Uncut is the latest musical collaboration between Neal Landauer, Aaron Langton, and Mario Gonzales; previously the three played in the band Fonksquish. Langton and Landauer first played in a band together in high school in Littleton, CO; then ended up attending different colleges. On vacations, however, the two reconnected and discovered a mutual love of the deep funk jams of Miles Davis, Prince, Funkadelic, to name a few. Some free-form jams developed in the living room of Landauer's Boulder house, but time constraints prohibited a band from forming. After graduation, Landauer helped form Pepperment, an eclectic outfit dedicated to unpredictable live experiences. Langton, who returned to Denver in 1994, was quickly absorbed into Pepperment, which had started to gain recognition for its unique performances.
Though Pepperment disbanded in 1996, several members remained partners in MH2, the band's studio, to work on individual projects. The compilation CD MH2 Hits, released in 1999, chronicles this work. Large amounts of time in the studio increased the desire to play in front of an audience, and Landauer and Langton joined Chuck Fishman (who had joined the MH2 collective and was playing locally as Chuck da Fonk) and others to launch Fonksquish, which played several shows in Denver before breaking up in 1999.
The two wanted to fully realize the funky potential of their previous band with a more stripped-down ensemble, so they recruited Mario Gonzales, who had played drums in Fonksquish, and hunkered down to begin writing songs and preparing a live show. The band made its debut on July 5, 2000, as "Genus"--the name was changed onstage to Uncut. The band continues to evolve, and welcomes your participation in what we hope will be the emergence of a great music scene in Denver.