Gammage's Kneel to the Rising Sun album rereleased. 20th anniversary deluxe edition! Available for download purchase through CDBaby, iTunes, and Amazon.com.
The second of Gammage's four solo albums recorded in the 90's, Kneel to the Rising Sun could be the strongest of the quartet. Originally released in 1991 on France's legendary indie label New Rose, the record spotlights some of Gammage's best compositions and performances.
Gammage's vocals and guitar work are excellent throughout. His guitar playing shows an element of tasteful refinement and restraint not found in his work with the New York rock band Certain General. The songs share elements of blues and folk with strong melodies and lyrics.
Kicking off the album is "Shed My Skin" a catchy song about renewal and personal rebirth. Other song standouts are "Season of Rage", "Through My Window", and the Fred Neil classic "Everybody's Talking At Me". The band's musicianship overall is stellar and features some of the best New York players from that era. Marc Jeffrey (Band of Outsiders, Playtime) contributes guitar and slide guitar, Vinny DeNunzio (Feelies, Richard Hell, Health and Happiness Show) plays percussion and harmonica, Dave Kaufman (The Nails) is on keyboards, D. Lee (Band of Outsiders) is on bass, and Phil's old band mate from the Corvairs, Martin Blazy joins in to play percussion and drums.
The 2011 reissue features two previously unreleased bonus tracks. "Johnny Guitar" is a collaboration with Spanish chanteuse Patricia Navarro and the music is pure Gammage. "Yes It's Me" was recorded around the time of the Kneel sessions and fits beautifully with the rest of the collection.
This album was a minor hit in France upon its original release in '91 but never saw a proper American issue. Overall it is a dynamite collection of songs from a long overlooked and underappreciated songwriter and musician. Great to it finally get a reissue with this 20th anniversary release!
DECEMBER 2010
Certain General Songs Appear on Decade Box - 10th Birthday of Le Son du Maquis; New Stolen Car CD Promo Video Released
Certain General is pleased to announce the inclusion of two songs on the four disc box set from our French label Le Son du Maquis. CG songs featured are "In The Park" and "New Politician". Also included are songs from Alan Vega, Big Arm (ex Happy Monday), A Certain Ratio, Trisomie 21, James Chance, Paul Haig, The Blow Monkeys, The Neon Judgement, Hifiklub, Boy and The Echo Choir, The Mondrians, Film Noir, Marc Hurtado, Cosmophonics, Cluster, Faust, Dajsad, 202s, Cercueil, Stuart Moxham (ex Young Marble Giants), Steel and Glass, Bettina Koester (ex Malaria!), Jake Ziah, and Mist, among others. Visit the Le Son du Maquis website for more information about this box set.
The band is also pleased to announce the release of a two-minute promotional video for the Stolen Car CD. The video features live band performance footage and music from four songs off of the CD. View the video at YouTube.
Certain General Songs Appear on Two French Magazine Music Sampler CDs; Video Released
New York rock band Certain General is pleased to announce the inclusion of two previously unreleased songs on promotional sampler CDs produced by two noted French magazines. "Fun With a Gun," recorded in 1981, appears on the sampler CD included with the current issue of Abus Dangereaux (which appropriately translates as Dangerous Trees). Visit their site here: http://www.abusdangereux.net/
The band is also very pleased to announce the creation of a video for the song. Discussing both the song and video, singer and current bass player Parker Dulany says:
"Serendipity is a funny thing. Certain General recorded a song in 1981 that was somehow never released, called "Fun with a Gun." It was produced by Perry Brandston and features the original lineup: myself, Phil Gammage, Marcy Saddy, and Russell Berke. It was written in response to the attacks on John Lennon and Ronald Reagan. One of my favorite plays is Six Degrees of Separation, by John Guare, which addresses the connection between those shootings and the novel Catcher in the Rye. As it happens, my son Devin Dulany's favorite novel is Catcher in the Rye. So I asked him to make a video that would visualize my song as well as establish a connection between those shootings, the 1989 shooting of actress Rebecca Shaeffer, and the novel. Devin directed, stars in, and edited the short film. All three of the attacks are unfortunately somehow connected to Catcher in the Rye.
