Colin Gawel

Colin Gawel is co-founder, lead singer and guitarist of the American rock band Watershed.

Colin also has a solo career both with and without his backing band - Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones. The first EP Chemotherapy was released in 2009. The second EP "Superior" was released in February 2010 and has already received airplay. It has been played on CD-101 in Columbus including being featured in "The Five Spot" for the five most requested songs of the day several times.

His band, Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones, performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the Bruce Springsteen Fanfest Weekend for their second ever show[1] They have also performed at Columbus' ComFest,[2]

Colin is always active releasing music with various bands and writing for his website Pencilstorm. Superior - The Best of Colin Gawel was released in Dec 2016. Please read below for more info.

Biographical

Colin was born and lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Colin was born 1969 in Worthington, Ohio. In first grade he was exposed to the record KISS Alive and shortly thereafter purchased his first guitar, a Gibson Melody Maker with money saved up from his Columbus Dispatch paper route. He began writing songs and formed his first band "The Wire" in 8th grade along with classmates Joe Oestreich (bass) and Herb Schupp (drums). All three entered Ohio State together and after receiving an encouraging phone call from Chris Blackwell at Island Records, decided to drop out of school and pursue music full-time.

The trio changed their name to Watershed and began relentlessly touring the eastern USA opening for established regional acts like Dash Rip Rock, Cowboy Mouth, Hootie and The Blowfish etc. Producer Jim Steinman heard a cassette version of "How Do You Feel" and soon after convinced Richard Griffiths to sign the band to Epic Records with Frankie LaRocca acting as A&R. The band recorded their Epic debut "Twister" at the Powerstation in NYC 1994.

Watershed released CDs and continued touring with bands ranging from the Smithereens to the Insane Clown Posse through 2009. They have plans for a new CD and tour in 2010.[3]

Beginning in 2007 Colin began recording solo material with producer Mike Landolt (Maroon 5) at Mike's Curry House in Columbus, Ohio. The pair have decided to bypass the full-length CD will be releasing the new material as extended singles every 6 months on Curry House Music. The first, "Chemotherapy" was released May 9, 2009 and as of fall that same year was generating interest as it inserted itself into the national debate on health care as a rallying cry for reform.

In September 2006, Colin opened Colin's Coffee in Upper Arlington, Ohio. He is a hands on owner and can be found there most mornings he isn't traveling for music. Among the artists he has played with is Erica Blinn, whose career he helped to launch.

Colin was a featured character in Joe Oestreich's critically acclaimed memoir, "Hitless Wonder - A life in Minor League Rock n Roll" released by Lyons Press in June 2012. The book was featured on NPR weekend edition.[4] It was well received by major news outlets such as the Washington Post [5] The book rekindled a national interest in the music of Colin's band Watershed.

In 2013, Colin founded the website Pencilstorm.com and it replaced Colingawel.com as his primary creative writing outlet and features a rotating cast of roughly 20 writers focusing on pop culture and sports.

Colin is a noted Cheap Trick super fan who started the band "Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame?" in 2012. The band would perform free sets of all Cheap Trick music to rally fans to support Trick's bid to be included in the rock and roll hall of fame. [6]

In 2014, Colin founded The Willie Phoenix Tribute Machine to pay tribute to Columbus legend Willie Phoenix. The band included members of The New Bomb Turks and Howlin' Maggie and released two songs written by Willie Phoenix and were produced by Mike Landolt and engineered by Rick Kinsinger. [7]

In June of 2015, Colin reformed his band The League Bowlers to perform at Comfest in Columbus, Ohio. The "Bowlers" feature Willie Phoenix Alumni Jim Johnson (Drums) and Mike Parks (Guitar) and Four String Brew founder [8] Dan Cochran (Big Back 40) on bass. The band released one critically acclaimed record, Some Balls in 2004 [9] before breaking up on stage at the Thirsty Ear Tavern in 2008. [10] Colin has announced plans for a re release of Some Balls with bonus tracks in 2017.

In December 2015 Colin was featured in a story of 614 Magazine previewing the release of his new record: Superior - The Best of Colin Gawel. This release is 18 track compilation of his solo work outside of his music with Watershed produced by Mike Landolt for Curry House records. Also mentioned in the article were the success of his side project, "Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?" and his website Pencilstorm.com. [11] [12]

In October 2016, a video for the song, "Dad Can't Help You Now" was released and features Colin's son Owen playing the batter. [13]

Discography

Chemotherapy (2009) - Called "exceptionally strong" by the Columbus Other Paper [14]
Superior (2010) - Was released on February 5, 2010 Still Love Christmas (2010) - Released on December 1, 2010.

Official Bootleg: Live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Bruce Springsteen Fanfest Weekend 6/13/2009 (2009)

Superior - The Best of Colin Gawel was released on December 28th, 2015 on CurryHouse records.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.rockhall.com/pressroom/springsteen-fanfest/
  2. ↑ http://www.theotherpaper.com/articles/2009/07/01/music/doc4a4bd16855e81634388121.txt
  3. ↑ http://www.wosu.org/allsides/?archive=1&date=10/02/2009
  4. ↑ http://www.npr.org/2012/07/01/155938745/hitless-wonder-on-tour-with-a-band-of-also-rans
  5. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/hitless-wonder-a-life-in-minor-league-rock-and-roll-by-joe-oestreich/2012/07/25/gJQAHtmVBX_story.html
  6. ↑ http://content.tribtoday.com/?p=586285/Musician-wants-hall-to-want-Cheap-Trick.html
  7. ↑ http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2015/03/05/staff-pick-members-of-watershed-new-bomb-turks-pay-tribute-to-living-local-legend.html
  8. ↑ http://fourstringbrewing.com/about/
  9. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/some-balls/id538676834
  10. ↑ http://rickic614.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-friday-night-massacre-league_1.html
  11. ↑ http://614columbus.com/2015/12/father-superior/
  12. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Best-Colin-Gawel/dp/B019X2WYVS
  13. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hpCy5YS3XY
  14. ↑ http://www.theotherpaper.com/articles/2009/05/07/music/doc4a02ec7c7eaec023568060.txt
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