Frances Gumm

Taking the name that actress/singer Judy Garland left behind when she made her bid for stardom, long-standing indie rockers Frances Gumm have been diligently churning out quality noise pop for more than a decade. Led by guitarist/singer Paul D. Dickinson, the band was founded as a trio in 1990 in the Amherst/Northampton, MA, breeding ground that also saw Sebadoh and New Radiant Storm King come into existence around the same time.

The original Frances Gumm lineup included powerhouse bassist Eric Forst and cerebrally inventive drummer Stephen Healey, formerly with legendary Virginia indie-poppers Empty Box. Following the release of the extremely limited Pawnbroker Roared cassette, the band put out the four-song Mercy EP in 1991, which clanged and roared around buried pop hooks every bit as solid as those being proffered by Pavement, a band with whom Gumm shared the stage many times in 1991 and 1992. The "Vertical Bob"/"Damages Attributed" single followed in 1992 and the next year saw the release of the band's debut CD, Cruella, which rode Dickinson's clamorous guitar patterns and penetrating vocals to new heights.

Frances Gumm released the excellent "Subtraction" 7" and shifted its base to St. Paul, MN, where Dickinson had founded the seminal all-ages club Speedboat Gallery in 1989. The original lineup splintered at this point, Healey going on to play in Skinner Pilot and Forst founding Menthol Hill. After experimenting with a host of musicians, Dickinson settled on drummer Leo Kuelbs and bassist David Theil and this reconfigured Gumm went on to release the "1989" 7", the Beautiful Friend/Fiend cassette and the My Sweet Demise CD. Theil left the Gumm fold in 2000, replaced by Jeff Budin (ex-Supermodel) and the still-vital Gumm kept things rolling with 2002's Victory Now CD.