Today we’d like to introduce you to Gus Page
Hi Gus, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
As a child, I perhaps had a different perspective than most. My parents’ generation (born in the 50s) spent their formative youth in the 60s and 70s. As the generation that followed, I was raised with rock and roll and exposed to Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Bonnie Rait, The Rolling Stones, and beyond. Music was a part of my family and my life. I’m told my Great Uncle Harvey was a drummer/percussionist and followed by my Uncle Harvey (Whitehorse, Denali Cooks, Coustic, Hobo Empire and many more) who was a drummer/percussionist for 50 years or so. He was maybe the “coolest” guy I have met in life. A thought that would likely be agreed with by many who knew him. He lived most of his life in Colorado and Alaska and would fly into town when I was growing up with Tapes/CDs from his life as a musician in a faraway land. And my Second Cousin Jay Summers (Sinister Dane) whose band found popularity and success in the days of The Urge and Point Essential albums while I was in my teenage years. Both of those influences had a lasting impact on me and to put it simply, opened the door in my mind that music was something I could do and be in life as opposed to just being a lover and consumer of it.
When I was a young teenager I recall being at a garage sale with Holly Newell (Mother) and asking her to buy me a cheap guitar for sale there due to my interest in music. She replied that if I had an interest in that, she had something else in mind. I didn’t know then that she and Jon Mills (Uncle) had been saving my father’s guitar for me since he passed when I was 5. They presented me with the guitar, a basic Harmony acoustic (model H570A), it sounded great but didn’t play very well and the journey began. I spent many years playing it in my basement (poorly like most who start out to play an instrument). But that moment and that guitar was the start of the journey for me. Both to playing music and to other adventures like collecting and restoring Vintage Harmony guitars and gradually getting to the point where they are the only instruments I perform with very few exceptions.
It wasn’t until my mid-20s that I felt the spark to play on stage and eventually pursue music as a career.
My childhood friend Ryan Williams (Malignant, Thoughtless) joined a local heavy metal group called Thoughtless, whose guitarist at the time was Josh Pitts (Thoughtless, Coustic, Hobo Empire, Kentucky Krawl, 2 Bit Scoundrels). Ryan introduced us, and the acoustic duet we simply called Coustic was born.
A duet filled with vibrant vocal harmonies and batting lead guitars all done acoustically and simply. Focused mainly on cover band shows as most musicians must to make any money, This group took me out of my basement for the first time in a real way and over time I made my way into the St Charles, MO music scene. Releasing two self-produced albums of original music as a duet “Live at Bada Bean” (2009) and as a full band with the addition of Russ McGraw (Bass) and Harvey Mills (Drums) “All In” (2010).
This group was very much where I began and learned about the musician within me and what it took to survive and flourish in my local music scene. Having the fortune to work next to someone like Josh Pitts for all of those years; someone whose playing I have always admired and whose lead guitar and fleet fingers could always outrun me by miles, helped push me and build the platform for the lead player I am today.
With the passage of time and the change to Jacob Riley on Bass (Fat Tramp Food Stamp, Jacob Riley & The Hometown Heroes, Hobo Empire, Kentucky Krawl, 2 Bit Scoundrels, Drool, and many more) ‘Coustic became Hobo Empire.
Hobo Empire was an excellent live band that did well for itself in the St. Charles music scene and released an original in-house produced album “American Nomad” (2014) but ended shortly after the sudden passing of our drummer, and my uncle, Harvey Mills in 2015.
Through my recording project “Microgroove” with Curtis Wilcoxen, the band posthumously released “Live at Lakeside” (2015) a live recording of Harvey’s final show (all covers) in tribute to him and “Hobo Empire Live”(2018) the original songs from the same show.
During the time of ‘Coustic/Hobo Empire I began playing a solo loop artist show that I focused heavily on after the disbanding of Hobo Empire, playing just about every venue/bar/restaurant in the St. Charles County area and as far as I could reach outwardly over many years. Releasing a self-produced album via Microgroove “Following Tradition” (2017) made up of Traditional Public Domain songs and two originals – an album meant to look at the past and the music that came before and inspired what we know as modern music.
During this time, “Gus Page Trio” was formed. Originally featuring Dan Neidershulte (Saddle Cactus Riders) on Bass and Jason Garrett (Non Stop Reggae) on Drums and also featuring Caleb Hubbartt (Hubb & The Heavy Hearts, Gus Page Trio, and more) on Bass and now Featuring Terren Duncan on Bass (Junk Fam, Gus Page Trio, Hubb & The Heavy Hearts) and Ed Page on Drums. it sometimes becomes a quartet with the addition of Caleb Hubbartt on Guitar and Vocals
While playing for years as a solo artist and with my own Trio/Band I met Anthony Russo (The Drive By Boys, Russo & Co). We were both playing a lot as solo artists around the same venues and eventually crossed paths in a real way at 311 Wine House in St. Peters, MO. This meeting changed my course for a while as I began playing as a duet more and more often with Anthony and eventually, his band The Drive By Boys transitioned into what is now Russo & Co. A Country based party band on the cover side mixed with well-written originals and Tap Dancing (a career Anthony was very successful in prior to making the switch to music in 2020) where I got the pleasure of playing next to very talented musicians Quinten Coe on Bass (Acoustic Element, Russo & Co and many more) Sam Shull on Drums (Euphoria, Russo & Co) and my dear old friend Jake Willis on Banjo/Steal Guitar (Buskin Bootleggers, The Drive By Boys, Russo & Co and more) I played in this group as Lead Guitar player and Second Vocalist for all of 2022/2023 before leaving the band to return to playing solo and leading my own band.
