Record Highlight — Guitar Star

Guitar Star LP cover art

First time vinyl reissue of the Outsider, Real People, proto-punk fuzz of Sound Ceremony’s first record, Guitar Star. From the mid 1970s to the early 1980s multi-instrumentalist Ron Warren Gandertonn (electric and acoustic guitar, harmonica, keyboards and piano) – under the name Sound Ceremony – along with a rotating cast of accompanists (including future members of the Pretenders, late period progressive rockers Quasar, and Subway Sect) created a hard to narrowly define, small catalog of sounds praised by private-press hunters, esoteric appreciators and “out of time” searchers. Ganderton’s output holds echoes of monotone mavens like proto-punks Jonathan Richman and Lou Reed, similarities to cult-raved acts such as Armand Schaubroeck and Kenneth Higney, and carries a loose influence of the ‘talking blues’ tradition while maintaining a uniqueness and singularity laced with ‘60s fuzz, primitive and skittering rhythms, and alternately confrontational and heart-on-sleeve topicality—thusly eking out its own sonic territory with a population of one. To put it down succinctly, just like a period advertisement did, Ron Warren Ganderton is, “One of rock’s individuals.” Originally released circa 1978. Insert with detailed liner notes from Jeremy Cargill (Ugly Things/Got Kinda Lost), plus rare photos. One time pressing of 500 copies – available from One Kind Favor Records.