-Friedrich Nietzsche
BIOGRAPHY
God Among Men's roots can be traced all the way back to Reno, Nevada beginning around 1990. I was reading Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche at the time, and I kept thinking what a great name God Among Men would be for a band. I only knew 2 chords on guitar at the time and 1 on piano, but I grabbed some friends and we started our first band. We rented a storage place and bought some crappy gear from pawn shops and practiced in the cold. Pretty soon we were putting out cassette tapes and booking as many bar shows as we could between high school and work. I spent the next few years drinking, smoking, dropping out of college, learning to play guitar, and meeting people all over the country. It was great!
Then one day in 1996 I met my future wife, Liz, and asked her to move from Los Angeles to Reno. The funny story is that for months she looked for a band to sing with as I was looking for a singer to front GAM. After trying out a few singers my friend Dale from SPROUT asked Liz to sing a song just for fun. The entire room was stunned at her talent, and she got the job she wasn't even trying out for. So we spent about a year playing everywhere in Reno, Tahoe, Sacramento and more, until Liz made us realize that we needed a bigger music scene with a bigger audience. So we packed up the cats and moved to Sin City.
Once in Las Vegas we hooked up with longtime friend Niki Sligar (my best friend Crud's sister) of Shoestring Records and quickly rose to the top of the local scene. By 1998 we were selling out local clubs, opening for touring acts, and earning a reputation as the hardest working band in town. Xtreme Radio 107.5, added the song "Pulse" from our Cd 4th Degree Tear to regular rotation and we grabbed the attention of L.A. management company JJM as well as sponsor Jagermeister.
We played a few showcases for major labels and went to a ton of meetings, but it just wasn't comfortable for us. We had a strong DIY ethic and we got fed up quick with the major label game. So, we decided to get away from the pressure and move to Sacramento, CA. I remember one of our last shows before leaving Las Vegas was at Sam Boyd stadium for XTREME RADIO OBC 3.5, with over 30,000 people in attendance. We had the privilege of sharing the stage with Staind, Stone Temple Pilots, Papa Roach, Kittie, Static X, Cypress Hill, System of a Down and more, it was really amazing.
So by 2000, we found ourselves hiding from the industry in Sacto with some new members, and a lot of local skepticism. Having been the new band in town before we knew the drill. We practiced every night and took every show we could get. If it was a weeknight at a garage we played it! Pretty soon JJM came back in the picture and we found ourselves playing a showcase at Lava Lounge in Long Beach for Columbia Records. Famed A&R rep John Kolodner was impressed and they offered us the deal.
People started treating us like stars even though we felt like the same rubes from Reno, but it was exciting to be a part of the whole circus. Unfortunately, the record deal was doomed from the start. Originally we were slated to fly to TN to record with Malcolm Springer (Full Devil Jacket, Spike 1000) but after months of waiting this didn't happen. Then last minute the label picked a 1st time producer that had a different vision of the band to record us in L.A. To make matters worse, our label, manager, and lawyer couldn't seem to get on the same page about anything. After a year of this drama we all went our separate ways.
Liz and I ended up taking some time off in Los Angeles, occasionally surfacing with an acoustic gig around town. We've spent most of our time the last 4 years with our new project 33DEGREE, so GAM has remained on the back burner. We're currently recording new 33 material at NRG Studios in Hollywood, CA that should be out in 2007. All and all we learned a ton of valuable lessons and met people we still talk with today, so we're glad to have had the experience. I would honestly do it all again the same way.
In 2006 Liz and I signed a writer/producer contract with Universal Music Publishing and we hope to re-establish the God Among Men name through Movies, Television, and Video Games. Even though the band has not actively toured in years I still run into at least 1 person a month that brings up the name, and asks for a copy of 4th Degree Tear or the lost Columbia tapes. So when an old friend/fan asked me to write something for this myspace page I was glad to do it. Not just for the 16 years of my life spent with GAM but for all the musicians, crew, street teamers, fans, friends, and other people who have been a part of the long journey that has led here. For all the fans that email me about GAM shows, stories, and times we drank Jager at your house, please post them here....we'd love to stay in touch.
Thanks,
Andrew Blair
UPDATE: In November 2006 GAM was invited to play a "Reunion Show" in Honolulu, HI. The show was arranged by friends Missing Dave, a band that has been known to throw a GAM cover or two into their set over the years. The show was a huge success and we plan to return for a bigger island tour in late 2007.