Gritty Goes Abroad

The Punk of Gruk Straddles This City’s Limits

By David P. Brown

Rarely, if ever, can a band with any success avoid evolution to at least some degree. With singer Rachel Loveless standing as the group’s only original member, Gruk is no exception. The hardcore outfit has arguably undergone its most radical maturation within the past year. From Model T now assuming the drum position to Great Balls of Fire replacing Ryan Emotion on guitar, the current lineup has retained the quintessence of the earlier version and supplemented it with their unique attributes as well. “It’s been interesting to see how we’re changing and what we’re ending up to be,” Loveless reflects. With the addition of the relatively new guitarist and drummer, and The Ugly American’s refinement of his notoriously once-lacking bass abilities, Loveless feels that everyone is finally beginning to achieve their full potential. “We’re sounding as good as we possibly can for the kind of music that we play,” she justifiably brags.

Gruk is in a nifty sort of position, strutting the fine line between gaining publicity while still remaining underground. The result is, on one hand, a somewhat exclusive community of supporters; and on the other, a media likely to misunderstand the true spirit of what they do. “It’s really frustrating when people do reviews and all they do is talk about what the band looks like,” Loveless chides. “It doesn’t fucking matter what people look like or how many tattoos or piercings they have. It matters what the music sounds like and what the band is all about.” She nonetheless concedes, “You may not be able to pick up on our lyrical content, because of the music being so fast. To be truthful, no one can really understand the lyrics except for me most of the time.” But she feels it is the responsibility of both the critic and the captivated listener to look a bit deeper into the meaning behind the music making; to attain and study the lyrics, which in this case almost always consist of insightful socio-political commentary, just as often accentuated with potent variants of the word “fuck.”

If one were to take such initiative, they would find a political agenda every bit as hardcore as Gruk’s sound. In fact, the strength of their political message takes precedence over the technical side of their music. “To me, punk rock is just about getting out there and saying what you have to say. Even if you can’t play the best, you learn how to [play] eventually and move on. I definitely think politics in music is really important.”

Be it their music, their message or the combination of the two, something has caught on as Gruk continues to hang in the upper rungs of an arguably limited local hardcore punk scene. Loveless willingly admits, “It would be easier if you were in a bigger city, but at the same time, you’d be competing with all of the other bands that would be there.” Nevertheless, Gruk has no hesitation in braving the conurbation as they embark on their first full national tour (even international, if you count Montreal). Starting into Oregon and Washington, then moving on to Montana and the Midwest, Gruk will momentarily bless our northern neighbors, and then return back down the East Coast. They’ll play Louisiana, Texas and Arizona, and then crawl back up through California. As their most extended feat to date, the month-long excursion is sure to officially confirm Gruk’s aptitude — be it on a local level, or any other.

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