Michael Gurley's Ultrasound to perform at The Art Boutiki in San Jose on April 30

Written by Robert Kinsler

Photography courtesy of Bob Steshetz

Michael Gurley at The Coach
House in San Juan Capistrano, CA
in April 2018.

With the release of their dazzling commercial debut Puzzle in 1992, Dada was rightly celebrated as a groundbreaking band that blended the best of alternative, melodic and psychedelic rock music stylings into an intoxicating and timeless sound. Singer-guitarist Michael Gurley, singer-bassist Joie Calio and singer-drummer Phil Leavitt went on to release a string of subsequent masterworks that equaled the ambition and sonic reach of their debut including American Highway Flower (1994), El Subliminoso (1996), Dada (1998) and How To Be Found (2004).

Now Gurley is back with his aptly-named project Michael Gurley's Ultrasound, and the outfit is ready to emerge in a post-pandemic world in support of the 2020 full-length gem Ultrasound. Because Ultrasound was released during the height of the global COVID-19 health crisis, Gurley was unable to tour in support of the album. The good news is that Gurley will bring his live show to the Art Boutiki in San Jose, CA on April 30. 

"We did one show in Oceanside that was spur of the moment," Gurley recalled in a recent phone interview. "When the show came around (on Feb. 25, 2022), it was incredible. It was so much fun to play again."

Michael Gurley performing with Kiefer Sutherland at the Belly Up in May 2017.

Between 2014 and 2019, Gurley kept busy as a member of Kiefer Sutherland's band, including co-writing a track with the famed singer-songwriter/actor. During that time, Gurley and his wife Stacey also welcomed their son Harrison into the world. This writer asked Gurley if he had named his son after a certain member of The Beatles: "(It was) a name my wife really loved. He wasn't named after George Harrison, but it didn't hurt."

During the global pandemic when the world shut down, full-time musicians couldn't tour.

The artwork for the album "Ultrasound."

"When COVID happened, I couldn't play shows. Since COVID started (in early 2020), I have written more than 100 songs." In addition to the official release of Ultrasound in late 2020, Gurley has now completed a country music-aimed album (the title and release date are yet to be announced).

In addition to his top tier talents as a lead vocalist and songwriter, Gurley is a bona fide guitar master. In fact, one of the highlights on his album Ultrasound is "I Love Your Guitar," an infectious rocker that showcases Gurley's signature fretwork.

"The guitar has done so much for me. I started playing when I was seven…as you get older you appreciate it as a vocation and a hobby. The older I get the more appreciative I am," Gurley said of his love of the instrument.

Whether listening to Ultrasound or seeing Gurley in concert, it's obvious he has been influenced by a vast and diverse array of artists.

"I’ll spend a month on Chopin (composer Frédéric Chopin), and listen to him every night. Then a month on early AC/DC, then go back to the Rolling Stones, then a month on Jimi Hendrix…You learn so much. Always some formula to the greatness and mystery. (The song) 'I Had A Dream Last Night That I Had A Dream' is very ‘60s. I had a Kinks-like riff, fast tempo and right in the middle it goes into a different feel. I go into a half-time, Burt Bacharach feel, replete with major seventh chords and flugelhorn, then right back into the Kinks feel."  

Completed during COVID, Ultrasound took 2-1/2 years to complete, with Gurley producing specific tracks with Shane Soloski and others with Scott Gordon. Additional contributions on the disc included Brian MacLeod (Sheryl Crow) on drums, Sean Hurley on bass (John Mayer), and Victor Indrizzo (Beck, Chris Cornell, Willie Nelson) on drums. 

"I did it in a recording studio — I wanted that feel," Gurley said. "I think the record is more positive than some of my other projects…I didn’t want to make a downer record."

For more information, including details about the upcoming show at the Art Boutiki, visit MichaelGurleyMusic.com.