GRANT-LEE Buffalo/Phillips-compelling Roots Rock/Alt Folk

[jamestkirk]

GRANT LEE BUFFALO...Grant-Lee Phillips
..read about Grant's newest and best solo album in the latest posts-The Narrows 2016

Mighty Joe Moon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USBFYSKULwk

Grant Lee Buffalo was a rock band based in Los Angeles, California, consisting of Grant-Lee Phillips (vocals and guitar), Paul Kimble (bass) and Joey Peters (drums). All three were previously members of another Los Angeles band, Shiva Burlesque.




Artist Biography by Greg Prato/allmusic

Although heralded by the critics and championed by their musical peers, the '90s alternative/roots rock trio Grant Lee Buffalo failed to break through to the mainstream, despite strong songwriting and an original style. The band's leader was singer/guitarist/songwriter Grant Lee Phillips -- born in 1963 and raised in Stockton, CA, Phillips was equally influenced by rock music early on (David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Kiss) as well as country icons (Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, etc.). By the dawn of his teenage years, Phillips began playing guitar and penning his own original compositions, as he sought to combine his both preferred styles of music together as one -- leading to the formation of his first real band, Bloody Holly.

Mercury Blues Prior to his 20th birthday, Phillips relocated to Los Angeles, where he roofed houses with hot tar during the day, attended film school at night, and reserved the weekends for music. By the end of the '80s, Phillips had formed the neo-psychedelic outfit Shiva Burlesque, issuing a pair of critically acclaimed but commercially overlooked releases, 1987's self-titled debut and 1990's Mercury Blues, before splitting up. Phillips then recruited Shiva's drummer Joey Peters and multi-instrumentalist Paul Kimble (the latter of which doubled on bass and keyboards and, later on, production duties) for a new project. Utilizing a backlog of songs unused by Shiva, the new group first went under several different names (including the Machine Elves and Mouth of Rasputin) before settling on Grant Lee Buffalo.

The newly named outfit landed a weekly residence at West Hollywood's Cafe Largo in the early '90s, as they honed their songs and live show, while building up a substantial following in the process. The trio sent a demo tape to the Singles Only label (headed by Hüsker Dü/Sugar frontman Bob Mould), who in turn issued the song "Fuzzy" as a single in 1992. By this time, the buzz surrounding Grant Lee Buffalo had spread to other record labels, as Slash Records signed the trio and issued their full-length debut, also titled Fuzzy, in 1993.

Mighty Joe MoonGrant Lee Buffalo supported the release with nearly a year of solid touring -- opening for the likes of Cracker, ex-Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg, and Pearl Jam. Instead of taking some much-needed time off from their grueling schedule, the trio went directly back into the studio to work on their sophomore effort, 1994's Mighty Joe Moon, which spawned their first single/video to attract the attention of MTV and radio (albeit mildly), the gentle ballad "Mockingbirds." Despite landing a prestigious gig opening for R.E.M. (the group's first arena tour in five years) and Phillips being recognized as Male Vocalist of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine, the album failed to break the band commercially. Further fine releases followed, 1996's Copperopolis and 1998's Jubilee, which, again, were critically acclaimed yet commercial underachievers. Fed up, the trio quietly disbanded in 1999.

Phillips immediately launched a solo career, issuing a pair of albums, 2000's Ladies' Love Oracle and 2001's Mobilize, both of which were completely penned and performed by the ex-Grant Lee Buffalo frontman (Phillips has also guested on albums by such other artists as the Eels, Neil Finn, Harvey Danger, Robyn Hitchcock, and Michael Penn, while producing Eenie Meenie's self-titled 1997 EP). In 2001, a 30-track Grant Lee Buffalo overview was issued in England (where the group had enjoyed more substantial success than in their homeland), entitled Storm Hymnal: Gems From the Vault of Grant Lee Buffalo. Rhino released it stateside three years later. - ©allmusic guide


Discography

Albums

* Fuzzy (1993) UK #74
* Mighty Joe Moon (1994) U.S. Heatseekers #16, UK #24
* Copperopolis (1996) U.S. Heatseekers #16, UK #34
* Jubilee (1998) U.S. Heatseekers #18
* Storm Hymnal: Gems from the Vault of Grant Lee Buffalo (2004)[1]


