Stargazing With Kerry Gremp
Sifting through obscure records daily, I encounter enough bad music to rattle the most eclectic listener. Even a slightly palatable song is few and far between, but every once in a while I drop the needle on something truly remarkable. Kerry Gremp’s psychedelic folk track “Stargazer” is the latter. A pounding existential anthem bathed in synth that chugs along like a cosmic freight train. A bongo-backed psalm, compelling enough that you might even put your phone down to look up at the night sky.
“Stargazer” was born on the heels of a deeply moving religious experience that shifted Gremp’s consciousness. Written at 2 am in about 10 minutes, he describes the process as a “mystical” one, “the song just came to me”. He enlisted the help of Mark Neven (aka Damon) to play guitar, Sue Lobonc for Moog synthesizer and autoharp, and Tim Slattery on bongos while Kerry himself sang lead and played guitar. In a fortunate twist of fate, the Moog only made an appearance on the recording because it happened to be in the studio when the group arrived. A welcomed addition that I could not picture the song without
Top from left to right: Sue Lobonc, Tim Slattery, Mark Neven | Bottom from left to right: Kerry Gremp, Mark Neven
Gremp was born in Illinois and began playing music at the age of 14. Influenced by his father who played stand-up bass and tuba, Kerry started off playing trumpet but quickly switched to drums which he played throughout middle school and high school. Eventually switching to guitar, Gremp wrote and recorded the songs “Baby Go” and “Beginning’s End” with garage rock group The Avantés which they released on a 45 in 1965. While in college at St. Joseph’s, he started writing poetry and self-published a book of poems titled Leaves Of Granite. He became a special education teacher at Memorial Junior High School in 1969 while continuing to write and play music. Kerry teamed up with Mark Neven to form the folk duo Gremp & Damon who played clubs around Illinois. In 1973 Gremp and company recorded “Stargazer” and “Not So Long Ago” at Sound Market Studio, Chicago. Kerry is still playing music to this day and performs at clubs around his area.
I spend so much time looking back to find vintage music I constantly worry that I am missing out on contemporary music. Sometimes a song like “Stargazer” reaffirms my choice to keep my head buried in the sands of time. A fortunate find, this song created an opportunity to work with and share the stories of the wonderful musician and poet, Kerry Edward Gremp. Thank you for your musical contributions Kerry, we are extremely grateful. "Stargazer” is being reissued exclusively on Forager Records upcoming compilation album Sky Dust Drifter available for preorder here.
