Gunslinger's Dream

By Lauren Sakol
Published: Friday, November 4, 2005

Whether they are remembered as the guys who won this year's Battle of the Bands Contest, or as the band playing every genre imaginable, Gunslinger's Dream seems to have made quite a name for themselves.

The band name itself originated when Tim Cartland, singer and guitarist of Gunslinger's Dream, and Chai Abdennabi, another guitarist for the band, decided to buy a distortion pedal. Cartland's dreadlocks and Abdennabi's long hair down to his back caught the attention of a man working at the store.

The man at the counter asked if they were in a band and what music they played, and the conversation gave Cartland and Abdennabi the idea for their band name.

"He said he hated the Blues, and I was like 'how do you hate the Blues? I don't understand.' [Then the sales associate] said 'the Blues are a gunslinger's dream,'" Abdennabi explained.

Later in the day, Abdenabbi said Cartland expressed how he thought Gunslinger's Dream would make a good band name. From that point on the name just stuck.

Abdennabi said the band has been together as Gunslinger's Dream since January.

This is not the first time Abdennabi has been in a band. He was in a band with Gunslinger's drummer, Mike Krazowski, while in junior high school, but the band was short-lived.

Current roommates, Abdennabi and Cartland met their freshman year and have kept in touch since. The two said they met a third member of their band randomly.

"We were just kind of jamming with some musicians when we met our bass player, Gordon [Higgason]," Abdennabi said.

Abdennabi explained how he met another current member of Gunslinger's Dream when he saw a chalking on the sidewalk of a piano player seeking a band. That was Nick Wygonik, the band's current keyboard, piano and organ player.

Then the decision of if the band needed a lead singer came into play.

At first Wygonik and Krazowski were not convinced a singer was needed for the band, Abdennabi said.

Cartland went through a three-month long "audition" where the band practiced with the vocalist, until they decided he was a good addition to the group.

Cartland joined choir in junior high and has been singing ever since. Once he got to college, Cartland began contributing his vocals to the band.

While he was growing up, Cartland's favorite artists were Metallica, Eminem, Jay Z and Ozzy, and his inspiration seemed to come from several sources.

"[These were] a lot of people who were able to put together words in a way that hadn't been done before," Cartland explained.

He also said the lyrics for Gunslinger's Dream's songs are taken from many everyday situations.

"[We get inspiration from] the news and issues that are important to people our age and society as a whole," Cartland said.

"It has a lot to do with normal things that an individual would go through as well as societal [issues]," Cartland said.

In terms of music style, Cartland explained he attempted to narrow the wide variety of genres the group covers.

"We don't stick to a traditional pop form, but we like to progress through different sections of songs and not really repeat a lot of choruses," Cartland said.

Abdennabi described Gunslinger's Dream as a rock band. In terms of musical influence, Abdennabi said Wygonik looks up to Radiohead and Phish, and the band even follows traditional jazz and techno music.

Cartland said he considers Bob Marley when he thinks about music. Lyrically, though, he said he looks up to Bob Dylan, Eminem and Jay Z.

"I think it comes down to lyrics and not necessarily voice quality, but how songwriters write and how they say what they have to say," he explained.

The band members' musical areas are not limited solely to what they contribute directly to the band. Wygonik has two keyboards, which he plays facing each other at a 90 degree angle.

"Nick has an organ, and he also plays a piano which has other effects on it, too," Cartland said.

When performing in harmony, it may seem the band produces an almost overwhelming sound.

"At times it can sound like we're using [around] 10 instruments at once, when it's really just the five of us," Abdennabi said.

The group is also known to do cover songs, such as tracks by Pink Floyd, along with their own original pieces. Other times they cover artists like Tom Petty or Ben Harper.

"It's good for the audience and good for the band to have a good time," Cartland said.


- The Daily Vidette

It sounds to me that the band has put a lot of time and effort into this recording. I think I'm most impressed by the fact that you've already begun to establish a very unique sounding stylistic identity, and that you are in the process of developing the chops necessary to compete on a level with the big boys. If I could make any sort of recommendation it would be to continue to work hard at your craft, and I would also like to encourage you to work on a slightly more unified visual appearance. I'm assuming this is your first CD, and for an initial effort it seems pretty solid. Don't stop writing, performing.

