Gerard

Gerard is the name of three different acts: a Japanese neo-prog band, an Austrian rapper, and a short-lived American rock band from the 1970s led by Gerard McMahon.

Japanese neo-prog band

The Japanese Gerard forms in 1984 and continues through at least 2010. It is a neo-prog band associated with progressive rock, symphonic/progressive rock and hard progressive. Keyboardist Toshio Egawa leads the group and remains its only permanent member. In the mid-1990s the line-up changes and the sound becomes heavier, with the release of The Pendulum in 1996. At that point the band drops the guitarist role and works as a keyboard, bass and drums power trio.

The bass position passes among Yohei Kawada, Yasumasa Uotani, Toshima Nagai and Atsushi Hasegawa. Drummers include Masaharu Sato, Masaki Tanimoto, Kota Igarashi, Masuhiro Goto and Kenichi Fujimoto. Vocals are handled by Robin G. Suchy, Simon Nakaji and Yasuo Sasai, as well as various instrumentalists. When guitar is part of the line-up, Yukihiro Fujimura plays it.

Austrian rapper

Gerard, formerly Gerard MC, is the stage name of Gerald Hoffmann, an Austrian rapper from Wels in Upper Austria. He lives in Vienna from 2006. His first track appears on a hip-hop compilation in 2003, when he is 16. He then releases further material leading to the album Blur in 2009, which is produced by Maeckes of die Orsons and is received positively. His songs are described as melancholic and dreamy, with refined rhymes and British breakbeats.

He performs at events including the Danube Island Festival in Vienna and Splash, and appears as support for Prinz Pi and Die Orsons. Blausicht is released in 2013. A track called This Is Gerard is also noted.

American rock band

The American Gerard is a brief rock band from the 1970s fronted by British-born singer and songwriter Gerard McMahon. Its self-titled album appears in 1976 on Caribou/CBS and includes horn section support from Chicago. McMahon later writes songs for Kiss, Carly Simon and Roger Daltrey, and works with Robert Lamm on his solo recordings. He later uses the name G Tom Mac.