Brian Gottesman

<p>Formerly of Chucklehead and Rype, Brian Gottesman began exploring music as a youngster through his parents' record collection, locking in on The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and Beethoven. Piano lessons gave him an outlet for the sounds in his head, and soon he was also picking up the french horn and guitar. He went on to study jazz and classical composition in college, but, as happens with young lads, he heard the call of the wild and co-founded the legendary funk band Chucklehead, which grew into a groove behemoth with Brian as a frontman and keyboardist.</p>

<p>The Chucklehead years were a blast: 4 Boston Music Awards, 6 Boston Phoenix/WFNX Awards, sold-out shows all over the country, songs in several feature films, 40,000 albums sold, etc. However, Brian craved an outlet that would bring him closer to his original musical roots. In 1995 Gottesman formed Rype, a vehicle for the melodic rock songs he had been writing. Rype released the groove-rock album Extra Virgin in 1997, which was hailed by the Boston Globe as one of the year's Top Ten local albums. In 1998, Gottesman decided to go solo, calling in former members of Rype along with local luminaries such as bassist Mike Rivard (Club D'Elf, Morphine), drummer John Sands (Aimee Mann) and members of the Either/Orchestra. The resulting concept-album, Pardon My Mess, was named Indie CD of the Year in 2001 by The Portland Press Herald and in the Top Ten Regional Albums of 2001 by The Boston Herald.</p>

<p>The Sound of Yes picks up where Pardon My Mess leaves off. "Take Me Back", a plea for a return to connection, kicks things off with a bang, and each song thereafter is a step on the road towards trust, joy, commitment and peace. Most of the album was written in 2003 in a burst of creativity following Brian's marriage to long-time girlfriend Megan Berry (former lead singer for Violet Tide and co-producer of The Sound Of Yes). He assembled the BG Band rhythm section for a weekend of recording, then tracked overdubs at home over the next three years. Guest musicians include Duke Levine on guitar, Garret Savluk on trumpet, and cellist (and former BG Band member) Harel Gietheim. The album was mixed partially at home and partially at Q Division with Matt Tahaney.</p>