By Edward Fulford
First, music lovers, you should know that they describe themselves as freak rock.
The shoe fits.
Savannah's own GAM is about the oddest thing to happen to rock since the pot-bellied members of KISS went back to being shirtless and all dolled up. And they're proud of their little eccentricities.
Even their promotional stuff touts their weirdness. "Their theatrical and improvisational stage show is one of the most manic, intense and unpredictable on the circuit today," it brags, "While their live concerts often include bizarre costumes, props and pyrotechnic effects, they are not a gimmick band."
GAM has cut a couple of independent CDs -- 1995's two~song "Thunder Bomb" EP on Standard Records, which guitarist Kevin Rose describes as a "21-minute blast of psychedelic bummer-rock," and their 1997 release "Phase 8" on the band's own Blast-O-Disc label.
"Phase 8" is much more developed than their first offering, although both bow to the gods of weird. The band actually started back the spring of 1991. After a two-year warm-up, GAM played its debut show in June 1993.
The original band members included Ronnie Kersey on bass and vocals, Keith Kozel on vocals, Sean Krause on drums and vocals, and Kevin Rose on guitar and vocals. By the 1997 recording of "Phase 8", Kersey was out, replaced by Mike Walker on bass.
However, Kersey has rejoined the band. Walker is gone as well as Sean Krause.
The drums are now the domain of Scott Lankford.
Keyboardist Susan Gilliam is also a member of the current line-up. "Susan is very recent," said lead vocalist Keith Kozel. "She's been with the band for about a month."
Kozel said Gilliam has fit in well, for someone who was classically trained and picked up some stuff by ear, but had never been in a band. "She had never really played with anybody else and never played rock and roll, but we thought that she could do it,'cause she's just a weirdo." he said.
Rose said the changes in personnel have made for slight differences in the music.
"Any time you change your recipe, you're going to bring about changes," he said. "It's not a conscious thimg, but it definitely brings in a new influence."
GAM's sound has been compared to that of bands ranging from the Talkings Heads and Iggy Pop, to Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath. "We just do what we like," Rose said. It's really just doing what we like and doing what makes sense at the time.
"It's not- born out of any boardroom on the 14th floor or anything.;'
Kozel echoed Rose's sentiments. "Our sound just sort of evolved," he said. "Each of our personal directions in music were so diverse, so there is a lot of cross-over.
"lt's sort of these dissimilarities coming together on a common ground, said Kozel, who cites cabaret and old German abstract theater among his influences.
Kozel said GAM's edgy, independent sound has developed a bit of a grassroots-cult following.
"Everybody who has an inkling of freak in them gets really into it," he said.
In addition to regular rotation on more than 20 college and commercial radio statbns, GAM has also been featured as CBGB's band of the week.
•July 23, 24 at Belle Chere in Asheville, N.C.
•Sept. 17 at the College Music lournal Festival in New York.
•A three-week tour in late September and early October. Locations to be announced.