Doug Gochman Biography

Doug got his first taste of the “Rock and Roll lifestyle” lugging gear to and performing in New York City venues like CBGB’s, the Bitter End, and The Lone Star Café. “I was playing in a 9 piece band called ‘The Shakers’” says Doug. “I remember hauling around a lot of amps and stuff. We had one guy keeping an eye on the car so the equipment wouldn’t get ripped off, while the other guys loaded all our heavy crap in and out of the clubs. I always wanted to be that guy who kept an eye on the car.” With its rootsy blues sound, the Shakers often drew comparisons to The Band. After opening a show at CBGB’s for Vernon Reid’s Living Colour, club owner Hilly Crystal noted that The Shakers also have “flavors of Little Feat and Huey Lewis and the News.”

Turning to a mellower sound and focusing on his songwriting, Doug began performing in the acoustic duo Common Cents. “We were kinda like ‘Indigo Boy/Girl,’” says Doug. The pair’s tight vocal harmonies were their signature and were praised frequently by trade papers including The Aquarian Weekly who noted, ”Their harmonies are damn near elegant, the guitar play is tender…” The duo released two CD’s(Slow Cool Ride and Fish Rd) on Duo Records, and toured extensively throughout New England , the Northeast and Mid-West. Along the way, they had the opportunity to share bills with several great performers including folk legends Richie Havens and Odetta.

Making his way to Los Angeles on his own, Doug began performing as a solo artist in venues like Genghis Cohen, while pursuing an acting career. His on-camera acting work was limited to a few “don’t blink or you’ll miss it” roles on Days of Our Lives, the sitcom News Radio and perhaps, most notably as “Lead Singer” in the movie “Scotland, PA.” If you watch it, be sure to stick around for the closing credits to hear Doug sing the complete version of the song, “PA Turnpike.” When Doug started booking more Voice-Over work, the on-camera career took a back seat. Recently, folks in California have heard Doug hawking The California Lottery on TV and radio spots; national TV viewers have heard Doug rattle on about “intel centrino mobile technology” on ads for Gateway computers; video game enthusiasts have heard Doug’s voice along side Governor Schwarzenegger’s in “Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines".

In 2004, independent music producer Denis Magoffin www.brokenwavemusic.com approached Doug with an offer to produce what would become Doug’s latest CD, Right Onto The Track. “Denis liked the material and encouraged me to do some rewrites and we brought the songs to a good, solid place,” says Doug. When it came time to put the band together, Doug turned to legendary bass player Colin Cameron to hold down the bottom end. www.colincameronbass.com Fellow Shaker alum Jonathan Mitchell filled out the rhythm section. Completing the All-Star line-up is Mike Mangan www.mikemangan.com on Hammond B-3; Chris Buessem on mandolin and banjo; Nate Lapointe www.natelapointe.net on pedal steel guitar; Robert Heft on electric and slide guitar www.robertheft.com ; Dan Grazzianni on harmonica; Terry Landry on sax ; Larry Williams on trumpet and Eric Jorgenson on trombone; singers Laura Milby and Jeddrah; and Dave Takahashi on cello. The result is the new 10 song CD Right Onto The Track. Doug is promoting the CD locally in LA and currently booking a west coast tour in May.

-Spring 2006

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