Referring back to what I said at the beginning about the effect of growing up in an open-minded household with lots of musical influences. The Drummer, Ed Page, mentioned above is my Son. It seems the old saying “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is a saying for a reason.
Being a father and raising kids, who with the passage of time are now adults, on a local musician’s income creates an ever-flowing set of obstacles. Over time I had to learn to live within the world that all children need (a steady home and environment) while trying to get by on a modest income and pursue my passion in music as a career, knowing full well from the onset that I would likely never be rich or famous or achieve the common perception of “success” in the music industry. Things like world notoriety, record deals, and my face on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine have never been particularly dreams of mine. For me, it’s the pursuit of music. I say all the time that “music has saved my life more than once”. There couldn’t be more truth in that statement. Music to me, like many people, is threaded in every part of my life and story. And I have spent my adult life passionately chasing it and figuring out my tiny place within the seemingly endless sea that we refer to so simply as Music.
Over many years I made changes, direct and purposeful decisions, and taken giant leaps and risks to walk the path I have walked as a musician. The average salary of a local musician who takes the plunge to earn their living in local bars for a few bucks a night is not one that will get you very far in modern society. So along the journey it took a lot of outside of the box thinking and a lot of luck and support for those who care about me when I have fallen down. Things like buying an uninhabitable 40+ year old mobile home (with minimal tools and very little idea of how to fix things) and through the help of a childhood friend, turning it into a tiny house-style home for my family that allowed me to live in an expensive community on a small budget. Accepting things like never having a car payment for a “newer nicer” automobile and driving cars I can afford or repair enough along the way to keep functional. Living without the use of Credit Cards and Bank Loans as is so common in the modern age. I currently live part-time and am heading to full-time dwelling in a converted School Bus known locally as “The Gus Bus” and just completed a custom-built travel trailer to pair with my band van to use for the most practical travel that I can manage for solo – band regional travel and touring in support of my upcoming album release, starting with dates in February in Chicago and Southern Illinois.
Those types of sacrifices and outside of the box approaches to “the norm” have been a staple of my path to being able to be a professional musician. A path that has been way more about the music and the lifestyle that comes with it than the dollars and cents, because quite frankly any financial planner would probably label that lifestyle as unsustainable and high risk.
As I sit here today, a couple decades into music as my path, I am, as expected, not a rich man in terms of money and fame and notoriety. But extremely wealthy in terms of connections, experiences, the amount of music I have been able to create, and the honor of being able to walk the path with my son and in what will ultimately seem like a very short amount of time to pass the torch to the next generation to continue the family tradition of music.
After releasing three singles:
Riverside Blues (2024) an original bluegrass-style song recorded in Nashville with an outstanding musician and sound engineer, Mark Dryer.
That Spirit of Christmas (2024) a soulful Ray Charles Cover.
Tell Diane (2024) a folk song recorded as a tribute and cover of a deceased musician that had a huge impact of the St Charles music scene and beyond. Mike Jordan (1954-1992).
We are looking forward to releasing a self-titled Gus Page album in the spring of 2025. It will feature all original music of many styles and genres and was mostly recorded in a special place called Brandts Cavern – a private space owned by Dave Brandt, a friend and father of my childhood friend Josh Brandt. I set out with Ed Page and Terren Duncan to put together an album that is both looking back over a career of songwriting with a few renditions of songs from my past and present and forward to the road ahead with new and more current writing.
Along with the resources of Microgroove, the incredible work done by Curtis Wilcoxen (Sound Engineer) The addition and tireless work of my Manager Lucie Iverson, and the performances of the musicians in my band and a few friends from my musical world, these single releases and the upcoming record are not only my best work on a creative and technical level, but also the best picture of Gus Page music I have ever put out into the world officially.
Music is an ever-evolving journey, and I can’t express enough the fortune I have had and the rewards that have come from choosing to pursue it and share it with the generations that came before and after me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Hit and miss on the smooth part. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes small and large obstacles are seemingly everywhere.
Major ones along the way have been a lot of financial challenges that come along with being a single parent striving to make a living in a local music scene as I mentioned in the previous question.
Others include things like band longevity, trying to rise in even local popularity, and do well as a solo musician takes tons of work and effort that happens off stage. It’s wearing every hat most of the time. Being your own publicist, booking agent, social media person, writing and learning new cover songs as often as possible, learning specifics for individual shows, being your own sound technician, full or partial band leader, coordinator, and front man, maintaining and upgrading equipment constantly. And, oh yeah, with the little focus you have left, be the musician you love to be. That’s why you are here wearing all these other hats in the first place.
Time takes a toll on all things. Bands break up, musicians in the bands pass away, venues close and change hands. Earning a living locally through music is an ongoing and ever-changing array of relationships with venue owners and workers and learning to “ride the wave” and “survive the wave” are ongoing challenges, not ones you simply conquer and move on from.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have worked in music in so many different fashions. I’d like to think my guitar playing is what sets me apart. I play well after all these years of doing it. But I have learned it’s my vocal abilities, sound, and approach that seem to set me apart from the crowd.
What matters most to you? Why?
The music itself and the experiences that come along with it! Money and fame and all that are not specifically the motivation for me. I love creating and performing the music. Getting to travel or play different venues locally and play and create music with friends and close people. Music is a family and I am fortunate to have many good people in my camp and corner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.guspagemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guspagemusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guspagemusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@guspagemusic488
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/56lPTAzG2dJfPENf9UV33A?si=a8leu5nDSueuvnWCEhW8vw&nd=1&dlsi=18daf1110b714832
Image Credits
Lucie Iverson
