The Members

When Wayne Callahan isn’t wanking the bass for Sons of Guns or hollering with Elidila, you can often find him over a wheel throwing a mean pot, tending to someone’s garden or jumping up and down on his couch after a Wisconsin Badgers victory (he’s from the Northwoods). Wayne loved the Beatles so much as a kid, he wrote “I LOVE THE BEATLES” on his guitar strap. He is well over six-feet-tall. You will rarely see him without his glasses on. To gain a bit of late night bar time laughter, Wayne occasionally performs a drinking move he calls “the soaker.” The soaker happens when Wayne pours beer into his breast pocket.  Wayne has played in such musical outfits as Test Audiences, The Black Bottle Trio and City of Animals. Last year he released his first solo record. It sounds like Walt Whitman’s beard rustling in the wind.

Jeff Grammer was born on Halloween. His voice is lower than squid sh*t, and yet he can sing as high as a eunuch. That’s what happens when you’re born on Halloween—you get those types of powers.  Jeff serves as Sons of Guns’ backbone in several ways:  1) The tour van is his. 2) The practice space was acquired by him. 3) He wakes his bandmates up every morning with bacon and eggs, OJ and toast. 4) At night, he tucks his bandmates in and grants them each one wish. Except Mike. Mike doesn’t perform his chores and is often sent to bed flogged and hungry. Jeff plays drums, accordion, banjo, mandolin, guitar, piano, and whatever else he wants to. Like Wayne, Jeff has been a member of Test Audiences, The Black Bottle Trio, City of Animals, and has released a string of solo work.  Jeff can grow a beard in six minutes, and is the co-founding member of Elidila.

Mike Surber has the most contortable last name in the world. For example, to speak with Mike, whether it be on the phone or in person, is to enter the Surbulation Station. To be made love to by Michael, or to merely experience his wrath, is to be Surbulized.   If Mike were an ice cream flavor, he would be Surbaiche. All matters that concern Mike are Surbulatory. At age 23, Mike wrote and directed a full-length feature film entitled Owen Story. Since, he has composed close to a thousand pages for his next film, Dirty Gospels. Mike does a fierce Robert DeNiro impression, and his Christopher Walken is coming along nicely. With five tattoos, Mike is the most inked member of the band. Also the most divorced. On any given Saturday night, Mike can may be found melting hearts and rocking butts with his karaoke renditions of Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl, or Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me.

In the time since the inception of Sons of Guns, Gregory Rawlins has been employed as a courtesy clerk, a security guard, a concrete worker, door-to-door salesman, laundry specialist, dishwasher, lumberjack, writing tutor, landscaper, high-rise window washer, and male stripper.  But his specialty is life coaching.  With his kind words and wisdom, he’s saved over 30 people from killing themselves… and they didn’t even know they were suicidal.  Greg’s favorite TV show is Pee Wee’s Playhouse.  He landed his girlfriend by leaving a ticket on her windshield for “being too sexy”.  Greg’s cooking skills are focused on two dishes: Scrambled eggs and spaghetti (but never in the same meal).  If you’re ever lucky enough to taste either of them, you’ll see why they’ve been renamed to Scrambled Greggs and Spagreggi. Greg has recorded two solo albums, The Amazing Circle of Boxes (2008), Fuggit, I’ll Bet a Hunnerd. (2010) and is allergic to fish and tasers.