The Groundhogs are a versatile power trio from Corvallis, Oregon. Their shows combine tightly composed original songs, unpredictable improvisations, covers, and an infectious sense of fun and rock-and-roll energy. Their sound distills elements of punk, blues, jazz, funk, country and straight-up rock into a cohesive blend that is as powerful as it is difficult to define.

The band started in the fall of 2003. That summer, singer-songwriter-guitarist Josh Gates had pressed and distributed a solo album called "Turn It On," which included in the liner notes his email address. Bassist Chad Fell emailed him to ask if he was looking to start a band, and with local musical prodigy Chris Kennedy on drums, The Groundhogs had their humble beginnings.

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That winter, Kennedy moved to Arizona to attend classes in music recording and production, and while Gates & Fell searched for a new drummer, they also spent numerous jam sessions discussing music theory and concocting new ways to subvert it. Both shared a love of improvisation but a conviction that the last thing Corvallis needed was another "hippie jam band." Thus, the two began their mission to create experimental music that was fresh, edgy and unpredictable. During this period they went through two unsatisfying drummers and realized that they were trying to put together a band in the kind of town that the really talented people tend to move out of.

In the spring of 2004, Gates ran into old friend and jam buddy Nate Stout. The two had drifted apart, but in the past had played music together often, with both trading off between guitar and drums. Stout was a proficient drummer and Gates invited him to sit in with the Groundhogs. The search was over.

That spring and summer, the boys patiently honed their sound and developed their live act, until September 25th, when they played their first public show at Corvallis coffee shop Interzone. The show went very well, thoroughly rocking all in attendance, and the Groundhogs had finally arrived. Currently they can be found laying it down at various Corvallis venues, spreading good music and good times for several square feet in all directions.

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