By Eddie Dubinsky

When SPLASH last covered this up & coming trio, they were basically just stepping out on the scene from rehearsals, and they were on the verge of releasing their first full-length CD. Now, Guta's 12 track disc, RHYTHM CENTRAL, has been sold out and reprinted several times since its late January release date. Recorded at Elizabeth City University's government funded state-of-the-art studio, Guta created a 12 song groove that is a surprising and refreshing fusion of rock, jazz, funk, and other folksy forms.
Manager, Jim Nye has the band poised to hit the road this summer with scheduled dates in Philly, Jersey, and Delaware, with stops in between, and as he puts it, "The band is meeting the right people and traveling in much better circles all the time."
When we caught up to the band at one of their favorite local gigs, Chick's Beach Cafe, drummer, Christian "the Swine" expressed his eagerness to take the show on the road. "I frame houses for a living, and even though the money's good, I'm tired of the hard physical labor. I would much rather play drums for a living, though that's physical as well." Christian does get a good work out on stage with some songs extending into all out jams.
Speaking of the "jam band" aspect of the repertoire, the trio tends to shy away from that terminology. Bassist, PJ Donahue states, "Sure we do some experimenting on stage, and some songs we never play the same way twice because we'll switch it up and see what we come up with. But some songs are strictly choreographed and won't be messed with. So, I don't know if you'd call us a "jam band." But, a lot of cover bands say they enjoy watching us because they just can't explore like we do. There is a lot of freedom in the music of this band."
Freedom with time and practice, however, is one luxury that the band can't afford. The schedule gets more and more rigorous. So much so, that on occasion, late night on stage becomes rehearsal night. "Sometimes Ted will bring out a new song right on freakin' stage," laughs Donahue.
"Well," Sadlon shrugs and defends himself, "if you got the lyrics and the chords, no one can tell." It's this confidence in his band and this type of candor in the music and lyrics that fans have been eating up.
However you label the music, the band has created a loyal following, and it grows in size with each new gig. When Guta played the NorVa, their fans came out in droves. In fact, one booking agent from New York commented that the band has "venomous fans." Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the band, Ted Sadlon says with the trio in total agreement, "The main thing is that everyone is having a good time."
"Yeah, we make sure that clubs get their money's worth out of us," supports Donahue. "We'll keep the party going until the club is about to shut us down. But, we don't play just clubs anymore. We've been playing festivals, benefits, and private gigs because Jim has been doing a great job keeping us booked. He's definitely the brains behind the organization."
Playing primarily a night's worth of original music, you never know when the band will get in the mood to slip in a cover. "We're big fans of Hendrix, Clapton, and Sublime," says Sadlon, "so you might hear a handful of those covers. And that stuff fits in well with what we do with our original music."
With a reggae sensibility, jazz chords and improvisation, and clever, witty lyrics, Guta is a band that inspires tremendous crowd interaction and the involvement is apparent on the dance floor and in the aisles. "The Swine" said it best, "There is all different types of people at our shows. There is no such thing as a "typical" Guta fan, younger people and older people all hanging out together with little kids on the side of the shore dancing." What a great image!