Gateway to Dignity

Grand Ulena is the new blistering rock group of ex-Dazzling Killmen bassist Darin Gray. The St. Louis instrumental trio ­ rounded out by guitarist Chris Trull (Darling Little Jackhammer) and drummer Danny McClain (Johnny Angel, Arrmy of Robots) ­ has been bewildering Midwestern audiences on throughout 2002. Their debut, Gateway to Dignity, is a solidification of the past 15 years of rock music, rhythm, jazz and it splintered offshoots. Grand Ulena is disjunct rhythms played at high velocity. Disjunct beats played under broken and jagged melodies. Repetition of the retarded. Complex structures combined with complete and utter failure. Failed soloing combined with rigid riffery. Extended instrumental techniques forged into song. Polyrhythmic, Polyphonic -- Damn Jim!, Poly-EVERYTHING! The success AND the failure of rock. Addicted to practicing. Addicted to perfecting and imperfecting. Addicted to the ridiculous and the impossible. Years of practicing before playing a show. Writing, destroying, moving beyond maintenance, and giving it their all but not giving it all away! If Rock is ridiculous, then Grand Ulena is in Full Shenanigan Mode and keeping it realer than real!