ARTIST | Guma

Educated as a psychologist but trained as a sound engineer, T.J. Masters has spent the last decade-plus trying to subtly stifle his own ego for both professional and personal ends. The first Guma record (newly remastered from a wintery 2016 session and issued for the first time on vinyl in 2022 by Gold Robot Records) was Masters’s first solo endeavor after performing and touring in NYC’s critically acclaimed Conveyor. The record acted as a kind of chapter break; later that year, Masters moved to Austin, TX. Fiercely autodidactic, he pivoted to restoring vintage motorcycles, raising chickens, and building furniture in his new hometown. He stopped writing his own music and started listening more intently to others’, volunteering at Austin’s community radio station, 91.7FM KOOP, and eventually earning his own slot on the program schedule. Five years later, the freeform and eclectic Small Cool World has become a mainstay both for KOOP and for Austin. As he unearthed more and more rare music, Masters found he couldn’t quiet his own voice for long. In 2017 he approached Chris Schlarb with a cold call, and Masters’s demos were enough to intrigue. The second self-titled Guma album was recorded at BIG EGO and released in 2019. A List of Sightings is the third Guma album and the second collaboration between the two independent musicians, out on BIG EGO Records in 2022.

Appears on:

BIG006 | Guma | Guma - acoustic & electric guitars, lead vocals

BIG017 | Guma | A List of Sightings - acoustic & electric guitars, lead vocals, keyboards (2)

Learn more about T.J. Masters.