herald. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- "18/12/1988 Singles Chart".Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
Sources
- Davey, T. & Puschmann, H. (1996) Kiwi rock. Dunedin: Kiwi Rock Publications. ISBN 0-473-03718-1.
- Dix, J. (1988) Stranded in paradise: New Zealand rock'n'roll 1955–1988. Wellington: Paradise Publications. ISBN 0-473-00638-3.
- Eggleton, D. (2003) Ready to fly: The story of New Zealand rock music. Nelson, NZ: Craig Potton Publishing. ISBN 1-877333-06-9.