The Origin of The Gousters
The Gousters (gow-sters) was originally the name for the band I ended up calling ourselves when recording the first CD album (The Gousters) released in 2005. The process started when Zander Schloss, an actor and musician and I began recording the 12 tracks plus adding one of his songs “If It All Goes Well,” with a slight revision in the lyrics.
What was fortuitous was the fact that Zander’s many musician friends in the Los Angeles area wished to participate and came to our basement recording studio in my home in Culver City, CA.
They were all enthused to work with Zander as he was and is very respected by his fellow musicians almost too numerous to name over the period of 3-4 years we recorded tracks on analog via an eight track reel to reel.
This all culminated by bringing the reel to reel tracks to the Westside Recorder Studio where Brian Susko edited and mixed these 13 tracks digitally over the next year or so as well as adding more vocals.
It was around this time that Zander joined the punk rock group “The Circle Jerks,” as their bass player. This being my first foray into songwriting at the ripe old age of 49, I wasn’t really much interested in performing and never thought of myself as a technically proficient guitar player.
Seeing the album getting on Roots Music Report’s Americana and Folk charts truly inspired and helped me feel validated that I had something to contribute as a fledgling songwriter.
I had been service-connected with ptsd as a navy corpsman (medic) and was never comfortable the few times I did perform publicly.
So, The Gousters was actually the collaboration of many talented musicians that contributed the various instrumental tracks over the course of a number of years not only on the original self-titled CD but on the subsequent 4 additional CDs that I recorded with my friend, producer and arranger Martin Beal at his studio: The Racketroom (link) in Santa Ana, CA.
The Gousters could then probably be defined as a studio band but I’m not sure that term is quite accurate either. Let’s say that it is a fictitious name that was the result of a number of talented people who lent their skills to help create a catalog of work I’m very proud of. I am so grateful and wish to thank each and every one of you who came through this revolving door to help with the completion of these 5 CD albums.
With Much Gratitude,
Walt Cronin
biography
Walt moved to Crestline, CA in the San Bernardino Mountains where he and his wife had bought a cabin on an acre of land. Walt was seeking some peace of mind having been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress. He had served as a Navy Corpsman ( medic) with a Marine platoon in Vietnam in 1970.
“After the wildfires in the fall of 2003, I was never able to regain a sense of safety living somewhat remote in the forest and returned to urban L.A. I finally completed what had been sitting on those back burners these many years.. The Gousters. The origin of the name is what is perceived as pre-dating the “Grunge” look in Seattle.
It was a term I referred to me and my friends as of the similar style or “non-style”of the way we dressed growing up in Chicago in the mid-1960s based on black street slang on the south and west side.”
- Preying Lizard Music