I feel so damn fortunate that such an important collection of musicians would be willing to be in this band, play this music and offer the effort/ energy needed to make it tangible. The sound of Gault is what I would (almost certainly) consider my favorite kind of music; that is, the jazz-adjacent / midwestern eclectic. The sound, approach, history, and stylings of where we are, live and where we are from can be heard fully-alive in this music. To me, each member is a mountain / garden unto themselves: Alex’s 4tet & Small Songs, Abhi’s harsh noise & Turtle Boat, Seth’s countless projects of involvement and Trent’s longstanding band Whirlybirds / other regional outfits.

The name “Gault” comes from a circumstantial unfolding. I searched the word “Gault” (winter of 2020) during a bike ride; it is a street name close to where I live. Because of that moment, many things seemingly unfolded to me (the current business model of search/ social media, the absurdly gradual grid to fulfilling exercise, a relationship to reading and realities of my current family situation). For this reason, I was drawn to the name.

The title “Mirth” comes from the observation of it’s occurrence while being in this band. Mirth= “gladness and merriment, especially when expressed by laughter; jollity; hilarity”. I first saw the word while reading Frank Herbert’s “Dune” (after putting it off for many years lol). When I looked it up, I immediately thought of “us”. It was a quick, strong connection that stuck with me. I like talking to Alex, Abhi, Seth and Trent very much.

Lastly, almost all of these tunes (minus Abhi’s gut-wrencher “Less Than”) came from the occurrence of writing for a band that didn’t exist during the 2020 pandemic era. I had a fever-dream that “if I ever made it out of this” I would want to start THIS band. Well… this is that band.

Every single member is an artist I look to, in whole. They all bring the biggest version of themselves to everything they do creatively. Alex’s horn screams with the voice of 1,000 crying demons; Abhi’s diversity of sound-scape turns my head every time I hear her; when listening to Seth play, you can literally hear him listening all the way “to the ground”; while Trent’s strength and foundation on bass rivals that of 14″ concrete… I adore these people dearly and think the world of them.

This album means a lot to us and I think we really showed up for it. Thanks to our family and friends for being there alongside our interests and pursuits.

with love,

Caleb