Interview: Peter Gulch of the Nightcrawlers, by Lauri Paisley

From Syne, Summer 1985 issue, #8507, pp. 34-35
[Syne was the fanzine published by the IEMA (International Electronic Music Association]:

Interview: Peter Gulch of the Nightcrawlers
by Lauri Paisley

The Nightcrawlers are a fascinating enigma in the world of independent electronic music. Consisting of brothers Peter and Tom, with friend Tom Lunt, they are also among the most prolific of indepedent electronic artists, musically influenced largely by Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream. I (LP) conducted this interview with Peter Gulch (PG). And now, for a most interesting and unique experience. . . .

LP: It seems you guys have been making electronic music together since the formation of the solar system -- how did the Nightcrawlers originate? Were there ever any other musicians or has it always been Peter, Tom and Dave?

PG: The origin of the Nightcrawlers is as nebulous as the group itself. We started in about 1979 with just Tom and myself, Pete. We had a vast craving for a certain style of floating cosmic music and we couldn't find enough in the record stores. So we started doing it ourselves. Back then, we just played and had no idea of being a band. We just wanted to enjoy the sounds.

For about a year, I think around 1980, we played with a friend of Tom's who did weird original things on acoustic instruments, but it didn't work out. Tom and I wanted to be 100% totally electronic. The other gentleman didn't want to buy a synth so we said goodbye.

Later, in 1981, we met Dave Lunt and he has been with us now for three years. Also, early this year, we played with a fourth member, Darren Kearns, who is a very talented electric guitar player/synthesist from the Philadelphia area. So, we may play with him again in the future.

LP: Another thing I've come to know you for (plus others who have attended your concerts, I'm sure) is your stockpile of equipment -- what is your current inventory? And where do you PUT it?

PG: Yes, we do have a lot of equipment, but in recent times, we have been trimming down. As the instruments have become more sophisticated and able to do more things, the need to use more synths has diminished. You know, back when we used all mono synths, it was needed to layer sounds, because the monos only do one sound at a time. So, if you wanted four or five layered sequences, you had to have four or five dedicated synths for just that. Then you needed others for playing and effects. Today, it's different.

Currently, at concerts we have been using three Jupiter 6's, Korg Poly Six, Korg Poly 61, Crumar DS-2, Korg Poly-800, Korg EX-800, Korg MP-4, Roland MSQ-100, Roland TR-808, SH-1, SH-101, MC-202, TB-303 and a few effects pedals. Another instrument which I have used at every concert since I bought it many years ago is the Electro Harmonix Super Space Drum. I really like that goddamn little box. You can do such weird stuff with it.

At home, we all haver 15 or 20 synthesizers and computer devices, but we don't take them to concerts anymore. To much trouble. All the instruments are kept at home by the respective musicians. Tom and Dave have their own studios.

LP: Do you still sell all the tapes you made prior to your album? List them here.

PG: Yes, we still sell all the tapes we've ever put out for people to listen to. The list is fairly long (Paisley Note: see addendum at the end of this interview). All the tapes in our cassette catalog, by the way, are live first takes and are totally unique. The way you hear it is the way it happened. I particularly like the spontaneity of the live situation more than the studio. Tom and Dave are more studio oriented.

LP: You have accomplished the dream of, I would think, every independent musician who has not yet done so -- your own record! Congratulations! Now, how about telling me how you did this -- all the gory details, from composition of the music to recording, to the financial/legal hassles?

PG: The record story is quite complicated and I'll just give you a brief summary of the details. We thought the record would be a good exercise to see what happens. Sort of an experiment. So we had tons of music laying around, and chose to pick four pieces that everybody liked. We recorded them in about a month at Dave's studio, and had it mixed down at a private studio for $50 an hour. We didn't like the final mix altogether, but didn't have any more money. So we said screw it. It doesn't sound that bad.

The guy who did the mix also acted as a broker for the album. We had a lot of trouble; five test pressings, lawyers, etc., were needed to bring the whole thing together. The whole thing cost us about $3,000 to do 1,000 records. So far, we are about $1,500 in the hole. It is really hard to sell music like ours. My advice to anybody who wants to make a record on their own, totally independent, is to be prepared to lose your investment. Also, get yourself a good music lawyer.

As far as your question about how did we compose the music, we don't compose in the sense of saying we will do this or that. We usually improvise everything even in the studio when we are laying tracks down. It's more fun like that. We would never be able to repeat what happened on that first album even if we really wanted to. Everybody said, "Let's try this or that." Entirely haphazard.

LP: Where did you record the album, and describe the studio (location, type if equipment).

PG: The studio is Dave's. It's called Experimental Change. It consists of a Tascam 38 eight track, 32 1/2 tracks for mixdown, and a TEAC M35 board, Hofler amp, and AR speakers. We are in the process of getting some outboard gear. We have a dbx I noise reduction system. Dave has also just purchased a digital reverb. We don't use delays too much.

