Tag: grip weeds
The Power Popaholic Interview: Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds
Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds
I have a long-overdue chat with Kurt Reil, singer, songwriter, and drummer of the power-pop favorite band The Grip Weeds. I first interviewed Kurt back in 2017, so it was great to catch up with him right after a performance at New York’s IPO festival in November 2021. We talk about the band’s new album of covers “DiG” and what he’s been up to at The House of Vibes production studio.Music Film Reviews: Beatles Stories, Live Vibes
Beatles Stories
Power pop icon Seth Swirsky (The Red Button) got access to a ton of celebrities and musicians about their Beatle memories. As a documentary its very fast paced and full of rare photos and interviews you will not find anywhere else.
From Sir Ben Kingsley to Sir George Martin, Brian Wilson to Brian Skiff, all these people recollecting stories about meeting a Beatle, having lunch with a Beatle, and playing Monopoly with a Beatle (Jackie DeShannon) plus a touching meeting with long time Beatles sound man Norman “Hurricane” Smith (likely his last on camera interview before passing away in 2008). Seths like the investigative reporter here, always giving the spotlight to his subject, and the commentary is really insightful and honest. If you are even a casual Beatle fan this is a “must-buy.”
The Grip Weeds Live Libes
A great companion to the last album Speed of Life, it starts out as a peek behind the scenes with The Grip Weeds. At The House Of Vibes studio in Highland Park, New Jersey, there are interviews with members of the band (Rick Reil, Kurt Reil, Michael Kelly and Kristin Pinell), about the recording process and band history.
But most of the DVD is about the concert performances, live and in the studio. These sound great and are simply shot with a minimum of effects. If you’re not a big fan of the band I’d start with the albums first. However if you’d like the experience of The Grip Weeds playing live in your living room, this film gives you a good idea of the experience.
A Band Called Mithras and The Grip Weeds
A Band Called Mithras “2”
A band called Mithras is lead by Bob Wison (bass + vocals) and joined by Dave Epperson (guitar), Nuen Dotri (keys) and Reece On (drums). The debut had a pretty eclectic mix of pop and progressive rock styles, so here we go again…
Opening with the strong hooks on “Robot Clowns” and the slow swirling funk synth and bass acoustic of “American Demon” are a great pair of songs with differing styles. However the band gets a little too quirky for it’s own good, “Nobody’s Waiting” boasts contrasting guitar and synth arpeggios. Weird, funny Todd Rundgren-like raps on “Gigo” and “Aint No Hope For The Modern Man.” It’s a bit hard to digest in spots. Occasionally beautiful passages like “Cannonball” come up, and all is forgiven. Fans of Anton Barbeau and Adrian Belew will most likely embrace this album and love it. For others, you’ve been warned.
The Grip Weeds “Speed of Live”
The live concert album is a rarity these days, with the proliferation of bootlegs, and box sets – does anyone really listen to concert recordings anymore? This is the rare case when you should. Culled together from live Gripweeds shows between 2007 and 2010, this New Jersey band leaves the studio gloss at home and plays power pop in the raw. And these performances prove the band is tight as a bass drum and the recording is pristine – almost identical to the album versions, but with crowd applause.
For most tracks, the mix is superior as demonstrated by “Speed Of Life” and The Byrds cover “(So You Wanna Be A) Rock and Roll Star.” In fact it’s really tough to single out any track, as this is essentially a “greatest hits live” package. If you’ve never bought an album, this is an excellent primer to one of the best melodic rock bands on the East Coast.