Honey Don't Think
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41rkjxZlYwg

Mockingbirds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVnWAkOGxK0

[jamestkirk]

GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS....solo



Under The Milky Way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPckuAS3BFM




Artist Biography by Andy Kellman/allmusic guide

After spending his formative years in Stockton, California, Grant-Lee Phillips headed to Los Angeles to study film. Finding himself beneath the spell cast by local bands like the Rain Parade and the Dream Syndicate, Phillips soon partnered with Stockton acquaintance Jeff Clark to form Shiva Burlesque. The band dissolved after two critically acclaimed records, and Phillips began writing and demoing under the Grant Lee Buffalo alias. Following several solo performances, he invited former bandmates Joey Peters and Paul Kimble to join him, and the trio signed to the Warner Bros subsidiary Slash Records in 1992.

Phillips' golden, honey-soaked voice had largely gone to waste in Shiva Burlesque, but the new band enabled him to step out as a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Grant Lee Buffalo went on to release four very different LPs, although a cult following, several successful tours, and across-the-board critical acclaim (Phillips was voted Rolling Stone's Male Vocalist of the Year following the second LP) didn't translate into strong sales. Frustrated with his label's dead-on-arrival promotion, Phillips asked for his band to be released from their contract, and he was obliged. (It was erroneously reported that he had been dropped.) Phillips dissolved his band, anxious to forge a new path.

Ladies' Love Oracle In October of 1999, he headed to Jon Brion's studio and recorded a handful of new songs, played exclusively by himself. Dubbed Ladies' Love Oracle, the album was self-released the following year online; Phillips also sold it during his numerous appearances at Largo in Hollywood. After landing a new contract with Zoe/Rounder -- and making the first of many appearances on the popular comedy-drama Gilmore Girls, as a roaming town troubadour -- he issued the excellent Mobilize in 2001. The next year, Rounder reissued Ladies' Love Oracle in time for Phillips' joint tour with Kristin Hersh and Joe Doe. Virginia Creeper followed in 2004, marking the first time that Phillips had consciously eschewed all electric guitars in favor of a stripped-down, folksy sound. A covers album, Nineteeneighties, appeared in 2006, and Strangelet arrived one year later. For his next effort, Phillips assembled a band that featured Jay Bellerose, Paul Bryan, and Jamie Edwards, all of whom spent five days recording 2009's Little Moon.

In October 2012, Phillips, who is descended from the Creek and Cherokee Native American tribes, released the album Walking in the Green Corn, featuring several songs informed by his indigenous heritage. In 2013, Phillips and his family left California to settle in Tennessee. Teaming with a handful of Nashville musicians, he recorded The Narrows, released on March 18, 2016 by Yep Roc Records.



Albums

2000 Ladies' Love Oracle
2001 Mobilize
2004 Virginia Creeper
2006 nineteeneighties
2007 Strangelet
2009 Little Moon
2012 Walking in the Green Corn
2016 The Narrows

We All Get A Taste
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jQI8OmJKe4

Last night I dreamt Somebody Loved Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDzmp8WwkB4

[jamestkirk]

Full album play...FUZZY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkrMwed ... xY6SJ4mDog

AllMusic Review by Mark Deming

When Grant Lee Buffalo cut their debut album, 1993's Fuzzy, they had a distinct advantage over most bands making their first trip to the studio -- vocalist and guitarist Grant Lee Phillips, bassist Paul Kimble and drummer Joey Peters had already recorded two LPs together as members of the then-recently defunct Shiva Burlesque, and most of Fuzzy's 11 songs dated back to SB's latter days. This goes a long way towards explaining how Grant Lee Buffalo were able to make an album as confident and solidly crafted as Fuzzy, but it was even more significant that Phillips had a marvelous voice, wrote fine and evocative songs, and was fortunate enough to be working with sympathetic accompanists who had a good idea of how to tap into the mysterious melodic structures of his music. (Kimble was an especially valuable ally in the studio, helping to produce and engineer these recordings and giving this album its full, widescreen sound.)

