Widely regarded as one of the defining acts of the Mid-Atlantic hard rock scene, Gastem emerged in the 1980s with a sound that packed clubs across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
Originally formed in Damascus, Maryland, in 1985. The core lineup included Rob Galpin (Lead vocals, guitar, piano/keyboards), Craig Stegall (Drums), and Mark Schenker (Bass, piano/keyboards, Taurus pedals). They were active between 1985 and 1989 and earned strong support and respect throughout the vibrant hard rock scenes of Baltimore and the surrounding region.
The band is perhaps best known as the original home of longtime Kix bassist Mark Schenker, who joined that band full-time in 2001, until the band’s final performance in 2023.
The band has now returned offering fans both a nostalgic look back and something entirely new to celebrate.
To celebrate the band’s 40th Anniversary, Eonian Recordsreissued Gastem’s long out-of-print albums, Catch the Flame (1985) and Do It Like Wild (1986), in newly remixed and remastered editions. The reissues feature numerous previously unreleased bonus tracks, rare archival photos, original and updated artwork, and exclusive track-by-track commentary from the band.
Also out now is new single and accompanying video ‘That’s Just Love’ about which drummer Craig Stegall commented, “On the surface, it’s a typical ‘love gone wrong’ song. However, unbeknownst to Rob, who sang the track, when I wrote the lyrics, the protagonist wasn’t just a heartbreaker. She was a woman who turned into a werewolf when she was ready to end the relationship. It’s laughable, really. First, because werewolves have almost always been depicted as male, and second, WTF, Craig?! Who thinks up a story like that for an ’80s rock tune?
“There are a few lyrical hints pointing to her true nature. Lines like ‘In the midnight moonlight, she’s not all mine’ and the more obvious ‘Can’t be too careful, she could steal you on all-fours’ suggest we’re dealing with someone a little more beastly than your average ex.
“We recorded the track in November 1984 while I was home on college break, down in Rob’s parents’ basement on a Tascam 234 four-track recorder. A fun sidenote: all the electronic tom fills, and explosion sounds came from my birthday present earlier that year, a Mattel Synsonics electronic percussion module. It cost me $100, and it broke right after I beat it into submission recording that one song.
“The lineup on the track was Rob on vocals and guitar, me on drums, and Mark Emon (R.I.P.) on bass. Not long after, Mark Schenker joined the band, just as we were finishing the tracks for Catch The Flame in 1985.”
Reuniting in early 2024 to record their first album in 34 years, III., released via Avalon Street Records in October that year, the album topped the Sentinel Daily Weekly Top 30 chart for five consecutive weeks. The project, however, was nearly abandoned before it began. As the band was preparing to reunite, tragedy struck as the original bassist Mark Emon passed away suddenly from a heart attack.
“When Rob got the news that my dear friend Emon had died suddenly… I had to pause,” recalled Stegall. “We were going to scratch the whole idea.”
Despite the loss, the surviving members, Galpin, Stegall, and longtime friend and bassist Schenker, came together to honour Emon’s memory. After heartfelt discussions with Emon’s family, they made the decision to move forward. Schenker, who had recently retired after a 23-year run with Platinum-selling rockers Kix, stepped in to contribute bass on the album, a role he embraced without hesitation.
III not only captures Gastem’s signature hard rock spirit but also serves as a tribute to their late bandmates. More than three decades after their last release, Gastem returned with a renewed sense of purpose, determined to finish what all four members had set out to create together. It also marked the official introduction of Eonian Records as the album’s distributor and the band’s label partner, the label also planning to release a companion album, recorded during the Gastem III sessions.
Orders are now available here and through your hard rock retailers worldwide.
