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= Jordan Gatesmith = Jordan Gatesmith (born January 24, 1992) is an American singer/songwriter who is currently the lead singer of the Los Angeles-based rock band Wellness, and the former lead singer of Minneapolis-based rock band Howler from 2010 until their disbandment in 2017. Known for his distinctly low voice and high-energy Surf-rock harmonies, he was recognized as one of the up-and-coming frontmen of the 2010s, appearing on NME’s 2011 Cool List.

Early Career/Howler (2010-2017)
Gatesmith was born on January 24th, 1992 to Jeffrey and Holly Gatesmith in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Gatesmith began playing guitar and writing songs at an early age, drawing inspiration from pioneering rock and roll groups The Yardbirds and The Who. At the age of 16, he started his first band, The A-Cups. After breaking them up, he began his first foray into surf-rock, playing in local band Total Babe as the lead guitarist. After bouncing around and networking in the Minneapolis music scene in his teenage years, Gatesmith took members of other local bands and created Howler.

This One’s Different EP (2011)

After recruiting guitarist Ian Nygaard and bassist Jay Simonson from Nice Purse, along with keyboardist Max Petrek and drummer Brent Mayes, the band began playing public shows in the twins cities. After a show at a local farmer’s market, Gatesmith commented to Minnesota Public Radio: “People thought the lyrics were really funny and they thought that we were being cute and kind of snide all at the same time. They’re like, ‘Well, that’s interesting.’”

Howler released their first EP This One's Different in the United States on February 14, 2011. After watching the band play their EP release show, writer Jon Garret, impressed with their sound and more importantly Gatesmith’s charisma as a frontman, send the EP to London-based record label Rough Trade Records. Howler was signed later that summer, supporting fellow Rough Trade band The Vaccines on a UK tour and playing shows in Japan that year as well. At the end of the year, NME placed Howler 3rd on their Best New Band list for the year.

America Give Up (2012)

Howler released their debut LP America Give Up in January of 2012. The album received critical acclaim, with NME, Pitchfork, and The A.V. Club giving positive reviews. The band were lauded for their high-energy, sneering tracks juxtaposed with some slower, more emotional songs that made for a record with good depth. Gatesmith himself was praised for his smart lyricism and moody, brooding vocal style. One of the singles from the record, "Back of Your Neck" was featuring in the 2012 video game Forza Horizon. The band spent most of 2012 on tour and playing shows, including a set at South by Southwest, a show at the Rough Trade Records headquarters in London, England, and a hometown show at Rock the Garden2012.

World of Joy (2014)

In 2013, Gatesmith said in an interview with Paste Magazine that a second record “was in the works. I’d say it’s more like the Yardbirds, even a bit psychedlic.” The band dropped Simonson and Mayes from their lineup and added drummer Rory MacMurdo (Max Petrek moved from keyboard to bass guitar). The band’s second LP World of Joy was announced in January of 2014 and released in the United States on March 25 of the same year. The band got the name for the record from a Korean church in guitarist Ian Nygaard's Minneapolis neighborhood. The band debuted new songs "Drip", "Louise", "Here's The Itch That Creeps Through My Skull", and "Indictment" on local Minneapolis radio station Radio K. The record achieved similar success, and the band played numerous shows across the United States in support of the record.

Decline and Post-World of Joy

After the initial tour for the record, the band took a short hiatus. According to Gatesmith in a late 2014 interview, the band “was just out of fuel. It’s not like we hate each other or anything. We all just have stuff going on. When we started out, Howler was always supposed to be a come and go sort of project. There just happens to be a lot of going at the moment.” In the summer of the following year, Gatesmith relocated to Los Angeles by himself, still under the Howler name, and began recording new music with local musicians. The new-look Howler began playing local shows in Los Angeles as well as some in Mexico. During a radio interview with KZSC Santa Cruza, Gatesmith stated Howler were working on new music. However, in January of 2017 Gatesmith announced via the band’s Facebook page that Howler had disbanded in favour of his new project, Wellness. Gatesmith did add that “there were no fights nor arguments” and “the words “breaking up” or “disbanding” were never even mentioned by anyone”.

Wellness (2017-present)
With Gatesmith relocating to Los Angeles, he began work on his new solo project, titled Wellness. Gatesmith released his first song “Fake Flowers”, a song that was initially recorded with Howler for their second LP. The song marked a drastic change in sound for Gatesmith, transitioning from a surf-punk, guitar-driven sound to a more spacey, synthy sound.

Gatesmith has released two EPs under the Wellness moniker, releasing the four song Mostly Blue EP in February of 2017, and the six song Mall Goth EP in April of 2018.

Gatesmith rebranded his image as “Mall goth” as an homage to the death of capitalism seen in the decline of shopping centres in the area he lived. Along with playing local house shows with his new band, he also currently has residency at various Los Angeles area clubs playing DJ sets.

Personal Life
Gatesmith has a sister, Corrine. He has also been in a relationship with Sarah Marie Vande Kamp since 2013 with whom he has an apartment with in East Los Angeles.