Listener ID# 79 - Taxi.com

Gunslinger's Dream's album "Love Free Work" was chosen as an editor's pick in November on Indie-music.com - Indie-Music.com

By Jordan Richmond

I think this is one of the top albums I have heard this year. It is original, creative, trendsetting and visionary. I simply can't wait to see what the band does next. - DogOnTreadmill Productions

By Silas Durocher
Posted on Sunday, February 10, 2008 @ 15:00:46 EST

The Skinny:
Gunslinger’s Dream has put out a cleverly organized CD of crisp, original songs.

The Details:
Love Free Work, the first full-length release from Chicago’s Gunslinger’s Dream, is a wonderfully cohesive album. The structure of the CD and the flow of the songs create a very intentional listening experience in which you are lead from one solid tune to the next.

Like most bands today, Gunslinger’s Dream moves through various styles, from straight-ahead rock n’ roll, to reggae, to funk, to hard rock. The first and the last songs, however, are beautifully sung piano ballads, distinctly different from the rest of the music. Contributing heavily to the album’s unified feel, these stylistically unique songs (for this band) round off the CD a la Pink Floyd’s Animals. In addition, several of the songs transition directly into the next, further developing the seamless texture of Love Free Work. But beyond these tangible qualities, the music really feels cohesive because it sounds like it was written by a group of friends. There is a chemistry to it that is unique to groups who have been comrades, co-writers, and musical companions for years.

Really, the best thing about Love Free Work is that it is Gunslinger’s Dream’s first album. While there are some small imperfections -- spots where the rhythm waivers ever so slightly or where the recording needs a fatter, fuller sound -- the band manages to avoid most of the common pitfalls of a first recording. The songs are tight, without unnecessarily long or noodly solos, there are no extended intros or jams, and they didn’t go overboard with effects. This is particularly relevant because they sound like the type of band that gets into these kinds of things live, which is the perfect place to do it. But when you buy this band’s CD, you’re buying it for thoughtful, well-performed songs, not to hear the world’s most virtuosic guitar solo. And while no band can usually see it in their own music, another common pitfall, of course, is filler-songs. I can confidently report to the reader that Love Free Work is filler free. Sure, not everyone is going to love this band, but if you like one song, you’ll like them all.

I can’t end this review without discussing the band’s name. I’ll admit, I had some serious doubts when I first got the CD. After listening to their music, I decided to believe that the name is tongue and cheek, a sarcastic joke or maybe social commentary, rather than to believe that these musicians are actually gun-toting hippie rockers. Their website says only that a previous incarnation of the band was called Orpheus, and that when the current sound developed “it was clear that Orpheus no longer described the mission ... Gunslinger's Dream was officially in full swing.” Well, that didn’t answer my question.

- Indie-Music.com

By Jennifer Wagner
For RedEye
Published February 21 2008

Gunslinger's Dream would feel right at home on the DIY network.

When guitarist Chai Abdennabi, drummer Mike Krasowski, bass player Gordon Higgason and vocalist Tim Cartland say they're careful with their funds, they mean it.

They met at Illinois State University in Normal, and for Abdennabi, a thrifty, do-it-yourself lifestyle began right off the bat.

"I rented a house, built a stage in my basement, painted the floor black and had a bunch of my artist friends paint murals on the wall," he said. "We created our own club, our own scene. ... We had a bar."

After they got their degrees, the members of Gunslinger's Dream relocated to Chicago, where they've continued being smart with their dough.

"Everything we make goes into a band fund; we've never really split it," Cartland said. "So we've been saving for a couple of years."

Enough to fund the production of the band's current record, "Love Free Work." The album couldn't be more aptly named. Almost everything was done pro bono; the guys enlisted friends to pitch in on engineering, production, artwork, photography--everything.

Saving money on production allowed Gunslinger's Dream to schedule a tour of Kansas, Iowa and Colorado in March. But on the road, like everywhere else, they're as economical as always.

Just ask Higgason.

"I bring an AeroBed every time," he said.

[ jennifer wagner is a redeye special contributor. ] - Redeye Chicago