Fuzzy is Grant Lee Buffalo's most satisfying album; while the group would expand on their musical formula over their next three albums, this album's relative simplicity and striking dynamics ultimately serve these songs better than the more elaborate recordings that would follow, and tunes like "Soft Wolf Tread," "Dixie Drug Store" and the title cut fuse the richly American imagery of the burgeoning alt country movement with a California gothic sensibility that was all their own. Fuzzy is deep and mysterious stuff, but also very beautiful and crafted with imagination and care, and it's no wonder Grant Lee Buffalo became critic's darlings shortly after this was released.

[jamestkirk]

New music by
Grant-Lee Phillips!!...so fine.



THE NARROWS 2016...have a listen...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrI0Y0L ... gl1AP5CfHw

AllMusic Review by Mark Deming

Grant-Lee Phillips has a voice glorious and strong enough that he could sing nearly anything and his loyal fan base would be happy to hear it. But after moving from California to Tennessee in 2013, Phillips sounds like a happier and invigorated man on 2016's The Narrows, which boasts a lively and engaging spark.

On the surface, The Narrows doesn't feel all that much peppier than most of Phillips' solo catalog, but the pace of this music is less lazy than contemplative. Backed by Jerry Roe on drums and Lex Price on bass, most of these tunes settle into an easy but determined groove, but when Phillips turns up the gas on "Loaded Gun" and "Tennessee Rain," the effect is powerful and liberating. There's a subtle passion in Phillips' performances here that makes all the difference, a pale fire that brings these tunes to life. Though he's moved south, Phillips writes a lot about his memories of life in the West on The Narrows.

He calls up evocative images of family, childhood, and the extended landscapes of California, and the mood is more artful than nostalgic, finding beauty in both good and harrowing experiences. Perhaps Phillips had to leave California behind to see it clearly, but The Narrows is a striking chronicle of life in the Golden State. As a piece of record making, The Narrows is simple but deeply satisfying, as good as anything Phillips has made since going solo. Hearing him sing is always a richly enjoyable experience, but The Narrows delivers as both form and content. It's recommended to anyone who has ever found pleasure in his work.

[jamestkirk]

Grant-Lee Phillips
The Narrows

Rob Hughes/April 20, 2016/©Uncut 2016



Captivating solo work from distinguished US songwriter

Such are the caprices of time that Grant-Lee Phillips is probably better known in the US for his recurring role on Gilmore Girls than he is for leading one of the ’90s finest exports, Grant Lee Buffalo. TV fame may have brought him a different audience in recent years, but his USP remains pretty much the same: thoughtful, erudite roots-rock that pulls from long-held traditions of folk, country and blues.

The eighth album of his solo career often feels like a very personal portrait of selfhood and loss. It’s mainly informed by both the death of his father, in 2013, and his own Native American heritage (Phillips is from Creek and Cherokee descent), a connection that’s deepened since his recent move to Tennessee from California. This in turn has led to a fuller immersion in the music that moves him most. The Narrows, he says, is “the most Southern record that I’ve made, allowing me to wear my influences on my sleeve more gallantly.”

Heading up a core trio of bassist Lex Price and drummer Jerry Roe, whose father Dave played bass with Johnny Cash, Phillips has created a warm, intimate record with an agreeably grainy veneer. The gorgeous “Moccasin Creek” is an imagistic ancestral piece – full of old arrowheads, wildwood flowers and overgrown burial plots – that acts as a corollary to the familial themes explored on 2012’s Walking In The Green Corn. Likewise, “Yellow Weeds” pokes through a sepia past, guided by pedal steel and some filmy acoustic blues.

“Cry Cry”, meanwhile, is an impassioned commentary on the Indian Removal of the 1800s that saw generations of Native Americans forcibly ejected from the South, thousands dying in the process. A political element also surfaces in “Holy Irons”, which interweaves Southern history with the plight of an innocent draftee sucked into a war that’s not of his choosing. Like most everything on The Narrows, it’s a bittersweet study of fate and circumstance that continues to resonate long after it’s over.