Jeff Gutt Plays Detroit!
Detroit, MI- When it comes to supplying the world with music & musicians, Detroit undoubtedly leads the pack. From John Lee Hooker to Motown, from Iggy to Bob Seger, from Don Henley to Eminem, the list is just way too long to detail here and it’s on the verge of becoming even larger as our own Jeff Gutt prepares to launch his own name onto that list when he debuts his brand new band Saturday night May 3rd at the Jack White Theater inside the Detroit Masonic Temple.
Gutt is no stranger to the ups & downs of the music business, he has gone from the bar circuit to tasting near stardom while signed to Warner Brothers (with his band Dry Cell), to finding himself back in Detroit starting from scratch with his Band with No Name, back to singing covers in Detroit’s local bars, to his now infamous boot during his 1stappearance on FOX’s XFactor, to an even more infamous statement from one Simon Cowell that prompted his return to the XFactor. Yes a definite roller coaster ride, one that brought Gutt a 2nd place finish on XFactor and put him in front of 7,000,000 plus USA viewers each episode.
And that is where Gutt is the clear winner. We had the chance to speak with Jeff Gutt where he informed us that “not being locked into a contract has opened all my options” and has “presented me a number of opportunities that are being discussed”. With XFactorUSA being syndicated to 45 countries around the world, Gutt has found that he notices where the show is being aired by the number of fans coming in from a specific country. “I’ve been asked to play for the Princess of Jordan, and will be playing in Tel Aviv. I have a lot fans down in South America so we’re hoping to get down there to play, in fact I had a fan from Brazil send me this for my birthday” as Gutt, who turns 38 May 2nd, proudly removed his jacket to expose the Brazilian Nation soccer jersey he was wearing.
The crowning moment will come Saturday night at the Jack White Theater inside Detroit’s historic Masonic Temple when Gutt takes the stage for the first time in his hometown since his XFactor appearance with his newly formed band. Showing his Detroit spirit, Gutt looked no further than his current songwriting partner Gary Pittel (BWNN & Punch), and fellow Detroiter Cyamak Ashtiani to fill the guitars, while grabbing KC Jenkins on bass, and former Dry Cell bandmate Brandon Brown on drums, both hailing from California.
Currently rehearsing all week at the Masonic, Gutt tells us that “the show will be packed with family, friends, record execs, and fans, some of which are flying in from as far away as Australia!” Expect to hear his new songs Sugar Pill, Shadows & Light, and will definitely feature the music he performed on XFactor.
What the future holds for Gutt has yet to be determined, but having had the pleasure of watching Jeff Gutt for over a decade, we’ll say it’s looking pretty bright. “What do I have to lose? I’m just going to continue doing what I do, only now it’ll be on a bigger stage, with a whole lot of new fans”.
Opening the show will be a couple hot acts that are currently blazing in the local scene. Mola1 &The Definition will bring their electric cello inspired rock infused hip-up to the stage just before Gutt comes on. And the opener of the night will be none other than one of the hottest solo artists in Detroit today in Justin Alexander. Fair warning, be there by7:30 if you want to see how a one man singer/songwriter can sound like a whole damn band with just his acoustic guitar! Sitting on top of a goldmine of original songs, that recently had the American Idol producers scrambling to rent out Ford Field to film a music video for his song “Back In Detroit”, Alexander himself made it through to the final audition round in front of the 3 celebrity judges.
There is also an AfterParty scheduled for after the show down the street atClub Bleu, located at 1540 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI. PS-Brandon informs us that this bash will be off the hook!
The Masonic Temple is located at 500 Temple Avenue in Detroit. Some tickets remain and are available and can be grabbed at TicketMaster.com. Doors are at 7pm. DetroitRockReview.com ~ The Only Place for Local Music News & Reviews!