Guide Note

Guided By Voices was a prolific lo-fi indie rock band from Dayton, Ohio, active from 1983 to 2004. Their songs often drew from different eras of rock music, including the British Invasion, 1970's classic rock, progressive and punk rock.

Fast Facts

1. Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
2. Only continuous member: Robert Pollard
3. Studio Albums: 15
4. AKA: GbV
5. Latest release: Live in Austin, TX (2007)
6. Final Show: December 31, 2004
7. Only 500 copies of debut album Propeller were originally pressed

Guided by Voices' early albums and EPs had a notable lo-fi sound, instilling in the music intentional technical flaws and distortion. The music had a distinct garage rock sound, but was always infused with substantial pop melodies. The band garnered a significant cult following on college radio, and in 1994 released the landmark album Bee Thousand. After the success of this album, Guided by Voices signed to Matador Records.

Pollard continued to change band members throughout the bands existence. The most common collaborators with Pollard were guitarist Tobin Sprout and bassist Dan Toohey. Pollard decided to call it quits for GbV in 2004, and they played a final show in Chicago on December 31, 2004. The show lasted four hours and has been released on DVD as The Electrifying Conclusion.