GUS BUZBEE - REVIEWS
Music news Review of "Pioneer" Feb. 1983
With the release of his new album, "Pioneer the Step Child of Mother Nature and Father Time", Gus Buzbee has finished an interesting adventure into musical art. He has spent a long three years and 1400 hours on this project, which he describes as a totally artistic venture. Gus Buzbee is owner and operator of Wooden Studios here in Houston and is more than qualified for his role on this project.
The album deals with the 20th Century man. It starts out with an infantile scream, which is incidentally was done by Gus's baby daughter when she was only three days old. The story aspect picks up with the idea that nothing really changes on the emotional level. Our reasoning changes, but we still about the same on the emotional level. Song by song the theme progresses from school type situations into a sexual development and then into a more intellectual involvement with metaphysical type things and relating that to the music. At the end is the song "Remembering the 20th Century Man" which deals with the mental changes and the way man approaches any given ideal.
When we asked Gus Buzbee why he undertook such an endeavor, he had this to say to Music News.
" The reasons for doing it were extremely personal. I was fortunate enough to get into the studio business and had this luxurious equipment at my fingertips and could manipulate the situation. I had the opportunity to do something without bars holding me back. I could make a totally artistic statement and interweave it with my experiences to the point. That's exactly what I did. I spent 1400 hours doing it over a period of three years.
When one listens to this album, they must keep one thing in mind. The music was written to represent the 20th century, but not from this time. It is to be viewed to be more of a representation of now from the future.
He is able to give one this illusion with his special style of music. The music doesn't really sound all like the music now, but more like it could have actually have been written a hundred hears from now. Perhaps it could also be a view of future music from the present.
Another thing about this album is that there were no synthesizer used at all. This is where Gus Buzbee is making his mark. He performs all synthesizer sounds with guitar using sophisticated Digital Delays to change the perception of time, pitch and phase, thus giving new dimension to his sound. Throughout the album Gus Buzbee paints a picture of ambiance and texture.
The first song on the album entitled "So Much Space." Is a song about universal rebirth and a new beginning. The second song "The Bottom Line" which deals with what the teenagers are beginning to find and look for, the initial bottom line. This moves into the he song "Daily Decision" which deals with the learning process and is a comment on the educational process. In "Heat and Light" the sexual connotation of the album comes out. The discovering of the connotation of the album comes out. The discovering of the opposite sex and the learning of new emotions is brought out here.
"The Color Shows." Is a song about dealing with more abstract ideas. Being able to deal with situations that involved you in everyday life. An analogy is drawn there between color and a statement or idea. "Under the Impression" is about a form of Deja Vu or actually about turning the thought around in that instead of feeling like it has happened before, you feel that it was supposed to happen like that anyway. "What It Is." Is more of a mechanical aspect of the learning of mechanical skills. The next song " In the Face of Change." Is a projection of what the people from the future will find and the building of new cities in space. "The Musician" is a description of how he looked in reference to the other people or their skills. The final song, "Remembering the 20th Century Man" is a lyrical description of how man has changed.
"Pioneer the Step Child of Mother Nature and Father Time " is truly a new adventure into the future and a Odyssey into the past from then. It is definite a new style of music and possibly a glimpse of the future of music.
Gus Buzbee is now working on a video for MTV. The song he is using is titled "Under the Impression." This song is receiving airplay from California and from Alaska to Miami. It is fast becoming the hit of the album. During the filming he will be inserting fantasy sequences into the shots of the live action at Wooden Studios. All footage will be shot in film then transferred to video tape to provide for a better picture. The filming will make the whole effect more realistic and give it more depth and feeling.
With the new musical process that Gus Buzbee presents on this album and the content he demonstrates, he will surely attract a cult-following if not indeed strong national following.
For a glimpse into the present from the future, one should definitely go out and get a copy of this album. It demonstrates that there are definitely no bound for the guitarist of the future.
Public News Review of "Pioneer" - Oct. 1982
Interview/ Gus Buzbee
Long ago I saw the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey--twice, and, like an average movie-goer, I didn't understand the ending. So when Gus Buzbee says his recently released album takes up from were the movie left off, he abandons me in the company of one big question mark.
