Short Interview with Tyler Grant of Grant Farm

 So, last Friday, a buddy of mine and I went to Sundown at Granada looking for some free music. Not ever having heard of either band (that's right, this particular night was a double performance at Sundown.) we decided to take a chance.

While the act down on the main stage was very talented musically, I couldn't help but feel that JD and the Straight Shot was just an excuse for "lead singer" Jim Dolan (Owner of NY Knicks) to get up and sing karaoke to impress potential business contact. That being said, he did surround himself with many very talented musicians, and never missed a lyric (partially because he had a screen with lyrics on it).

The second group, who performed on the rooftop patio this evening, was Grant Farm, a Bluegrass Jam Band with ties to some major touring acts. These were the guys to see that night, and we knew it.

Former members of Leftover Salmon, The Drew Emmitt Band, Emmitt-Nershi Band, came together to form Grant Farm; a 4-piece group from Boulder Colorado which have featured in their performances members of The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Motet, Head For The Hills, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Dumpstaphunk, Tony Rice, Larry Keel, Keller Williams, Jon Oates, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Disco Biscuits, Abigail Washburn and Peter Rowan. With the help of Thorn and stellar bassist Keith Moseley of The String Cheese Incident, the electric Grant Farm started rehearsing in early 2011. Performing locally lead to a hefty festival run including Yarmonygrass, Four Corners Folk Festival, NedFest, Fort Collins Bark n’ Bluegrass, Riverfront, and Harvestival.

 

At set break, I was able to get a short interview with the man behind the band; Tyler Grant.

Scott Wayne - How long have you all been playing together?
Tyler Grant - "We've been around for about three years, we started off as a Bluegrass group. Andy Thorn from Leftover Salmon and myself, we were in the Emmitt-Nershi Band and we started this as our side project. It then evolved into this sort of Rock 'n Roll/Rootsy group that it is now."

SW - So this is your first time playing in Dallas?
TG - "... in Texas, we're playing SXSW (South By Southwest); we're part of a group called Spokesbuzz that's based in Fort Collins, and they do a band exchange program with several different cities, Lafayette LA, Nashville, Asheville, and Fort Collins. But they also all of their groups from Colorado to SXSW for a showcase. We'll be part of the Spokesbuzz Showcase at SXSW this March. And this weekend we've got Poodie’s tomorrow night (10/12 outside of Austin), we've got the Saxon Pub in Austin on Sunday."

SW - So you are doing a little Texas Run then?
TG - "Yeah, and then we are opening three shows for Greensky Bluegrass in Baton Rouge, Mobile, and Memphis. And this whole tour is routing to Mulberry Mountain for The Yonder Mountain Harvest Fest. (10/17-19) It's a great festival, the same place they do Wakarusa."

SW - What do you enjoy most about playing with Grant Farm?

TG - "It's a fruition of all the efforts I want to put out and into the scene right now. I feel like we are giving it something that the scene needs, getting back to a little bit, kind of Rootsy, and Rock n' Roll, and Country...Of course Bluegrass influence because I am a Bluegrass guy. We're just putting it out there and trying to write the best songs we can, and really it's just happening; it's hard to explain. It's just happening and we're on the bus, love it!"

Seeing as there was a noise complaint, we never did get a second set, so when the official interview ended my buddy and I chilled with the guys in the band. I am now the official authority on Grant Farm's return to DFW, as they said I'll be the first to know! Next time we will blow them away with an excellent turn out, and we'll show 'em just how much we like Jam-Grass down here in Texas!

SW

Tyler Grant - Guitar/Vocal
Adrian Engfer - Bass/Vocal
Sean Macaulay - Drums/Vocal
Stephen Thurston - Keyboards/Vocal

Sell your beats online at ReverbNation.com

Featured Shows; Week of 9/1/13

Hello, and happy September! You've dropped by the right place for your Labor Day week live music shows in DFW! Another great week of quality music here in North Texas with our featured shows. As I have mentioned, we have become a nonprofit in Texas, working on setting everything up, but we are always looking for more people to join our cause. Also, mark your calendars, Friday November 29th is Live Music DFW's first event! Full lineup to come soon. Without further ado, our featured weekly shows for the week of 9/1/13.

