Aug 106 min read

Gaunt - Bricks And Blackouts

When Gaunt’s gear was stolen from their van after a November 1996 gig in San Francisco, Jerry Wick saw it as a sign from the cosmos. After five years, four albums, and countless dive bar sets, Wick-bandleader and primary songwriter-began to question whether life on the road was his destiny. He didn’t officially pull the plug on Gaunt, but he stopped booking shows. Then came a different kind of cosmic sign: a fateful call from Warner Bros. A&R rep Bruce McGuire that set Gaunt on the path to their final album, 1998’s Bricks And Blackouts.

Gaunt

Bricks And Blackouts

Warner Bros. Records – 9 46856-2

1998

Front cover of Gaunt's Bricks And Blackouts

Based in Minneapolis, McGuire had caught Gaunt’s live shows multiple times, impressed by their raw energy and stage presence. When he came to Columbus, he didn’t just bring his pitch—he brought a Warner Bros. corporate card, running up an astonishing drink tab at the now-defunct Kahiki. Over tiki cocktails, McGuire sold Gaunt on the idea of signing with the label. But Gaunt wasn't some naive band ready to sign anything. They insisted on creative control, a demand not typically met with enthusiasm by corporate types. "Before we signed with Warner, we had our lawyer make clear to their lawyer that we wanted creative input in every aspect of making Bricks and Blackouts," guitarist Jovan Karcic later told The Columbus Dispatch. "If we couldn't have had creative control over everything, from the production of the songs themselves to the cover art, we would not have signed."

L-R: Jovan Karcic, Jerry Wick, Brett Falcon, Sam Brown; cover of "97th Tear" single

Signing with Warner Bros. wasn’t just a business move—it was a leap of faith. Gaunt had built a solid reputation in the underground scene, with explosive live shows and gritty releases on Amphetamine Reptile and Thrill Jockey. They knew that cries of "sellout" were inevitable. Wick, to his credit, didn't seem to care. "We never decided we were going to be a garage band or an electronic band or whatever," he told The Plain Dealer at the time. "Whatever comes out of us comes out. ... We always end up filed in the punk section in record stores, but we should be in the rock section."

For McGuire, signing Gaunt was probably more about credibility than commercial success. "They were electrifying, they were totally real,” he was later quoted. Warner Bros. signed Gaunt in August 1997, just as bassist Bret Lewis exited the band. Enter Brett Falcon, who quickly picked up the bass and joined the band’s lineup for their first Columbus show in over a year at the Anyway Fest at Little Brother’s.

Gavin - January 9, 1998 pt 2 — Gavin - January 9, 1998

Gaunt initially recorded tracks in Chicago with their long-time collaborator Steve Albini, but those sessions were scrapped. Instead, they headed to Minnesota's Pachyderm Studio, an Albini haunt, in September. Their live sound engineer, Tim “Mac” McLaughlin, and Brian Paulson (known for his work with Wilco, Beck, and The Jayhawks) produced the album with the band. Gaunt spent over two weeks in an LA studio with Chris Sheldon finalizing the mix.

Released on March 24, 1998, Bricks And Blackouts is a polished pop-rock album. Critics were divided. Many praised the record, but others, especially those in Wick’s inner circle, took issue with the cleaner sound. Wick, known for being opinionated and combative, seemed to take the criticism to heart. "I still love Springsteen and Tom Petty, all that stuff," he said. "There's nothing wrong with that music, and I would hope that you could hear some of it in Gaunt."

Gaunt fan Meadow Soprano with her father

Despite the mixed reviews, there’s an argument to be made that Bricks And Blackouts is Gaunt’s most accessible album. The professional production's clarity and separation of the instruments, Wick’s solid vocals, and Sam Brown’s tasteful drumming shine through. Jovan Karcic's guitar work is inventive and provides a nice foil to Wick's. Rooted in his love for music and honed through his devotion to the craft, Wick’s songwriting stands out on the album.

The record opens with “Anxiety,” a track that feels especially relevant today, with mental health discussions now mainstream. The single “97th Tear” follows, a catchy nod to ? and The Mysterians’ 1966 hit “96 Tears,” reflecting Wick’s garage roots and pop aspirations.

“It’s my response to (“96 Tears”),” Wick told CMJ New Music. “Is there anything after death? Or after a break-up? What’s the aftermath of the 96th tear? It’s kind of silly, but it also fit with the year 1997, which was my worst year.” Wick had lost several friends that year and had a relationship end, in addition to the band's equipment theft and personnel change.

The album’s title track provides a slower, acoustic interlude amidst the chaos. “Pop Song,” co-written with Karcic and previously recorded for a 7" on Thrill Jockey, offers a catchy chorus out of the gate and a killer single note guitar solo over a descending riff. Karcic mixes things up with a lead vocal on his song “Powder Keg Variety,” and horns add texture to thrasher “Duh” and “Dancin' When You’re Down,” which closes the album with a welcome note of positivity.

Jery Wick - Peabody's Downunder, Cleveland - May 7, 1998 - Photo: Jay Brown

Gaunt hit the road hard to promote Bricks And Blackouts, touring with Nashville Pussy throughout the east before heading west. The Dispatch’s Aaron Beck joined them for part of the western tour, a rare move for Ohio’s Greatest Hometown Newspaper. But despite the relentless touring, the album wasn't selling.

The pressure from the label and the tepid sales seemed to weigh on Wick. Gaunt had maintained artistic control, leaving no scapegoat. Wick appeared to start second-guessing himself. “In the room we mixed it, it sounded, to me, way different,” he told Lollipop Magazine in November ‘98. “There were tons of guitar and then when it came out, there was hardly any guitar on it… but the whole record turned out that way. We mixed it in a [tiny room]. It sounded amazing, but I listen to the record… the guitars get lost. I don’t know if it was the room or what.”

By the end of 1998, Warner Bros. dropped Gaunt. A shakeup at the label saw the departure of McGuire, and Gaunt’s brush with the big leagues came to an abrupt end. "At the time, almost everyone at WB that Gaunt had worked with or been associated with had been let go, including Bruce McGuire," Wick's close friend Bela Koe-Krompecher told The Lantern in 2001.

Warner Bros. invitation to Gaunt show at Brownies, September 5, 1997

Tragically, Jerry Wick was killed in a hit-and-run accident while riding his bike in January 2001. I recently read Koe-Krompecher’s Love, Death & Photosynthesis which provided invaluable insight for (and made it more daunting to write) this post. The book is an unflinching inside account of the scene that revolved around Used Kids records, where Wick and Koe-Krompecher were occasional co-workers. Koe-Koepecher is a terrific writer and I strongly recommend the book. Check out his thought-provoking blog, too.

Sadly, we’ll never know what direction Wick would have taken his music had he continued to create. Bricks And Blackouts remains a fitting swan song for a band that never played by the rules. "We wanted to try different things," Wick said. "I wanted the record to sound like Sweet or something like that. Maybe 'Cherry Bomb,' where it’s got an edge, but it’s kinda cleaner… we wanted to make a pop record, so we did. The rest of the world can go fuck off!”