Poobah is a pioneering hard rock / boogie rock band that should have wider recognition. Founded by guitarist Jim Gustafson in 1972 they have been playing a unique brand of rock that blends proto-metal, hard rock and even progressive rock. Even though they have shared stages over the years with bands like Blue Oyster Cult, Alice Cooper and ZZ Top they remain an underground band with a cult following.
Their first album, Let Me In, has some classics they still play today. Perhaps the best of them is “Mr. Destroyer”:
The song definitely influenced modern day stoner rock / desert rock. In fact, Monster Magnet covered “Mr. Destroyer” on their 2021 record A Better Dystopia:
Another great song on Let Me In is “Enjoy What You Have” which is an anthem and words to live by:
Guitar World magazine recently interviewed Jim Gustafson. The chat covers a wide range of topics and does a deep dive into the history of the group. It is worth the long read.
Here is some cool footage of Poobah performing another one of their classic songs, “Let’s Rock”, off of their album Steamroller seemingly on a public access television show. Great stuff!!
I’m pretty late to the Poobah party. They are originally from the Youngstown, Ohio area and a friend of mine there would constantly hype them up as a must-see live act. I finally was able to check them out earlier this year, when they performed at Fat Hippy Records in Brookfield, Ohio for Record Store Day. It was an incredible show.
While there doesn’t appear to be any footage of the show online, here is a cool video of Fat Hippy Records. If you’re ever in the area I highly recommend visiting the shop. They have an excellent selection and the owner is friendly and knowledgeable:
Afterwards, I befriended Jim Gustafson and he sold me their recently released compilation album Burning in the Rain. Between the show I witnessed and the album I was hooked!
You can get an idea of their recent live sound from this cool footage of them playing Westside Bowl (coincidentally a place with another killer record store, Cyclebreakers Records) in Youngstown, Ohio in 2004:
Earlier this summer, Poobah has released a new studio album called Peace, Love and Guitars which is today’s pick!
Peace, Love and Guitars carries on the tradition of Poobah’s excellent meat n’ potatoes rock and roll. The album opener features some great guitar work from Gustafson and the rest of the band is locked in:
The mini-epic “All In A Day’s Work” is next. It is a freewheeling tune that remains raw in all the best ways. Like a classic Nuggets garage rock band was given an opportunity to stretch out on record:
The title track on Peace, Love and Guitars channels Queens of the Stone Age and might be my favorite song on the album:
“In and Out” features another awesome guitar solo and is a fast, driving number that fans of bands like Blue Oyster Cult should fall in love with:
Overall, Peace, Love and Guitars stands up with the other classic albums in the Poobah discography. Long time fans and new acolytes (like myself) have a lot to chew on and enjoy here. I hope this album gives Poobah wider exposure to contemporary music fans who long for the days when heavy hard rock bands ruled the airwaves.