So far, in working on our second album, it has saved us a fortune having our own studio. We've just put a lot of effort into this sceond album, and a lot of time.

LP: Tell us about your next album. What is the current progress report? Are you having as many problems with this as with your first?

PG: The second album is done, and now only has to be put together as far as the cover, pressings, etc. The album is supposed to be backed by a small record company in Maryland, and the details are not confirmed, as of yet. So more on that, later. We have not had any "problems" with the second album, so far. We've spent about three months to do the entire recording and mixdown. The album was mixed down this time at Dave's studio, and we are 100% satisfied with it. We took a lot of care in getting everything just right.

LP: You do quite a few concerts -- do you ever play material from your tapes/LP live? Or do you just play it by ear? How do you manage to coordinate such intricate, subtle textures onstage? Describe a typical concert situation.

PG: As I may have mentioned before, we do everything spontaneously. We have played material from our album and tapes but they are always different every time we play. As you say, we play it by ear. For what may seem like an outrageous situation for some musicians, we don't use any mixers, live. When we setup on stage, we plug everything directly into the amp and mix everything by ear from the individual instrument volume controls. The coordination is due to "feel by ear." We try to set up so that we hear the same thing the audience hears, and must pay close attention to what is happening. This is extremely touchy and dangerous but we like it like this because of the simplicity, and also we don't need to have an engineer with us to work the board. At some of our larger shows, we use two large PA systems with about 26 inputs. We've also purchased some monitors because in larger spaces you really have to watch the levels.

LP: How are your concerts arranged -- by that, I mean how do you get to do them?

PG: We don't arrange concerts. Most of our concerts have been from people asking us to do them for money or for a good cause. We don't solicit performances. We are content to stay at home and play.

LP: Where do you get most of your musical ideas from? What artists do you like listening to?

PG: This question is very complex to answer. Most of our "ideas," as you call them, are not in a sense ideas at all. Perhaps an illustration will best serve to show how we arrive at a semblance of a "piece." This is usually how we work:

a) One of us will be goofing around at home, playing something or other. Then he might come across something that strikes his ear. So then he may add a few more parts;

b) We then get together and listen to the "idea," if you want to call it that, and then we may jam over it for awhile and generate some more parts;

c) We keep messing with it, if it sounds good, and keep working-in other sounds;

d) Finally, we then decide the "piece" sounds cool to keep, so we jot down a few basic notes on who is doing what and we practice it. I use the term "practice" loosely. We keep experimenting.

e) When we reach a certain point, we usually stop because none of us can stand doing a piece too much. So we then go on to another piece.

Usually, for a concert with two sets and an encore, we work up about eight different pieces. Most of the time, we do them all, but always slightly different since we never write down any musical notes like a regular band. We do everything from memory and leave lots of room to space out and improvise. This may be why we have done 35 cassettes and two records, so far.

As far as artists are concerned, we listen to everybody, and I mean that literally. We'll try anybody. Our two favorite E-music players are Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. They have probably had the most impact on our musical direction. All of us are heavily into classical music, also. I guess you can tell by our compositions.

LP: Dave Lunt has some solo material out -- Do you or Tom think you'll ever do solo projects? Why or why not?

PG: Yes, Dave has about four or five excellent space tapes out that he has done over the past two or three years. They are available from him for $5.00 if anybody out there wants to get a tape. His address is:

Dave Lunt
212 Guilford Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108*

Tom will probably never have a solo anything out because he never finishes anything. He'll work on a tape for six months and then, just before he has it "done," he'll throw it away because he says he is sick of it. So, I really don't know if anybody will ever hear from him. There is hope, however: he has half of a C-48 done!!!

As far as I'm concerned, I doubt if I will ever have a solo anything because I can't play worth a damn. I can read and write music and have had plenty of keyboard theory background, but I never had the patience to learn to play. Another serious drawback I have is that I don't have a studio to record in like Tom and Dave do. So, I'm content to work up parts for the classically trained Tom and Dave to play over. Lastly, I have a tendency to fall asleep a lot and need nine hours of sleep every day. So, I never get anything done.

LP: Anything else you'd like to add?

PG: Yes, there is one thing I would like to add to all the prospective E-musicians who are coming up nowadays. Try, if at all possible from the outset, to strive to play live, somehow. Playing live before an audience is really a fascinating learning experience and there are practically no live electronic bands around anywhere. It is so rare to see a live E-music show around these parts, that I believe it really needs some attention. If more musicians and "bands" were up to it, I think it could really fulfull a largely missing gap in public performance repertoire. I encourage all of you to strive for it, and hopefully, one of these days, I'll be able to attend one of your concerts. Good Luck, Everybody!

Addendum to Nightcrawlers Interview

Listed below are all the cassette albums available from the Nightcrawlers as of this time. They are real time dubs on AGFA PE 611 mastering tape with Dolby noise reduction. Descriptions of the music are courtesy of the Nightcrawlers:

1980 Releases

Cryptosphere -- lost in misty subterranean tunnels while drugged.
Planetary Expedition -- a four part interstellar journey in time.
The Fallen Sparrow -- a meditative/cosmic free form collage.