On the night of December 7th, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's shooting, we will unveil my son's short film on the subject of Catcher in the Rye. The video is disturbing, but not as disturbing as what we all lived through."
MAY 2010 New Certain General CD Stolen Car released May 21, 2010
JDE20 Records and New York band Certain General are pleased to announce the May 21 release of Stolen Car. This 13-song CD, comprised of 12 new songs written by the band plus a remake of their seminal 1982 recording "Hello My God," marks Certain General's first collection of new material since the critically acclaimed Closer to the Sun, released in 2000.
Featuring original band members Parker Dulany (lead vocals, bass) and Phil Gammage (guitar) along with longtime drummer Kevin Tooley, Stolen Car captures the essence of the band's expansive and exploratory rock sounds. Masterfully produced by Tooley at his Concept Studios in New York, the recording includes contributions from notable sax session musician Robert Aaron, a veteran of recordings by David Bowie, James White, and Al Jarreau, among many others.
Certain General formed in New York's East Village in the early 1980s and have been called 'the missing link between Television and Sonic Youth,' while attracting comparisons with The Doors, The Velvet Underground and Birthday Party.
Following several years of periodic lineup changes and intermittent periods devoted to the pursuit of solo and side projects, Dulany and Gammage, along with Kevin Tooley, continue to record and perform, delivering their characteristic brand of rhythmically haunting, apocalyptic fare.
Regarding the resonant urge that drove creation of the album, Parker Dulany writes:
After thinking about it for the last 10 years, we decided to make good on our threat to make some racket. From the outset we intended that this adventure sit well next to two albums in our canon: November's Heat and These Are the Days. We strove to capture the feeling that no matter how much you felt that you were in control of your life and your destiny, in reality, you were not. "Stolen Car" is a metaphor for this statement: "Who is driving, please?"
In expressing this declaration we avoided all of the usual recording entrapments: No big studios, no outside producer, no instruments of 'sentiment' such as acoustic guitars or strings; nothing that the three of us could not play ourselves. Well almost nothing, as Robert Aaron's sax contributions could not ignored; we are strict, but not stupid. We wrote by committee, arranged by committee, played by committee, drank by committee, and then let Kevin mix alone. So Kevin is the producer. Stolen Car is the album and Certain General is the band.
Stolen Car will be available in stores and in cyberspace near you on May 21, 2010.
Track listing:
1. Hello My God
2. Circus Everywhere
3. In the Park
4. Windup Toy
5. Stolen Car
6. Goodbye Kisses
7. All My Movies
8. New Politician
9. Properties of Light
10. One of Your Kind
11. Heathcliff Skies
12. Cemetery Row
13. Emily
DECEMBER 2009
SEPTEMBER 2009 Great jam session at Concept Studios. Parker Dulany on Bass, Phil Gammage on Guitar, Kevin Tooley on Drums, Robert Aaron on sax, Shauna Laurie-Stoltz on piano, Roger Stoltz on percussion, and Gabe as guest vocalist.
JANUARY 2009 Certain General to perform at R-Bar (Jan. 14) in NYC and Tritone (Jan. 16) in Philadelphia.
OCTOBER 2008 Certain General to perform at Bush Tetra's Laura Kennedy benefit in New York on October 26 at Cake Shop.
It's become known that the new wave/post-punk band's bassist and founding member, who suffered a Hepatits C infection, is in need of an immediate liver transplant, which, if you're at all familiar with contemporary healthcare, will cost astronomical amounts.
The venue will host an event featuring performances by Band of Outsiders, Julian Stockdale, the Bush Tetras themselves, and others, with proceeds going to the Laura Kennedy Liver Fund. Admission requires a minimum donation of $15. Additionally, the money from band merchandise sold at the event will also go towards the fund.
