Guided by Voices

Guided by Voices
Robert Pollard performing with Guided by Voices.
Background information
Origin	Dayton, Ohio, United States
Genres	Indie rock, lo-fi
Years active	1983–2004, 2010–2014, 2016–present
Labels	Scat, Matador, TVT, Guided by Voices, Inc., Fire
Associated acts	Airport 5, The Breeders, Cobra Verde, Circus Devils, Death of Samantha, Shudder to Think
Website	gbv.com
Members	Robert Pollard Kevin March Bobby Bare, Jr. Doug Gillard Mark Shue
Past members	Mitch Mitchell Tobin Sprout Jim Pollard Kevin Fennell Don Thrasher Greg Demos Dave Swanson Jim Macpherson Nate Farley Tim Tobias Dan Toohey James Greer Chris Slusarenko Jon McCann Paul Comstock Nick Mitchell

Guided by Voices (often abbreviated as GBV) is an American indie rock band from Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard.

Noted at first for its lo-fi aesthetic and typically Portastudio four-tracks-to-cassette production methods, Guided by Voices' music reveals influences from post–British Invasion garage rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk rock and post-punk. The band has also garnered much attention for its prolific output, with a seemingly endless stream of releases. Most songs are in the two-minute range, but many are even shorter; often they end abruptly or are intertwined with odd and homemade sound effects.

Guided by Voices initially disbanded in 2004, but in 2010 the "classic lineup" reunited to perform at Matador Records 21st anniversary party, subsequently touring and releasing six new albums. GBV broke up a second time in late 2014, but Pollard again rebooted the band with a new album and a new lineup in February 2016.

Formed in Dayton, Ohio in the early 1980s, Guided by Voices began their career as a bar band working the local scene. As lineups and day-jobs shifted, however, Pollard moved the band towards a studio-only orientation. Guided by Voices' recording career began with a stream of self-financed, independent releases including Devil Between My Toes, Sandbox, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia, and Same Place The Fly Got Smashed. With only a few hundred copies of each album being pressed, these tended to circulate only among the band members' family and friends.