Grand Ulena is the blistering St. Louis instrumental trio of bassist Darin Gray (On Fillmore, ex-Dazzling Killmen) guitarist Chris Trull (Darling Little Jackhammer) and drummer Danny McClain (Johnny Angel, Arrmy of Robots) who've been bewildering Midwestern audiences since 2002. Their debut, Gateway to Dignity, is a solidification of the past 15 years of rock music, rhythm, jazz and it splintered offshoots. Grand Ulena is disjunct rhythms played at high velocity. Disjunct beats played under broken and jagged melodies. Repetition of the retarded. Complex structures combined with complete and utter failure. Failed soloing combined with rigid riffery. Extended instrumental techniques forged into song.
"Grand Ulena masterfully bridge the gap between the uber-angular non-repetitive hyperstructuralism of the most rigid, martial modern classical composition and the traditional rock and roll power trio format while leaving everybody wondering what the hell just happened." -- Weasel Walter, Flying Luttenbachers