Homunculus

"The band I credit without hesitation for having written THE song that should open every compilation tape ever made for the rest of our earthly existences - "Okay" - The Village Voice, New York, NY

Homunculus was born in autumn of 1995 at Indiana University Bloomington. Its founding members came from two bands: one a pop/folk group featuring Ben Doepke (keyboards, vocals) and Kevin Shima (guitar, vocals), the other a rhythm and blues band featuring Chris "Cupcake" Ellison (drums), Matt Wilson (guitar, vocals) and Chris "Gil" Gilmartin (bass, vocals). Their mutual respect and friendship proved greater than the contrast in musical styles, and the fusion of the two genres created a unique yet accessible sound.

By February of 1996, Homunculus had composed enough material to begin performing on the local Bloomington scene. Within three months they were the biggest buzz in Bloomington, performing regularly at every bar, party and benefit concert in town. By the end of the year, the band was performing at clubs in Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Lexington.

The release of their debut CD Homunculus in April of 1997 solidified their popularity with critics and audiences alike. Second to The Wallflowers, it achieved the highest record sales in Bloomington that month.

A year of touring (now extending from St. Louis to New York City) helped to refine the music, and in 1998, they completed their second album The Pulse Of Directed Devotion, with the help of percussion player, Jason Barney.

After graduation from Indiana University in May of 1998, the band became incorporated as Homunculus LLC and decided to relocate to Cincinnati. The move was pivotal: in 1999, guitarist Matt Wilson and bassist Chris Gilmartin left the band. Adam Schoen, a long time friend and Homunculus fan, replaced Gilmartin on bass.

Schoen's enthusiasm resurrected the band's spirit, and in the year 2000, they recorded a third CD called Words. Subsequently, in a motion to focus the music even further, the band slimmed to a four-piece with the departure of Barney.

In 2002, Words was re-released by independent label Howling Records, founded by A&R vets David Katznelson (The Flaming Lips, Mudhoney) and Sue Drew (Phish, Barenaked Ladies, They Might Be Giants). In constant redefinition and never complacent, the continuing goal of Homunculus is to help elevate the quality of popular music by challenging it to accept new ideas.