Sunday 9/1
Join in for the Bedford Blues and Barbeque festival, closing out tonight with Buddy Guy, the man, the musician, the legend. A powerhouse in Chicago Blues for half a century, this man is an influence to many of the greats; Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton...the list goes on. I've seen Guy on 3 seperate occasions, and had a chance to meet him when I was in High School. Buddy Guy is definitely Someone you should see before you or he (he's 70+) die. Show info can be located here.

(Buddy and I at Legends in Chicago 2008)

Monday 9/2
The Reggae Monday Sept. Residency at the Sundown at Granada, is noneother than Sensible, a local Reggae act that will be taking the stage every Monday in September at 11pm. Show details are here.



Tuesday 9/3
Pearl Street Riot is at Love and War in Texas - Plano on Tuesday, bringing their Alt-Country/Rock n' Roll soundtrack with them. This quartet comes from Paris Texas, and will give Plano a night of great tunes. Show info here.



Wednesday 9/4
BOYFRNDZ and Cleanup play at Hailey's on Wednesday, playing a Phychedellic/Jam/Rock show. Boyfrndz are from Austin and Cleanup is from Ft. Worth. Show info can be found here.


Thursday 9/5
The Kessler Theater hosts Ray Wylie Hubbard on Thursday for a live album recording. Riding that line of Blues, Folk, and Americana, Ray Wylie Hubbard is exactly the type of act to see at the intimate Kessler. Show info is here.



Friday 9/6
Govinda is to play at the Green Elephant on Friday. A classically trained violinist, Shane Madden "Govinda" produces and composes what I'd like to call a cross between Trance, Experimental, Tribal, and Classical. He will be at the Green Elephant for a Friday Night show. Info is located here.



Saturday 9/7
NOLA's Jazz Revival Movement post-Katrina gave birth to many Funky new Jazz groups out of the city. One such group is the Rebirth Brass Band, who are in Dallas Saturday at the Granada Theater. With local opening acts The Effinays and Gravity Feed (Two of our close friends), this should be a great night of music! Show info is located here.



Well that's it, those are our shows! I will soon be starting a Venue Spotlight Column, as well as other cool things coming from Live Music DFW all the time. Stay posted, and keep jammin' my friends!

SW

Live Music DFW Blog, Week of 8/18/13

Let's get these featured shows out with a bang! Lots of Rock and Jam happening this week, take a look: 

Sunday 8/18
Jam it up on Sunday with KatsüK at Sundown at Granada. Giving a Free Jam Band performance, Katsuk describes their sound as "an earth-punk-folk-rock group creating deeply impact-full works of art with emotive substance, both timeless and without border." As with many that fit 'Jam Band' status, they fuse many musical styles together. More info on the show can be found here.



Monday 8/19
Down to Deep Ellum on Monday for Kurt Vile, and the Violaters playing a show at Trees. A (bordering on Indie) Rock band from Philly, The Violaters draw influence from Psychedellic, Classic, and Garage Band Rock. More info on their show can be located here.



Tuesday 8/20
After putting out 5 albums since their conception in 2003, The Deadstring Brothers, a Detroit based Country/Rock Band that plays a style reminiscent of the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street. Show is at Lola's, more info can be found here.



Wednesday 8/21
For all you Hard rockers out there, Wednesday is the day for you. The Collective (Discard the Weak) plays at O'reilly's following the release of their new album, Discard the Weak. Below is a tune off that album, The Collective...Confused yet? Whatever they name their songs, band, and albums, their show info can be found here.



Thursday 8/22
Eminence Ensemble, Boulder based Jam band will be holding a Free show at Sundown at Granada. I particularly like this video because the sax player has animal ears and a tail. Show info is here.



Friday 8/23
Gorilla Vs Bear, Dallas based music Blog, voted one of the best by Rolling Stone, will be hosting an event at the Granada. The line up includes Danny Brown, Blue Hawaii, HAERTS, Empress Of, & Booty Fade. More show info can be found here.



Saturday 8/24
And on Saturday, we have Austin based Folk Rock star, Bob Schneider playing at the Granada. Putting out 15+ solo albums, Schneider has been playing shows since the early 1990's. His music has appeared on many movie soundtracks, and he has a plethora of Music awards. More info on the show can be found here.



