THE GRAND POOBAH!
SINCE THEIR INCARNATION in the early 1970s, the band Poobah have recorded over a dozen albums with various lineups, while opening for some of rock and roll’s biggest names. The one constant in Poobah, though, is guitarist/singer Jim Gustafson, who has led the band for five decades, directing them through rock music’s many trends, yet holding ground with a classic guitar rock feel.
With Poobah, Gustafson has a great story to tell. A band that might not end up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but did perform a record 12 times on those sacred grounds in Cleveland. Lately, the band’s leader is quite proud of the latest Poobah accomplishment: the album evolver/rev-love, released in 2020.
GOLDMINE: The new album, evolver/ revlove, is quite eclectic as it spans several different music styles. One thing that you have left off this record is politics, which many bands are covering in recent years.
JIM GUSTAFSON: That is true. I’m not into spreading my beliefs or anybody else’s about politics. They got enough of that on Facebook.
GM: Explain the name of the new album and where it came from.
Well, I thought about how my playing, so a friend of mine who works in film said, “Why don’t you just call it ?” which is backwards. I said, “Well, that’s a great idea.” So, I just put them together and used my idea — and his — and switched it from being to .
