Two Sheds is a Sacramento indie/folk-rock act built around the husband-and-wife duo of singer/guitarist Caitlin Gutenberger and bassist/backing-vocalist Johnny (John) Gutenberger, active since 2006.[1][2] Long described as Sacramento "darlings," they remained a fixture of the greater Sacramento music scene before relocating to Los Angeles in 2012.[3][2] The band name comes from a Monty Python sketch; according to a 2008 Santa Barbara Independent interview, "Two Sheds" was already Caitlin's email address and the name stuck because the band booked so many shows before she could change it.[4]
At a glance
- Sacramento act formed in 2006; debut LP Strange Ammunition released that year on UnderAcloud Records.[1][2]
- Core is the married duo Caitlin (vocals/guitar) and Johnny Gutenberger (bass/backing vocals).[5][2]
- Johnny Gutenberger was previously bassist of Sacramento's Far.[6][2]
- Frequently expanded live with collaborators including Rusty Miller, James Finch Jr. and others.[1][7]
- Won the 2007 SAMMIES Reader's Choice award in the Rock category.[8]
- Moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles in 2012 after a long run in the "City of Trees."[3][2]
Origin and local status
Two Sheds is explicitly identified as a "Sacramento act" and "Sacramento's own," and is described as "a major portion of the greater Sacramento-area music fabric" and as "longtime Sacramento indie/folk-rock darlings."[1][3][2] At their 2012 farewell, Submerge noted Johnny Gutenberger had spent "30-plus years" in Sacramento and Caitlin "18" before the couple moved to Los Angeles, confirming a Sacramento origin rather than a touring relationship to the city.[3] This places them firmly as local by origin.
Members and lineup
The married duo of Caitlin Gutenberger (vocals/guitar) and Johnny Gutenberger (bass/backing vocals) is the band's core.[5][2] Around 2008 the working "core band" was described as Johnny, Caitlin, Rusty Miller and James Finch Jr., with Amber Padgett (of local duo Spider Silk Dress) occasionally adding background vocals.[1][5] The band routinely augmented its lineup live with an "array of instrumentalists," scaling down to a four-piece for intimate settings.[7] By the 2012 farewell show the live lineup included Caitlin and Johnny with drummer Rusty Miller, guitarist Chris Larsen, and special guest Kris Anaya of Doom Bird on keyboard.[3]
Connection to Far
Johnny Gutenberger was the bassist of Sacramento post-hardcore band Far; after Far broke up, he formed Two Sheds with his wife Caitlin.[6][2] (Before Two Sheds, Far drummer Chris Robyn and Gutenberger had formed the more pop-oriented band Milwaukee.)[6] This lineage links Two Sheds directly to one of Sacramento's notable 1990s acts.
Formation
According to the Sacramento News & Review, Johnny discovered Caitlin's guitar talent after three years of marriage and encouraged her to write original songs.[9] The band's first show was a casual Valentine's Day couples event at Old Ironsides in Sacramento.[9]
Releases timeline
- 2006 — Debut LP Strange Ammunition, on UnderAcloud Records.[1][2] The album cover featured the band's dog.[1] The record runs 11 tracks and includes a cover of "Psycho Killer" (David Byrne / Talking Heads) as the closing track.[10] Full album credits: Caitlin Rose Gutenberger (vocals, guitars, toy piano, accordion), Johnny Gutenberger (bass, backing vocals, organ, additional drums), Rusty Miller (drums, percussion, piano, organ, vibes), Norm Wolfe (keyboards, additional guitars), Robert Cheek (vibes, backing vocals), and Melody Mundy (viola, violin); engineered and mixed by Robert Cheek fall/winter 2005 at the Hangar, Brighton Sound, and his home in Sacramento, CA.[10]
- 2008 — Self-titled EP released exclusively on iTunes via Filter Recordings (Filter Magazine's label), May 6, 2008; recorded in two days at the Hangar with some material tracked at home in GarageBand. The cover used a 1975 photograph of Caitlin's mother in Mexico.[1] At the time, a possible re-release of Strange Ammunition was discussed.[1] The EP was recorded, engineered, produced, and mixed by Robert Cheek and Two Sheds at the Hangar and at home in Sacramento, with additional mixing at The Kitchen in Seattle, WA, and mastered by Eric Broyhill at Monsterlab Audio; all songs written by Caitlin Gutenberger; lineup: Caitlin and Johnny Gutenberger, Russel Miller, and James Finch Jr.[11]
- 2012 — A farewell-show EP of five cover tunes (including The Troggs, Guided By Voices, The Bobby Fuller Four, and San Francisco's Birds and Batteries) sold at the May 19 show, paired with hand-screened posters by Asbestos Press.[3]
- 2015 — Album Assembling, released May 26, 2015 on Crossbill Records; written via a songwriting challenge (see below) and recorded at New Monkey Studio in Van Nuys, CA.[2][12] Engineered and mixed by Elijah Thomson, mastered by TW Walsh.[12] Full lineup on the record: Caitlin Gutenberger (vocals and multiple instruments), Johnny Gutenberger (bass), Josh Barnhart (drums), Mike Sempert (keyboards), Aurielle Zeitler (electric guitar), Eli Thomson (mellotron), Joel Graves (percussion).[12]
Songwriting and the "Assembling" experiment
After moving to Los Angeles, Caitlin Gutenberger broke a creative lull through a songwriting exercise suggested by Portland musician Nick Jaina: attempting to write 20 songs in a single day.[2] Over two attempts she wrote roughly 11–12 songs the first time and about six the second, accumulating nearly 20 songs.[2] The band described Assembling as "an experiment — a dare — written over the course of two days, recorded mostly live in four days," adding: "We hope you enjoy this document of a moment in our lives during the spring of 2014."[12] The band then recorded 14 of them in four days at a Los Angeles studio called New Monkey owned by friends, producing the 2015 album Assembling.[2] Caitlin described an improvisational studio approach, citing the track "You Get to Me" being built around a Casio beat and a piano run through a Space Echo.[2]
Awards
Two Sheds won the 2007 SAMMIES (Sacramento Area Music Awards) Reader's Choice award in the Rock category.[8]
Sound, influences and comparisons
The band's folk-rock-influenced sound drew critical comparisons to Hope Sandoval, Lucinda Williams and Beck; S.F. Weekly called them "dreamy and captivating."[1] Caitlin cited Elliott Smith as an influence, along with old soul music (Bill Withers, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles), and noted she was frequently compared to Hope Sandoval and Cat Power as a female vocalist.[1] Submerge described their later work as "folky pop" and "dream-like."[2]
Scene relationships and notable shows
- Caitlin named Old Ironsides as her favorite Sacramento venue for its "cozy factor," and cited local acts she admired including Knock Knock and Chelsea Wolfe.[1]
- A June 13, 2008 CD-release show at the Java Lounge in downtown Sacramento — the band's "own neighborhood coffee shop" — paired them with Friday Mile (Seattle) and James Finch Jr. (San Francisco); the band played as a four-piece for the intimate room.[7]
- On Oct. 6, 2008 they were a last-minute opener for Mates of State at Harlow's in Sacramento, performing as Caitlin and Johnny plus Amber Padgett on harmonies and percussion.[5]
- Their final Sacramento gig before relocating was May 19, 2012 at Luigi's Fungarden in Midtown, an all-ages $7 show also featuring Birds and Batteries and Dana Gumbiner (of Deathray).[3]
- In 2015 the band was billed to play the Davis Music Festival on June 20, 2015 at Odd Fellows in Davis.[2]