So there you have it, another round of featured shows to go and see in DFW. We strive to make your music experince as knowledgeable, entertaining, and musical as possible. Like I have mentioned, I have tried to not focus on any specific musical genre, however musical prefrences give you a biased as to what to cover. That being said, we are still looking for interested contributers, whether writers, photographers, videographers... Join a team of people who love music, and want to make sure the good folks of DFW have plenty to choose from! Have a great week, and keep jammin' my friends!

SW

Live Music DFW Blog, Week of 7/28/13

Hello All my music going friends! As you may have seen, earlier today we put out a post about bringing on other contributors. If you are interested, please inquire. We will also start hosting events, more info on that to come. So without further ado, your weekly featured shows.

Sunday 7/28
On Sunday, head out to Fort Worth's watering hole, Lola's Saloon for the French Horn Rebellion. Blending Jamtronica with French Horn Music, Robert and David Perlick-Molinari, two brothers born and bred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, bring a new sound born out of a run with the Chicago Civic Orchestra. They perform with Leopold and his Fiction, and Animal Spirit. More info located here.



 Monday 7/29
Monday is live jazz at The Freeman Cajun Cafe with the Jazz Refugees and the Funky Knuckles.Describing themselves as "The inevitable result of a talent-soaked soul and jazz community, the Funky Knuckles are taking the sound of Dallas to an entirely different level." They are comprised of sidemen from some of the biggest artists in the industry (Beyonce, Erykah Badu,Chrisette Michelle, Talib Kweli, P Diddy, etc.). More info here.



Tuesday 7/30
The Casey Thompson Band plays Tuesday at Adair's Saloon in Deep Ellum. A Blend of Country and Southern Rock, Casey Thompson reigns from Fort Worth Texas. More info can be found here.



Wednesday 7/31
Wednesday you're in for some Indy Pop-Rock with Kites and Boomerangs, a band based here in DFW. They were nominated for Best Pop Act in Fort Worth Weekly's 2013 Annual Music Awards! More info here.



Thursday 8/1
Club Dada puts on a night of Blues-Rock on Thursday featuring acts Goodnight Ned, Johnny Beauford and the Jack Kerowax, Southbound Drive. Show info is located here.


Late night we have members of Spoonfed Tribe playing as 57 Sauce @ Sundown at Granada. Info here.



Friday 8/2
Friday is P.O.D. @ Trees. The band formed in 1992 in San Diego, CA. Over the last two decades, the group has sold over 10 million albums, garnered four No. 1 music videos, three Grammy nominations and over a dozen rock radio hits. More info on that show is located here.



Late night we are back to Sundown with the Bryant Goodall Band. For some Soul, Blues, Rock, and anything else you can use to describe their sound. Info here.

Saturday 8/3
Granada Theater gets a little Dead Saturday, as local Grateful Dead Tribute Forgotten Space, with A Live One, Austin-based Phish Tribute celebrate Jerry Garcia's Life, Music and Birthday (8/1). More info can be found here.



That's it, I hope everybody goes out and sees some music, and maybe wants to write a post about what they see. Have a great week and keep on jammin' my friends!

Live Music DFW Blog, Week of 6/23/13

Tis' time for another weekly installment of my Featured Shows. This week we've got some doozies; and when I say doozies, I mean some crazy-awesome jammage in our own DFW backyard! There is always tons of great live music in Dallas/Fort Worth, and you can find all the info with us, Live Music DFW. We strive to be your one stop music shop for all things Live Music in DFW. I appologize for the lack of content in last week's post, as I scrambled to make the Sunday deadline. This week's addition will have a lot more content! Please subscribe, like our fb page, watch our vids on youtube, follow us on twitter and instagram; we are taking over the interwebs! So, here are my picks for Featured Shows 6/23/13:

Sunday 6/23
Off to Levitt Pavillion in Arlington for another great FREE Live Performance. This time it is Denton-based instrumental-fusion Snarky Puppy to start out the week.This award-winning group has garnished a reputation for putting on a live performance unparalleled in energy, virtuosity, and musicianship. The fusion of a knowledge & respect for musical tradition, and conceptual innovation in a way that is able to reach the most critical, as well as carefree audiences.



