The Gadjits
Encyclopedia
The Gadjits were a ska
and rock and roll
band from Kansas City, Missouri
. Their sound was influenced by The Clash
, The Who
, AC/DC
, Elvis Costello
, The Stooges
, and The Rolling Stones
.
, Rancid (band)
and Let's Go Bowling
; in time, they added keyboardist Heidi Blobaum to their ranks, replacing her a year later with Hillary Allen when Blobaum departed to attend college.
after attracting the attention of Tim Armstrong
of Rancid (band)
. The Gadjits appeared on the Vans Warped Tour later that summer.
. Featuring Brandon Phillips (vocals, guitar); Zach Phillips (vocals, bass); Mike Alexander (guitar); Hilary Allen (Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Adam Phillips (drums).
, was formed. Brandon announced the news on the Gadjits e-mail list as follows:
Adrianne Verhoven shortly thereafter also left the band, but with great respect and affection for this amazing group of talented musicians.
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band from Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Their sound was influenced by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
.
Early years
Brandon, Zach, and Adam Phillips come from an artistic family, their father was a jazz musician and their mother an art teacher. The brothers played music together from a young age. Originally they covered songs by the band AC/DC, but later they began incorporating elements of punk, ska, reggae and swing into their sound, soon beginning to write their own material as well. The group was formed in 1991 when 14-year-old Brandon led his younger brothers Zach and Adam into a seedy bar in Kansas City to play their first gig to the small crowd of locals.Da Gravy On Yo Grits
The Gadjits' debut LP, Da Gravy on Yo' Grits, was issued on their own JoCo Ska label, and its local success won the group opening slots for bands including the SkatalitesThe Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone". They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period...
, Rancid (band)
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
and Let's Go Bowling
Let's Go Bowling
Let's Go Bowling is an American third wave ska band hailing from Fresno, California. Since the band's inception in 1986, the band's traditional ska style, barbershop harmonies, wisely crafted instrumentals, and its frantic live performances, helped set the standard for dress and culture for West...
; in time, they added keyboardist Heidi Blobaum to their ranks, replacing her a year later with Hillary Allen when Blobaum departed to attend college.
At Ease
Released in 1998 on Epitaph RecordsEpitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
after attracting the attention of Tim Armstrong
Tim Armstrong
Timothy Lockwood Armstrong is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.-Personal life:Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was...
of Rancid (band)
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
. The Gadjits appeared on the Vans Warped Tour later that summer.
Today Is My Day
Released in 2002 on Thick RecordsThick Records
THICK RECORDS is a Chicago based independent record label formed in 1994 by Detroit native Zak Einstein. Early label releases include influential albums from Chicago ska-punkers The Blue Meanies, Alton, IL’s Judge Nothing, and the Omaha based Commander Venus, whose members included Conor Oberst,...
. Featuring Brandon Phillips (vocals, guitar); Zach Phillips (vocals, bass); Mike Alexander (guitar); Hilary Allen (Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Adam Phillips (drums).
The Architects
In June 2004 The Gadjits ceased to exist as a band and a new band, The ArchitectsArchitects (American band)
The Architects are an American rock band from Kansas City, Missouri. They are a reincarnation of the punk and ska band The Gadjits.-The Gadjits:...
, was formed. Brandon announced the news on the Gadjits e-mail list as follows:
Adrianne Verhoven shortly thereafter also left the band, but with great respect and affection for this amazing group of talented musicians.
Full-length albums
- Da Gravy On Yo Grits (JoCo Ska, 1997)
- At Ease (Hellcat Records, 1999)
- Wish We Never Met (Hellcat Records, 2001)
- Today Is My Day (Thick Records, 2002)
- Our Time To..." (RCA Records, 2003) (left unreleased due to band being dropped by RCA)
Singles, EPs and split releases
- Yes I Are (VMS Records, 2001)
- Someday Driver (Thick Records, 2001)
Compilation appearances
- 'Gangster Girl' and 'Sassy' on the 'Skank For Brains - Saturday Matinee' compilation (Beach Records)
- 'Beautiful Girl' on the 'Give 'Em The Boot' compilation (Hellcat Records, 1997)
- 'Bad Gadjit' on the 'Give 'Em The Boot Vol. II' compilation (Hellcat Records, 1999)
- 'One Stones Throw (From A Riot)' on the 'Give 'Em The Boot Vol. III' compilation (Hellcat Records, 2002)