Lineup (in order of appearance)
Bell Hollow
Sediment Club
Mikey IQ
Band of Outsiders
Certain General
Command V feat: PAT IRWIN (RAYBEATS, 8-EYED SPY, B-52'S)
Radio i-ching
Julian Stockdale
Bush Tetras w/special guests James Chance & Nona Hendryx
All star jam feat. Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids), Rob Norris (Bongos), Deborah Frost (Brain Surgeons) & more...
DJ dirtytrickpony
PreFab International partners with CDBaby and iTunes
Beginning in October several PreFab International titles will be available for mp3 download purchase from CDBaby, iTunes, and other online sites. You may also purchase a CD copy of Voodoo Martini from CDBaby.
SEPTEMBER 2008
New Gammage composition "In Love Again" appears in a national retail store television commerical. No it's not the Reverand Horton Heat performing the song...it's a 2000 recording by New York City's The Scarlet Dukes off their CD Rogue Escapades.
JANUARY 2008
New Claudia page added with recently recorded song clips. New songs recorded in 2007 posted at the Certain General myspace page or listen to them here!
OCTOBER 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007 CERTAIN GENERAL: NEW YORK'S INVISIBLE BAND RELEASE RETROSPECTIVE
For more info and to order visit the Easy Action Certain General page.
CERTAIN GENERAL, one of the most overlooked and under-rated groups to emerge from the New York City post-punk era, release a retrospective compilation called Certain General: Invisible New York on Easy Action in September.
The group, who have been called 'the missing link between Television and Sonic Youth' while attracting comparisons with the Doors, Velvet Underground and Birthday Party, were formed in the East Village in 1979 by singer-guitarist Parker DuLany and guitarist Phil Gammage. Their brand of ravishing psychedelic mayhem stoked a large following at clubs of the day like CBGBs, Hurrah, Peppermint Lounge, the Mudd and the legendary Danceteria, where they were almost house band. CG also supported visiting groups like R.E.M., New Order and The Cure.
Albums appeared on several labels, including some in France where they became popular after touring Europe in the mid-80s. But bad luck, tragedy and wrong career moves dogged their promising career into near-obscurity before they reformed temporarily in 2003 precipitating a new phase of activity which included a track on the second volume of Soul Jazz's New York Noise series.
The 2-CD set features over 40 tracks charting the group's career from their earliest 1981 demos and 82's Holiday Of Love EP, through album tracks including live and alternative versions plus live material from the original lineup when it reunited in 2003 to play a gig at NY's Public Theatre. There's also some toxic collaborations with David Lynch chanteuse Julee Cruise, including a defiant post-9/11 version of 'New York New York' with Patti Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye.
The set is dedicated to Certain General's former manager Ruth Polsky, the booking agent who nurtured the post-punk movement and can be credited with kickstarting the US careers of UK groups including New Order, The Smiths, Birthday Party and Echo and the Bunnymen. Ruth was horrifically killed by a runaway yellow taxi outside the Limelight Club in September 1986 while greeting arrivals at a Certain General show. Poleaxing the group's spirit and momentum.
Parker DuLany and Phil Gammage have been recording again and hope to play a few UK dates in the summer. Hopefully, invisible no more.
MARCH 2006
After much deliberation and angst I have decided to direct our webmaster to shut down my other music projects web sites and migrate their content to this one. The idea behind this is that it makes sense to have everything in one place. Therefore you'll notice alot of new content on this site.
Also look for a new Sourmashusa.com site to arise soon. In an effort to carry on the work and vision of our late friend Stephen Graziano many of the original Sourmash artists are organizing this new version of the website.
Songs of mine continue to pop up on TV. Listen carefully the next time you watch "The Gastineau Girls" in particular.