With over 25 players in regular rotation, Snarky Puppy puts on quite a show. The core of the group, which remains consistent, features Grammy Award-winners Robert “Sput” Searight on drums (God’s Property, Snoop Dogg) and Shaun Martin on keys (Kirk Franklin, Erykah Badu), as well as young organ prodigy Cory Henry (Kenny Garrett, Kim Burell) and multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato (Marcus Miller, Q-Tip, George Duke). Show info can be found here.

Monday 6/24
Twin Shadow plays at the Granada theater. They have been described as "steeped in 1980s new wave building from streaks of haunting synth textures and having sophisticated melodies, R&B intimacy, and poetic lyrics, mixed with hazily new wave-tinged pop"



Info is here.

Tuesday 6/25
Tuesday we are up to Denton for local act Boombachs playing at Dan's Siverleaf. I'd describe their sound as Jazz-infused Hip-Hop. Self-described as "A band whose foundation is centered around hip-hop a la The Roots, A Tribe called Quest, changes the game by shamelessly cross-pollinating jazz, progressive/post rock, and funk." Their result below.


Members include:Adonias "AD" Wondwessen, P. Manzell Bledsoe, Marcus Wheat, Matt Westmoreland, Connor Veteto, Eric Daino, William Huebner, Stephen Simpson. All eight members of The BoomBachs reside in Denton, TX. Info on the show can be found here.

Wednesday 6/26
We get some local flavor with Mikal Cronin and Shannon & the Clams at Club Dada in Deep Ellum.
Channeling early rock rhythms, 1960s groups, and garage psych bands, with a dose of R&B, surf, and punk all thrown in, too. Shannon and the Clams are described as sounding like "a brawling Etta James backed up by the 13th Floor Elevators singing Shangri-Las tunes...").





Info is here. 

Thursday 6/27
On Thursday we make our way down to Deep Ellum for a killer show at the Prophet Bar. Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, a Soul/Funk/R&B act from New York will be gracing us with their presence. Started as a band among family and friends, The Dirty Birds have been touring since 2008, putting out two albums. 2012 was their breakout year opening and playing with some huge names including Gov't Mule, The Avett Brothers, Counting Crows, Trombone Shorty, the Rebirth Brass Band, and a three week run with Allen Stone that culminated in an Austin City Limits late night set. I will be having an interview with these guys, so all my music-going friends out there can have an inside look...more info to come.



The band consists of Arleigh Kincheloe (Sister Sparrow), Jackson Kincheloe, Bram Kincheloe, Sasha Brown, Ryan Snow, Phil Rodriguez Brian Graham, and Josh Myers. Show info can be found here.

Friday 6/28
Friday, The Freeman in Deep Ellum will have a female night of Jazz/Swing with Stefanie Pepping & Gumbo Ce Soir The Blondelles @ the Freeman Shows at the Freeman are always free, but donations for the musicians is strongly encouraged.



Info on the show can be found here.

Saturday 6/29
Saturday is a Tribute Band Saturday, as there will be three great tributes playing in DFW. Forgotten Space, the resident Grateful Dead Tribute has a much anticipated return to Club Dada. These guys are the real deal! Le Cure, a Cure Tribute will be at Sundown for a late night FREE show. And for our Denton friends, we've got Petty Theft, the local Tom Petty Tribute will be at Dan's Silverleaf.

 





Info below:
Forgotten Space
Petty Theft
Le Cure

If you have read this far, it means I'm doing something right. Please if you have any questions, concerns, compliments, gripes, feel free to follow up with me. I check the media often. If you are interested in contributing content, please follow up with me as well. Thanks and keep jammin' my friends!

 SW

Live Music DFW Blog, Week of 6/9/13

Good evening my friends, and happy Monday! It is time for my weekly featured shows. I would like to remind readers that this is not the end all be all of acts in DFW, it’s just acts I’d like to highlight. More events can be found here. If you are a venue, a booking agent, or a band with a Facebook presence, and would like to have your events added to this calendar, please send an email to livemusicdfw@gmail.com stating so, and an invite to the events you’d like me to add on Facebook. Together we can bring music to the whole Metroplex! Let’s kick this thang off!

