Grammy winning artist, Dave Gutter, based in Portland, Maine, has some music with a message. His new record is cleverly titled “The Music Industry is Trying to Kill Me.” It’s a bold statement, and honestly, I don’t think he’s wrong. As musicians, it often feels like the industry is trying to kill us, as it overvalues autotune and influencers, and undervalues songwriters and instrument players. Streaming? Ah, I don’t even want to get into how hard it is to ever get out of the financial hole of recording in this streaming society. This record rocks. Every single track is worth listening to. The record is also worth listening to from start to finish, as a whole. I’m excited to play it from start to finish, to my band while we are driving on tour. It’s a record, a rock opera, that every musician or artist should hear at least twice. I’m excited to break it down track by track, let’s dive in.
Dave Gutter’s incredible record kicks off with the funky track “The 27 Club.” If you don’t know, the 27 Club is a list of legendary musicians who died at age 27, including Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. Dave Gutter’s take on the 27 club is powerful. He sings about the risky lifestyles that many rock n’ roll legends live. Every lyric in this song matters, and was cleverly written. Sometimes the lyrics are delivered rapid-fire, driving the message straight home. One of the most standout lines is: “He thought the Catcher in the Rye was an open letter.” The recording style is a blend of glam rock and psychedelic rock, fitting in with the likes of T. Rex, David Bowie, and even Soundgarden. The hook is slow and psychedelic, with Dave singing: “They wanted me dead, I’m alive for what feels like forever.” When I was a teenage musician, I remember being obsessed with and also frightened by the idea of the 27 Club. This song brings all those thoughts to life.
Next up, we get to the title track, which is more like an interlude as it’s only 46 seconds long. It’s immediately catchy because of the vocal melody and the raw subject matter about feeling like a disposable artist. Dave Gutter doesn’t shy away from the truth here. “I’ve been making the product while they rake in the dollars.” His advice is, “If you don’t want to die, then you lose your place in line.” There’s no rest, no breaks. The mentality of a working musician really is, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
The music industry is trying to kill me is the closest thing to comedy I’ve done lyrically. It’s actually about artists killing themselves to make it and blaming the industry. I wanted to poke fun at the desperation of musicans and the lengths they go for little to no return. I wanted to paint an artist in the same light as any other addict but with art it’s an addiction to hope. Streaming platforms have made it easier to get your music out there but they’ve also made it over saturated. I actually think that is helping artists feel the need to set themselves apart and be original. I also think that Ai will create a craving for human inflections and nuance in music. – Dave Gutter
“The elephant in the room”, sounds like Dave Gutter is singing in the room with you. It is grungy with low-toned, gritty vocals and a warm acoustic guitar, it’s his Nirvana: Unplugged moment. Then the chorus kicks off, and the genre becomes quite experimental and happy sounding, moving far away from grunge. He begs people to speak up, share their truth, and voice what’s bothering them. “…If there’s something on your mind you wanna say…” The song has an epic psychedelic instrumental section which moves to the track into Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” territory. The songwriting is just mind-blowing, proving Dave Gutter’s excellence.
I personally appreciate how each track flows from one to the next. The recordings are so well done and track order feels so well-thought-out. “This might be crazy enough to work” is an electric track with super fuzzy guitars. Honestly, the fuzz is extreme, and we are living for it here at Rock the Pigeon. The song is all about the lengths a songwriter will go to in order to chase inspiration to write a song. Everything becomes inspiration as long as it’s extreme or weird enough. Artists will be seeking adventure, sometimes getting into bad or dangerous situations, just to try and get a song out of it. This song captures that quest very well. Honestly, I’ve never heard it captured before.
Trying to climb your way up in the music industry, so you move to LA from your small hometown for a fair shot? Dave Gutter has the perfect catchy song for that experience. “The velvet rope” tells the story of a man who heads to Hollywood to “make it big.” We hear some familiar banter about getting on, or not getting on, guest lists, followed by Dave’s sharp lyric: “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.” The band sounds super full throughout the track, adding to the energy of chasing success, while Dave’s filtered vocals deliver some harsh truths about seeking fame in Hollywood. How many people move out here to pursue music, only to end up in the porn industry, far away from their musical passions, just to make ends meet? As Dave puts it: “If you’re sleeping to the top, you don’t even need a job.” Everyone has their side hustle in Hollywood. (And just to be clear, working in the sex industry is a valid and legitimate form of work. This line critiques the exploitative pressures of fame, not the people doing what they need to survive.)
California sober is a big trend right now, and honestly, maybe it’s for the best. Drinking really isn’t great for you. Weed, on the other hand, feels much more chill and, let’s be real, pretty harmless. Dave Gutter’s song “Stoned and Lonely” is all about living that California sober life, still smoking weed, but no alcohol or hard drugs. It’s a laid-back track where he sings about “just smoking to forget,” and delivers the memorable line: “I’m stoned and lonely, it’s better than drunk and driving.” This song also shows off another side of Dave Gutter’s sound. Suddenly, we’re hearing something that leans more western, with hints of Americana and country. The drum gallop adds a nice touch, giving the track a classic Americana flair. The chorus is super catchy, you might catch yourself humming it outside your local saloon…oh wait, maybe outside your local dispensary. “These bloodshot eyes are only stoned and lonely.”
“Rock n Roll Ain’t Cool” is a song about the grind of being a touring musician, working for minimum wage, getting paid in exposure, and still loving it enough to keep going. With grand instrumentation, this one definitely stands out. The track features a bold horn section, super catchy vocal melodies, and plenty of earworms that’ll stick with you. The percussion is also uniquely crafted, adding extra flair and personality to the whole vibe.“What’s he supposed to do? When all he’s left with is his suitcase and his song, he keeps on keeping on.”
“#notsthenewhot” features one of Dave Gutter’s most compelling vocal performances. His voice is rich, emotionally charged, and effortlessly soars in range. Even when stripped down to just piano and horn, he holds the spotlight, proving that even as a ballad singer, he’s still rock n’ roll at heart. The song takes on the unrealistic beauty standards the music industry places on artists, challenging the idea that you have to look a certain way to be seen, heard, or valued. Not’s the new hot…
This one’s a fun, comedic track, the perfect song for when the artist finally “makes it” in the industry. “Artsy Fartsy” dives into what happens when that success hits: the fame, the ego, the sudden change. Suddenly, the artist becomes judgmental, pretentious, and very uncool. His whole personality shifts overnight, like five seconds of fame was all it took to make him a douchebag. Hey, we’ve all seen it happen out here in Hollywood.
The ballad vibes return on “Undo,” a track that features a spectacular, classic-sounding horn section. This one’s aimed straight at the opportunists, the coattail riders of the music industry. It’s a song for the users and abusers, the ones who latch on to others just to climb their own ladder to success. We’ve all witnessed a lot of these people in Hollywood as well.
The final track on the LP is “Gold Records” and honestly, I’d just like to mention that this record is good enough for gold. Gold Records, they aren’t made of gold. This song is about realizing that fact and having an existential crisis over it. This is a great way to end the record because often releasing records leads artists to existential crisis’ or depression bouts. Why? Because The Music Industry is Trying to Kill Me.
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