MARCH 2006
The definitive Corvairs collection Unsafe At Any Speed now on one CD. 22-song compilation from one of the top garage rock bands of the 80s. Includes cuts from their debut 1984 Temple Fire EP, Sad Hotel 12" 45 Rio Blanco LP, Hitchhiker LP, and their legendary unreleased CD recorded in 1990. now available as a limited edition CDR at our online store.
JANUARY 2006 The Certain General song "Back Downtown" (originally on the Labor Records 1981 EP) appears on the Soul Jazz Records compliation CD New York Noise Vol. 2.
AUGUST 2005 Read the July '05 Certain General article "The Invisible band of NY" from trakmarx.com (U.K.). Written by music journalist Kris Needs this fascinating article reviews the intriguing history of the band and it's music. Includes CD recommendations by the author.
MARCH 2005 GAMMAGE COMPOSITIONS ON TV
Several Phil Gammage compositions continue to be placed on several network TV shows. These networks include:
USA Network
A&E (Arts and Entertainment)
Discovery Channel
SEPTEMBER 2004 CERTAIN GENERAL TO PERFORM AT DANCETERIA REUNION EVENT IN NEW YORK
AUGUST 2004 SONGS PLACED IN TV SHOWS, DVDS
One of Phil's compositions from the Voodoo Martini CD "Men Without Shame" is featured as soundtrack music on the A&E network's TV show "Biography of the Year 2003".
Also a couple of songs of Gammage's has been placed on the DVD trailer for the film "Along Came Polly" and the A&E show "Biography: Christina Onassis" ("Uptown, Downtown").
NOVEMBER 2003
I am pleased to announce that the new PreFab International website has been launched to the world. The creation of this site is the direct result of requests by fans and music enthusiasts to have access to more information about my work as well as have the opportunity to purchase some of my various CD releases.
For years information about my projects has available been online at various websites. Those websites are still there (see the artists pages), but for the first time much of the information has been consolidated at one place...the place you're at right now!
The staff at PreFab has and will continue to work hard to provide you with a meaningful and exhilarating web experience. If you have any suggestions or ideas about this site you can get ahold of us at the Contact Us page.
In the coming months watch for news updates and more interesting archival material to be added to the site. I've recently been added to the roster of fine songwriters at Helene Blue Musique, so look out for new developments with that in the near future.
The second of Gammage's four solo albums recorded in the 90's, Kneel to the Rising Sun could be the strongest of the quartet. Originally released in 1991 on France's legendary indie label New Rose, the record spotlights some of Gammage's best compositions and performances. 
Certain General is pleased to announce the inclusion of two songs on the four disc box set from our French label Le Son du Maquis. CG songs featured are "In The Park" and "New Politician". Also included are songs from Alan Vega, Big Arm (ex Happy Monday), A Certain Ratio, Trisomie 21, James Chance, Paul Haig, The Blow Monkeys, The Neon Judgement, Hifiklub, Boy and The Echo Choir, The Mondrians, Film Noir, Marc Hurtado, Cosmophonics, Cluster, Faust, Dajsad, 202s, Cercueil, Stuart Moxham (ex Young Marble Giants), Steel and Glass, Bettina Koester (ex Malaria!), Jake Ziah, and Mist, among others. 
New York rock band Certain General is pleased to announce the inclusion of two previously unreleased songs on promotional sampler CDs produced by two noted French magazines. "Fun With a Gun," recorded in 1981, appears on the sampler CD included with the current issue of Abus Dangereaux (which appropriately translates as Dangerous Trees). Visit their site here: 
JDE20 Records and New York band Certain General are pleased to announce the May 21 release of Stolen Car. This 13-song CD, comprised of 12 new songs written by the band plus a remake of their seminal 1982 recording "Hello My God," marks Certain General's first collection of new material since the critically acclaimed Closer to the Sun, released in 2000.
CERTAIN GENERAL: NEW YORK'S INVISIBLE BAND RELEASE RETROSPECTIVE
The Certain General song "Back Downtown" (originally on the Labor Records 1981 EP) appears on the 
