Welcome to Gray Area!
Gray Area is the label and publisher for the musical projects of Gary M. Gray, aka Dr. Octojoculus. Doc has been active in the San Francisco Bay area music underground for over 35 years. In the 80's in Santa Cruz he... (MORE)
Gray Area
ARTIST CATALOG
Check out some Barnacle Choir flyers in the
Gray Area Flyer Gallery.
Barnacle Choir
Barnacle Choir: Doc's first band played around Santa Cruz from 1985-1988 and featured Anatol Sucher and Dan Bottrell on bass and guitar and David Ward (aka Corn Man Pig) on drums. They released 2 self-recorded cassettes, which received favorable reviews and some college radio play. Now three quarters of the old band have identified a suitably obnoxious guitarist and Barnacle Choir is proud to present their first record in three decades.
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Dr. Octojoculus
Toiling on the fringes, Dr. Octojoculus has been perfecting his eclectic stew for three decades, providing unique songs and an inimitable vocal presence for bands such as The Jammists, Barnacle Choir, Jimmy Jesus of the Cross, Naked Ape, Shellhead Mutants, Fizztabs and CornCorp in addition to his Dr. Octojoculus, octopop and WWA "solo" projects.
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The Jammists
The Jammists is a groovy and bluesy SF Bay Area rock and jam band fueled by Doc, John Prong DeBorde, and Gabriel Barkin – three gifted singer-songwriters who have collaborated for over 25 years. Since the band's inception in 2010, The Jammists have thrilled and chilled audiences throughout NorCal with dueling guitar leads and goofy yet poignant lyrics.
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Check out some of The Jammists' flyers in the Gray Area Flyer Gallery.
Fluff Bucket
Fluff Bucket is a vision of musical coexistence featuring the songwriting and singing of Corn Man Pig, Lorraine Kline and Rebecca Ward, assisted by Doc and Anatol. A seriously happy throwback to the ‘80s with bonus covers from Crass to Rocky Horror.
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CornCorp
CornCorp terrorized the dives of the Bay Area from 1998-2001. It was a return to his garage punk roots with longtime drummer/collaborator Corn Man Pig and bassist Rusty Eelcloud, but with a twist: Corn Man picked up the guitar, found another drummer named Dave and took his true place at center stage.
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fizztabs
More than two years in the making, fizztabs is brand new music from Doc and Anatol S. (from Twelve Tablets). Anatol and Doc were musical cohorts in Barnacle Choir a decade ago, and they have taken ingredients from their old collaboration and blended their subsequent experiences to create a unique sonic medicine.
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Check out some of The Shellhead Mutants' flyers in the Gray Area Flyer Gallery.
Shellhead Mutants
Following the 1992 disintegration of Naked Ape, Doc abandoned his populist aspirations and assembled a band of ugly guys to make ugly music about their ugly day jobs. With Corn Man and his old friend Roy Baleen Fluke, the Shellhead Mutants chewed up and spat out 3 bass players (Rusty Eelcloud, Johnny Prong Lobster and Sonny Carl Longboats aka Anatol Sucher) and recorded two full-length releases without ever playing out much or generating even the slightest buzz.
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Naked Ape
Naked Ape went through two distinct incarnations, with the constants being Doc, Johnny Prong DeBorde, Corn Man Pig and Darcy Ward. With Paul Bernstein on bass, the Apes played a funky/garagey mix of originals and covers. When Denise Woodwad joined the direction turned toward more danceable fare.
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Check out some Jimmy Jesus flyers in the
Gray Area Flyer Gallery.
Jimmy Jesus of The Cross
1987: In the wake of Barnacle Choir, Doc and Corn Man found themselves playing with the guy who isolated the serotonin receptor and a backwoods madman with family ties to the Devil. The result was Jimmy Jesus of The Cross - inspired, bluesy, absurdist garage rock.
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Gary Gray and WWA
Doc's first "solo" attempt, featuring Whoever Was Around (aka Warpt West Allstars). Assembled as a recording class project. Ambitious and eclectic to a fault. Tape experiments, altered garage-band jams, even a little C&W, all climaxing with the epic "Dust," a spoken word piece corrupted by technology.
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