Monday 5/10

We start out the week with a free show at Sundown at Granada. Mondays in June feature the David Willingham Project, a Funky Reggae Band, playing a free set for the patrons of Sundown at Granada. As all of the Granada’s events, they post that it “Goes Good With: Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Cas Haley, SOJA, Dennis Brown, Luciano, Ugly Lion, Easy Star All-Stars, Black Seeds, and many more…”.



Info on the show can be found here.

Tuesday 5/11

Going a little Cajun on Tuesday as we head to Deep Ellum for the Free Loaders. They’re a 6 piece Jazz/Blues band fronted by graveled voice singer/drummer John Jay Myers. Their sound is self-described as "Tom Waits doing Jazz Standards". It will be held at the Freeman Cajun and Creole Restaurant, and as the name states, this is a free event (but strongly encouraged to tip the musicians). The Freeman also has some great Cajun food and a full bar…lots of fun for them Jazz fans.

The Free Loaders play the Freeman 7pm-10pm. More info here.

 

Wednesday 5/12

Wednesday, Minor Decline and The Neckties play at Lola’s in Fort Worth. Minor decline is a Punk-Metal band based out of Chicago, while the Neckties are based locally blending Rock with Soul for a very entertaining performance.

Info on this event can be found here.

Thursday 5/13

Levitt Pavilion in Arlington (posted about it recently) will be hosting the American Jazz Composer’s Orchestra, a local professional big band, born in 2010. Started by some jazz professors at the University of Texas at Arlington, the American Jazz Composers Orchestra is dedicated to promoting and documenting new works for large jazz ensembles that are created by American composers.

Unfortunately, I could not find any video for them, but the event information is here.

Friday 5/14

While myself and many others will not get to see Tab Benoit and Jason Elmore & Hoodoo Witch, two killer Blues acts, I’d like to give a shout out to them, and anybody attending their show. Granada sold out of tickets for this show, leaving fans like me to wait for Benoit’s next visit. If you’re lucky enough to go, you are in for a great time! Though it might not help, the info is here – shout out

Starting the night is Ducado VeGa and Zenya Vi at the Doublewide in Deep Ellum. They are a Husband and Wife band like you’ve never seen. Him giving off a very Hendrix vibe, her more of Fergie one, but when they get together they jump from instrument to instrument making FunK/Jamtronica that rocks the house.

More info on Ducado VeGa and Zenya Vi and the show can be found here.

And why not head over to Sundown at Granada for a little free show from the Eric Tessemer Band? A master at guitar, he blends Rock and Blues in to a crisp, clean listening experience.

More info on the show here.

Saturday 5/15

So I’m going to end out the week in shows, with a couple of excellent tribute bands. First is the Jeff Beck tribute, El Becko playing at Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton. I couldn’t find a video of the band, but here is a bunch of Asian kids covering Jeff Beck.

More info on that show here.

Then at the Granada, it’s A Hard Night’s Day, Beatles Tribute extraordinaire. These guys are really good, and know a huge catalog of Beatles tunes. I’d definitely check ‘em out!

More infor here.

So that’s it for this week, next week, I will start on Sunday as to incorporate the whole week of activities. I love feedback and comments, and please, please, please, tell your friends! Keep on jammin’!

FREE MUSIC 7 nights a week @ Sundown at Granada

Hey Music Peeps,
While I am sure a good amount of you are aware, I'd like to take this time to inform the unknowledgeable amongst our music-going friends. The Granada theater is on Lower Greenville. This is a music venue similar to others, where great acts come through and you buy tickets to go see them. However, go outside, and right next to the Granada, is Sundown baby! Sundown at Granada has live music performances 7 nights a week, from 11pm-2am. It is a fully functioning bar/grill, that just so happens to have the perk of having a $0 cover charge. That's right, you can have the same excellent caliber musicians performing at Sundown that you would have to pay for at their neighbor. I saw an awesome show at the Granada a few months ago, where A Live One played and you had to purchase a ticket. I went back several weeks later, and A Live One was playing a set at Sundown! It's hella cool guys, definitely check it out...it's free! Here is their lineup for this week (sorry it so late in the week):

Sundown's webpage is here. Keep jammin' my friends!