Album Notes

Nayan Bhula (guitar, vocals, keyboards)
Fred Burton (drums, trombone, trumpet)
Finley Martin (bass, guitar, vocals, keyboards)

After seven years slaving away with numerous demos, EPs and countless live shows, the Washington, D.C based rock band Gist has its first full-length album, "Art is Now Human," now out on Red Stapler records. Undoubtedly the band's best work to date, "Art is Now Human" will turn heads upon its release with accessibility and originality. Mixing more elements than one can list, each track of the album takes you to a different, unexpected, but very satisfying place. Truly, Gist is in a category all their own.

Gist began as a trio in 1995 with high school-friends Nayan Bhula and Fred Burton. Although the two came from completely different places in the world, Burton native to the D.C area and Bhula (of Indian heritage) having been born in South Africa and growing up in Toronto, bonded over their passion for rock music. Burton and Bhula had been playing together since 1991 and then recruited Jennifer Moentmann (Bass), a college friend of Nayan's with similar musical tastes to join them. The band went on to gig extensively in the D.C area and record a number of demos and two EPs, 1997's "Youth's Avail" and 1999's "Soundtrack for My Parting Ways."

Due to artistic differences, the band "parted ways" with Moentmann in early 1999. At a crossroads, Gist reformed itself as a quartet with the addition of Finley Martin (guitar, vocals), a co-worker of Burton's with similar musical ambitions, from Prince Edward Island, Canada and Jim Campbell (bass, vocals) from central Pennsylvania. The new lineup mixed diverse influences into its sound including post-punk, classic hard rock and experimental rock. As a quartet, the band went on to release the EP Pretest Retest in the year 2000 under their own label, Red Stapler Records. Pretest Retest was engineered by Chad Clark (producer of Dismemberment Plan, Beauty Pill) at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA and mastered by Grammy Award-winner Charlie Pilzer.

With the help of touring in clubs and all-age events throughout the entire east coast, the midwest and Canada, in support of "Pretest Retest" throughout 2000 and 2001, the band continued to progress both on stage and with their songwriting. Gist used those experiences to complete "Art is Now Human" at Inner Ear with Chad Clark engineering and producing. The new album features 11 tracks about personal introspection and observation of the daily life we live. Look for songs such as "Observationalist" (which hit #2 on mp3.washingtonpost.com), "Scapel Please," and the title track to exempify these emotions. "Art is Now Human" takes a fresher approach to the art of rock music in an era where rock is in need of a wake-up call.

Gist recently returned to playing as a trio with the departure of bassist/guitarist Jim Campbell in late 2001. Martin has more than capably taken over the bass duties, and the trio of Bhula, Burton and Martin have Gist hitting its musical stride. Look for Gist in concert in support of "Art is Now Human."