Caitlin Gutenberger is the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of the Sacramento indie/folk-rock band Two Sheds, which she co-leads with her husband, bassist Johnny Gutenberger.[1][2] Active in the Sacramento scene from the mid-2000s, the duo were described by Submerge as "a major portion of the greater Sacramento-area music fabric."[3]
At a glance
- Singer/guitarist and chief songwriter of Two Sheds, a husband-and-wife project with bassist Johnny Gutenberger.[1][3]
- Two Sheds formed as a Sacramento act, releasing debut LP Strange Ammunition in 2006.[1][3]
- Local to Sacramento: Caitlin lived in the city roughly 18 years and Johnny 30-plus years before they relocated.[2]
- The couple moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles in 2012, playing a farewell show on May 19, 2012.[2]
- Cited vocal comparisons include Hope Sandoval and Cat Power; she cites Elliott Smith and old soul (Bill Withers, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles) as influences.[1]
Local status
Caitlin Gutenberger is local to the Greater Sacramento region. Two Sheds is repeatedly identified as a "Sacramento act" and the band is folded into "the greater Sacramento-area music fabric."[1][3] At the time of the band's 2012 departure, Submerge reported that Caitlin had spent 18 years in Sacramento and Johnny "30-plus years" before the couple decided to move to Los Angeles.[2] Evidence quote: "Longtime Sacramento indie/folk-rock darlings Two Sheds will soon be Los Angeleans... After much time spent in the City of Trees, 30-plus years for bassist/backing vocalist Johnny Gutenberger and 18 for singer/guitarist Caitlin Gutenberger."[2] Confidence: high.
Role and band
Gutenberger is the vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of Two Sheds; live she has been described as "singing with much conviction while tediously working her dreamy guitars," her voice setting "the tone for each and every song's story."[4] The band's core lineup has centered on Caitlin and Johnny Gutenberger, with Rusty Miller and James Finch Jr. cited as part of the core band circa 2008, and Amber Padgett contributing background vocals at times.[1] Two Sheds' sound has been characterized as dreamy folk-rock and "folky pop," with critics comparing the band to Hope Sandoval, Lucinda Williams and Beck.[1] Reviewers have also drawn comparisons to Mazzy Star, Chan Marshall (Cat Power), PJ Harvey, and Rickie Lee Jones.[5] Gutenberger herself has cited Lou Reed, the Velvet Underground, Pavement, 1970s Neil Young, early Beck, and The Kinks as influences.[5]
Origins and band name
Two Sheds began taking shape in August 2005 when Gutenberger and her collaborators started recording what would become Strange Ammunition, working with producer Robert Cheek.[6][7] The band name derives from Gutenberger's longstanding admiration for Monty Python: she had already been using "Two Sheds" — a reference to the "Arthur Two Sheds Jackson" sketch — as her email address and MySpace handle. When shows began booking under that name before she could change it, the moniker stuck.[5][6]
Releases and recording approach
- Strange Ammunition (2006) — debut LP, released on UnderAcloud Records (catalogue UAC004); cited as the band's first record and the origin of the Gutenbergers' chemistry.[1][3][7] The album features Gutenberger on vocals, guitars, toy piano, piano, and accordion, with guest contributions from Norm Wolfe (keyboards/guitars), Robert Cheek (vibes/backing vocals), and Melody Mundy (viola/violin); all songs are written by Gutenberger except track 11, a David Byrne cover.[7]
- Split 7" with Dame Satan — released on Ghost Mansion Records (catalogue GMR007), titled No Place / Sirens; Two Sheds contributed the track "No Place."[7]
- Self-titled EP (2008) — released May 6, 2008 on iTunes via Filter Recordings (the label of Filter Magazine). It was recorded in two days at the Hangar, a sharp contrast to the four months spent on the full-length, with some parts tracked at home in GarageBand.[1]
- Nightmare Swing EP (recorded October 2010, released April 2, 2021) — a two-track EP recorded at Station to Station in Grass Valley, CA, engineered by Dana Gumbiner. According to the band's Bandcamp page, the lineup includes Aurielle Zeitler on guitars, keys, and vocals, and Sam Coe on drums.[8]
- Assembling (2015) — an album of "stream-of-consciousness arrangements," written after Portland musician Nick Jaina challenged Caitlin to write 20 songs in a day; she produced roughly 20 songs across two attempts and the band recorded 14 of them in four days at the New Monkey studio in Los Angeles.[3]
Across interviews she describes a recording method that favors speed and spontaneity over fine-tuning, contrasting the "George Lucas-ize" instinct to over-revise with simply "getting a job done."[3]
Awards and recognition
Two Sheds won the 2007 SAMMIES Reader's Choice award in the Rock category.[7]
Scene relationships
Two Sheds is closely tied to the Sacramento band Far: Johnny Gutenberger was Far's bassist (with drummer Chris Robyn he later formed Milwaukee), and he "later formed Two Sheds with his wife, Caitlin."[9] Caitlin has named Sacramento-area peers as favorites, citing Knock Knock's record and "Chelsea Wolfe and her various projects."[1] The band's circle includes Rusty Miller (drums), James Finch Jr., guitarist Chris Larsen, and Kris Anaya of Doom Bird, who guested on keys at the 2012 farewell.[1][2] Two Sheds favored intimate local rooms, holding their 2008 CD release at their own neighborhood coffee shop, Java Lounge in downtown Sacramento; Caitlin named Old Ironsides as her favorite Sacramento venue "for the cozy factor."[1][4]
Notable shows
- June 13, 2008 — CD release show at Java Lounge, Sacramento, with Friday Mile (Seattle) and James Finch Jr. (San Francisco); the band played as a stripped-down four-piece for the intimate setting.[4]
- May 2, 2008 — West Coast tour date at Muddy Waters Cafe, Santa Barbara, with The Spires opening.[5]
- May 19, 2012 — farewell-to-Sacramento show at Luigi's Fungarden in Midtown, with Birds and Batteries (San Francisco) and Dana Gumbiner (of Deathray), ahead of the move to Los Angeles.[2]
- June 20, 2015 — Davis Music Festival at Odd Fellows in Davis, supporting Assembling.[3]