Neil Jacob Gust is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 musician. He is best known for co-founding Heatmiser

Heatmiser

The Music of Heatmiser is a six-song demo cassette, recorded on April 29 and 30, 1992, at Sound Impressions in Milwaukie, Oregon. It was made available only at shows or by mail order....

 with Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith

Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...

 in 1992.

Music career

Gust and Smith first met in 1987 while the pair were attending Hampshire College

Hampshire College

Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...

, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Gust wrote songs for as well as played guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 and sang in the band. As Heatmiser was breaking up, Gust played on Smith's second solo album Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith (album)

Elliott Smith is the second album recorded by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was released by Kill Rock Stars on 21 July 1995 in CD and vinyl LP. It was Smith's first full-length release on the label....

, recording the electric guitar part for the song "Single File". Gust was also a founding member of the now-defunct band No. 2

No. 2 (band)

No. 2 was an alternative rock band that originated in Portland, Oregon in 1998. Consisting of Neil Gust , Gilly Ann Hanner , and Paul Pulvirenti . No. 2 was formed by frontman Neil Gust after the breakup of Heatmiser...

. No. 2 released two albums, No Memory

No Memory

No Memory was the first of two albums by No. 2, and was released in 1999.-Track listing:#"Critical Mass" #"Never Felt Better" #"Move It Along" #"So Long" #"Just Answer the Man" #"Pop in C"...

and What Does Good Luck Bring?

What Does Good Luck Bring?

What Does Good Luck Bring? was the second of two albums by No. 2, and was released in 2002.-Track listing:#"A Little Confusion" #"More, More" #"Stranger's March" #"For the Last Time" #"8:45 AM" #"Traveling"...

, and a seven-inch single, "Allistair Chestnut

Allistair Chestnut

"Allistair Chestnut" is a song by No. 2, released as a single in 1999.-Personnel:*Neil Gust - vocals, guitar, keyboards*Paul Pulvirenti - drums, percussion*Gilly Ann Hanner - backing vocals, bass*Joanna Bolme - recording, mixing*Jeff Saltzman - mastering...

".

Design career

Gust designed the packaging for Heatmiser's albums Cop and Speeder

Cop and Speeder

Cop and Speeder is the second album by Heatmiser, released in 1994 on Frontier Records. Different versions of "Temper" and "Sleeping Pill" originally appeared on Cavity Search CSR7.-Track listing:#"Disappearing Ink" - 2:25...

and Mic City Sons

Mic City Sons

Mic City Sons is the third and final album by Heatmiser, released in 1996 on Caroline Records. Pitchfork.com ranked the album at #48 on their "Top Albums of the 90s" list...

and was art director for Yellow No. 5

Yellow No. 5 (Heatmiser E.P.)

Yellow No. 5 is an EP by Heatmiser, released in 1994 on Frontier Records.-Track listing:#"Wake" #"Fortune 500" #"The Corner Seat" #"Idler" #"Junior Mint"...

. Gust also created the album sleeves for the Elliott Smith albums Roman Candle

Roman Candle (album)

Roman Candle was Elliott Smith's debut album as a solo artist, even though he was still a singer and guitarist for the band Heatmiser. The album has a raw, homemade sound , with Smith playing each instrument and recording it on his four-track recorder. Kid Tulsa played snare and cymbal on tracks...

and Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith (album)

Elliott Smith is the second album recorded by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was released by Kill Rock Stars on 21 July 1995 in CD and vinyl LP. It was Smith's first full-length release on the label....

as well as the layout for Either/Or

Either/Or (album)

Either/Or is the name of the third album recorded by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. The album was released on Kill Rock Stars on February 25, 1997 on compact disc and vinyl LP....

. Gust worked as a lead creative at the Portland based design firm Johnson and Wolverton. Most recently, Gust was credited with layout on Stephen Malkmus

Stephen Malkmus

Stephen Joseph Malkmus is an indie rock musician and icon, and a member of the band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.-Early years:...

's debut self-titled album

Stephen Malkmus (album)

Stephen Malkmus is the debut album by the group Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. It was released by Matador Records on February 13, 2001. Malkmus had planned to create the record by himself, or through a smaller, local label, but eventually accepted the offer Matador asked, and he released it. It...

.

He currently works as an editor at thelab, a media arts company.

External links

• No.2: Moving On An interview with Synthesis.net