Nestled in the rolling hills of central Ohio, Kenyon College holds a reputation as one of America's most haunted campuses. How such things are measured is anyone's guess, but let's deal in facts: one fine autumn afternoon Kenyon freshman Justin Roberts overheard classmate Mike Merz strumming an acoustic guitar in his dorm room down the hall. A player himself, Roberts knocked on the door and asked to borrow a pick-- a tradition that would last eight years.
Late-night jam sessions between Roberts and Merz spawned the original incarnation of Pimentos for Gus. Taking their name from a Kingston Trio b-side, the duo performed acoustically at campus coffeeshops-- at first aiming to accomplish little more than tomfoolery with medleys that careened from Otis Redding to the Sex Pistols to Willie Nelson.
But the duo's exuberant harmonies and energetic live shows garnered a growing following, and original songs started to crowd out the covers in their sets. Violinist/fiddler Tracy Spuehler, a fellow Kenyon student, joined up to contribute the trademark fiddle lines which would become central to the P4G sound. Upon graduating from Kenyon, the trio headed for Minneapolis to try out the music scene.
"P4G" played its first Twin Cities club gig at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis to a crowd of several-- a far cry from their sold-out final show at the 7th Street Entry four years later. Hooking up with Boiled in Lead's rhythm section, P4G entered the studio to record their full-length CD debut, "Musica Psycoustica".
The band toured extensively behind "Musica Psycoustica," breaking ground on road jaunts that would lead from L.A. to Louisville. Bassist Dan Levine, another Kenyon grad, moved to Minneapolis to try his luck with the group and make the rounds of imported food shops. With Kenyon pal Liam Davis doubling on percussion and production duties (is there a pattern emerging here?), P4G traveled to Chicago to put together an EP with engineer Mike Konopka (Ray Davies, the Moviegoers). Result: the "17-Minute Workout" EP.
Percussionist Kari Kjome became not only the first non-Kenyonite to join the band, but its first Minnesota native no less. With the addition of Levine and Kjome's rhythm section, the band's live shows proceeded to rock like rock had never rocked rock before. P4G's popularity enjoyed a steady climb in the Twin Cities and elsewhere.
But behind the music, the band itself was getting restless. Demoralized by heroin addiction-- kidding. Having learned and grown together over the course of what turned out to be an eight-year career, P4G's members unanimously found their lives pulling in directions that did not include the band. To this day, Pimentos for Gus like to say they broke up due to "artistic and personal similarities."
First, though, they put everything they had into recording one last album, "East of Sweden". More ominous and brooding than their earlier releases, the CD resonates with a poignant maturity-- a fitting swan song for a bittersweet band.
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