1981 Releases

Hallucinatory Executions -- six chapter dream/nightmare sequence.
Poltergeists -- five impressions of the elf underworld.

1982 Releases

Synthimania -- eight varied selections of aural tonescapes.
Systema Naturae -- interpretations of the living systems on earth.
Hors d'Oeurves -- a concert sampling plus two voted the best of '82.
Narcolepsis -- two out-of-the-body aural experiences at night.
Midwinter Daydream -- wandering in a blinding snowstorm at midday.
Tanzwut -- four multifaceted dancing tone clusters for the mind.

1983 Releases

Shadowless Veil -- ethereal drifting of the soul in the netherworld.
Forbidden Monastery -- two part invocation of n-dimensional spirits.
Spring Holiday -- two fanciful works of evolutional complexity.
Evening Repose -- falling asleep in a meadow full of crickets at dusk.
Transluminance -- two contrasting images of lights and shadows.
Crystal Loops -- twinkling interplay of dancing ice particles.
Chop-N-Hop -- two selections for the child-at-heart in all of us.

1984 Releases

Memory Bubblz -- two selections from the Philalectric Sound concert.
2031 AD -- two long floating journeys into the future.
Space Shuttle -- music to repair shuttle bay doors by.
Ombra -- instabilities, shifting harmonies, chiaroscuro effects.
Cyber-Sons -- electronic guitarist Darren Kearns and the Nightcrawlers.

All of the above cassettes are live real time recordings done at Sample and Hold Studios by the Nightcrawlers. Each is $4.00 postpaid. Send cash, check or money order made out to:

Peter Gulch
1493 Greenwood Avenue
Camden, New Jersey 08103 USA

From Syne, Summer 1985 issue, #8507, p. 37
[Syne was the fanzine published by the IEMA (International Electronic Music Association]:

NIGHTCRAWLER CASSETTES

One to one copies on AGFA PE 611 mastering tape with Doly B noise reduction

"Cryptosphere" - 1980 - C:46 = lost in misty subterranean tunnels while drugged.
"Planetary Expedition" - 1980 - C:46 = a four part interstellar journey in time.
"The Fallen Sparrow" - 1980 - C:62 = a meditative/cosmic free form collage.
"Hallucinatory Executions" - 1981 - C:62 = six chapter dream/nightmare sequence.
"Poltergeists" - 1981-82 - C:62 = five impressions of the elf underworld.
"Synthimania" - 1982 - C:62 = eight varied selections of aural tonescapes.
"Systema Naturae" - 1982 - C:48 = interpretations of the living systems on earth.
"Hors d'Oeurves" - 1982 - C:62 = concert sampling plus two voted the best of '82.
"Narcolepsis" - 1982 - C:48 = two out-of-the-body aural experiences at night.
"Midwinter Daydream" - 1982 - C:48 = wandering in a blinding snowstorm at midday.
"Tanzwut" - 1982 - C:46 = four multifaceted dancing tone clusters for the mind.
"Shadowless Veil" - 1983 - C:48 = ethereal drifting of the soul in the netherworld.
"Forbidden Monastery" - 1983 - C:62 = two part invocation of n-dimensional spirits.
"Spring Holiday" - 1983 - C:48 = two fanciful works of evolutional complexity.
"Evening Repose" - 1983 - C:48 = falling asleep in a meadow full of crickets at dusk.
"Transluminance" - 1983 - C:62 = two contrasting images of lights and shadows.
"Crystal Loops" - 1983 - C:30 = twinkling interplay of dancing ice particles.
"Chop-N-Hop" - 1983 - C:30 = two selections for the child-at-heart in all of us.
"Memory BubblZ" - 1984- C:30 = two selections from the Philalectric Sound concert.

[compare this listing with the one for

Memory Bubblz -- two selections from the Philalectric Sound concert. above]
"2031 AD" - 1984 - C:62 = two long floating journeys into the future.
"Space Shuttle" - 1984 - C:48 = music to repair shuttle bay doors by.
"Ombra" - 1984 - C:75 = instabilities, shifting harmonies, chiaroscuro effects.
"Cybersun-231" - 1984 - C:48 = two explorations of time warp dimensions.

[compare this listing with the one for

Cyber-Sons -- electronic guitarist Darren Kearns and the Nightcrawlers. above]

All the above cassettes are real live time recordings done at Sample and Hold Studios by the NIGHTCRAWLERS. Each is $4.00 which includes postage. Send cash cheque or money order made out to:

Peter D. Gulch
1493 Greenwood Avenue
Camden, New Jersey 08103
U.S.A.

THANK YOU!
* This contact information might be out-of-date.

This page first constructed by Steven Feldman <scfeldman@juno.com> 4/18/00. Last update: 10/17/01.