Time Off

Got the link off NPR to his hit song off this record, downloaded the entire album and have enjoyed it ever since. Good luck making it big, you have talent and will go far.

this is a FANTASTIC album by Steve Gunn. He blends smooth folky vocals with hypnotic rhythms and grooves. A must buy!!

Awesome CD. Guitar work and songs absolutely wonderful to listen to!

Brilliant.. A real tresure

Steve Gunn's Time Off is like a mixed drink, maybe a scotch and soda, on the front porch after a long day at work. Crisp fall air, alcohol warming the belly, and a stupid smirk on your face as the stoned-out acoustic grooves wash over you. I say stoned-out, but I'm not sure if Steve Gunn was actually high when he wrote and recorded these songs. That's a presumption I should be careful throwing around, but think of albums like The Grateful Dead's Workingman's Dead, Fairport Convention's Liege And Lief, and even Red Red Meat's Bunny Gets Paid. These weren't just strumming exercises for the campfire collective. No, these were headier fare that elicited both the breezy scope of simple acoustic songs, yet underneath there was something happening you couldn't quite put your finger on. Time Off is breezy, smooth, and at times strikingly complex, like a fine scotch.Gunn played with Kurt Vile's Violators and there's certainly that "lazy smile" vibe in these songs, especially in album opener "Water Wheel". Gunn's voice is a cross between Nick Drake and Ben Ottwell of Gomez; hefty and full, yet still calming and easy going. Tim Rutilli of Red Red Meat can also be heard in Gunn's wobbly vocal delivery. "Water Wheel" is a good place to start with this record as its one you can fall right into and want nothing more than to stop what you're doing and take the trip with Gunn and his fluid guitar. Like Vile, Steve Gunn likes to take his time getting to wherever he's going. They say the trip is more important than the destination, and Gunn definitely likes to take his time getting to any sort of conclusion. This is to our benefit. "Lurker" is another light and easy acoustic-driven track, opening up with some great 12-string guitar before the song gets its walking shoes on and takes us on another hike through some groovy acoustical brush. Think Jimmy Page's excellent acoustic work on Houses of the Holy and that would give you a good idea of the territory we're dealing with here.Steve Gunn is more than proficient on the 6 and 12-string guitar, both electric and acoustic. He has a bluesy feel to his solos, yet you can tell he's been influenced by more than the usual suspects. "Street Keeper" and "New Decline" bring Richard Thompson's more esoteric style of playing to mind, with a hint of slide guitar thrown in to break up the maudlin. "Old Strange" brings to mind Nels Cline work; specifically his beautifully dense and challenging work on his mostly acoustical Coward album. "Trailways Ramble" is the 8 minute closer that acts as an acoustical mantra, repeating itself over and over again until you feel you've transcended space and time.Time Off was an album that just sort of snuck up on me. It starts out as a wonderfully breezy acoustic record that sounds well made, by a guy that seems to know his way around a fret board. But spend a little more time with Steve Gunn's excellent new release and deeper emotions reveal themselves. Hidden truths and worldlier intentions arise song after song. Scotch and soda optional.

There is some music that just makes you feel safe and secure, like a warm blanket or a cat curled up on your chest ... hence Time Off, a lazy effortless etherial loose grouping of songs from Steve Gunn [half of Gunn-Truscinski Duo, and an on again off again member of Kurt Vile’s Violators] that won’t lay waste to your soul, but will spark you down an unexpected path with a gentle breeze at your back.Gunn’s music is beyond comfortable here, it’s almost lackadaisical, harking back images of the legendary J.J. Cale. Gunn, who like J.J. Cale, sets about to deliver expressive songs with nimble picking and refrained accents which rely heavily on patterns that sound improvised and off the cuff, while hosting a gentle groove that’s as wearable as a faded snap button denim shirt.There are many who are going to want to draw comparisons to John Fahey, and that’s completely understandable ... though the fact of the matter is that Steve Gunn brings an innocence to his music, a characteristic that totally eluded Fahey, who’s sound was both measured and structured for maximum effect.It would be easy to say that Steve Gunn’s work is unrefined, but that’s just not true, his circular organic motion brings back near forgotten images of the American Beauty album by The Grateful Dead, and album that was nearly undefinable at the time - and so is Time Off,] ... a tender collection of songs that will redefine you, and the moment you’re in.Review by Jenell Kesler

I found this record via Aquarium Drunkard and could not be more taken by it. Circular, hypnotic picked melodies coupled with an understated and soulful vocal performance give this listener the feeling he's being led in and out of familiar memories.Among a TON of great music released in 2013, this is the finest I've listened to as yet. Thank you Mr. Gunn.