To try to understand and enjoy Buzbee's album, Pioneer, the Stepchild of Mother Nature and Father Time, A person must suspend her discomfort with lack of understanding, and simply, sort of, appreciate.
Buzbee is a Houston studio owner (Wooden Studio) who spent more than 1400 hours with a set of volunteer musicians recording this strange, highly symbolic work that is sort of a rock opera about mankind. The album inaugurates what he thinks will become his "industrial trademark", a synthesizer-like sound, developed through the recording system.
"Pioneer" ...alternates in a scale of about three notes, and charters human existence from birth in the song "So Much Space" To something like transfer to a new dimension in "Remember the 20th Century Man."
Possibly the album's most interesting tunes are the above two, because they are interwoven with non-musical recordings, a suctionlike heartbeat opens "So Much Space" followed by a babies crying, then a burst of vibrant guitar. The last song ends dramatically with a recording from the NASA moonlanding.
Musically the sound of the albums is pressured and paced, reminding me of the Who's Quadraphenia, but interesting when heard through headphones, the glittering guitar, tubular bells and drums bouncing back and forth teasing your ears.
For Buzbee, interviewed in his studio in Southwest Houston, Pioneer is both a personal statement and ironically a possible means of attaining his admitted goal of commercial cult, if not mass market success. In his master plan, Buzbee's fame evolves from a hard-core local group of fans to long-lasting regional culthood. To attraction comparable to Frank Zappa's few persistent fans living in each town.
Asked how he planed to make the money, Buzbee noted " I own a studio. That makes it easier, anyway." He estimated he spent $75,000 for the hours in his own studio to make " Pioneer", which might have cost as much as $140,000 in someone else's studio or $ 250,000 with a major label which all ways wants " your arm, your leg and your firstborn."
" I've released it nationally to all the album oriented stations," He said, referring to a huge stack of manila wrapped albums on his studio desk, 1000 copies of "Pioneer". Hitting radio stations and the media, I may be able to get leverage for more distribution. If that doesn't work I'll go to the banks."
Five days after his recent record release party, Buzbee has sold 150 copies. To break even and " Be in the ballpark to make money." He estimates he must sell about 11,000.
The musician avoided revealing much about his guitar method that imitates the synthesizer sound, saying only that it was a "system of time related delays using digital and complex delays." The lyrics. Except for the last song, he first wrote on a long piece of paper and "asked myself if it could be a musical idea" before he condensed it for the album.
"Remember the 20th Century Man" was constructed in a five minute inspiration and remains almost unchanged from the start.
"We rehearsed the tunes for about six months, then the drummer was going to leave so we cut all the major instruments. I went back and erased everything but most of the drums and piano tracks, then pieced it together again. When all the music was together, I cut the lyrics by myself, while working the buttons. 60% of the style was not there when we started."
As a new musician, Buzbee admits he has a lot going against him, but perseverance made a first album possible and perseverance can work again.
Rebecca Rhodin
Public News Review of "Buzbee Cimpson and Haake." Video Feb. 1989
Richard Tuthill 's "Low Spark" column
Currently on Access Houston TV is Gus Buzbee Buzbee's new video titled "Buzbee Cimpson and Haake." It's a striking departure from last year' Guitar Wizard," with the emphasis on electric guitar this time out. The video was filmed live in front of tons of strangely appropriate stock footage. It had a spacey feel to go with the jazz/psychedelic bent of the music. Buzbee's chops here are exciting, but I couldn't help but wish for the definition the tunes might have had with the vocals. This could be one of the best local videos on Access.
Winner of Houston's Best Guitarist Contest
Hot Wax Part II: The Video
June 21, 1989 Tracks Public News
"Buzbee Cimpson and Haake, Guitar Wizard" Buzbee is indeed a guitar wizard and cleverly markets his good. Both videos and three audio tapes are available for sale. Guitar Wizard places heavy emphasis on Buzbee's prowess on the six and 12 string guitar. The video features a power jazz trio playing in front of rear screened aerial footage of shifting landscapes. The video is reminiscent of early Pink Floyd films, as the landscape mixes well with the fusion soundtrack.
Voted Best Acoustic Guitarist - Houston Music Reader's Poll
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