Music

Son Of A Gun

veteran cover banders break out with original tunes

Emily Anderson |

Similar to many of the Chippewa Valley’s artists, you may have seen musicians Rich Trunkel and Lance Gregorich in many different bands since both have made Eau Claire their home. The two met in 1997 playing in a cover band in Greenwood, WI. Since then, they have performed together in Weerez (a Weezer cover band) and a Tom Petty tribute band called Breakdown. Their current project, Son of a Gun, is a group consisting of only the two men and is the first where they use original material. Only a few months ago, the pair recorded a new self-titled album in Trunkel’s basement. Both were a big part in the writing and recording process. Rich plays drums, harmonica, keyboards, and lead vocals, while Lance plays guitar, bass, banjo, and backup vocals. The album has mostly an alternative country feel with a little rock as well. Trunkel mentions artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, CCR, Hank Williams Jr., and Johnny Cash as influences. “I think we wanted to write songs that we could play at the bar that were new, yet sounded familiar,” Trunkel said. They recorded 17 songs, most of it in one day with each part recorded separately, but only 11 made it onto the CD. They are hoping to record again in the future, but hopefully in an actual studio. Trunkel and Gregorich like to perform live as well, but with busy schedules are focusing on recording in their spare time for now.