Artist description Little Gruntpack is a six piece band, based inBaltimore, MD USA. Gruntpack's instrumentationincludes: Guitar, Drums, Bass, Accordion, Harmonica and Rhythm Guitar.

Music Style Indie Americana Folk-Punk

Musical Influences Leonard Cohen, Velvet Underground, Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Hank Williams, Palace Brothers, Handsome Family, Son volt, Vic Chesnutt, Fever Tree

Similar Artists Leonard Cohen, Velvet Underground, Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Hank Williams, Palace Brothers, Handsome Family, Son volt, Vic Chesnutt, Fever Tree

Artist History Little Gruntpack formed in 1995, initially with only three members:Batworth on drums, Anguson lead guitar and Rupert Wondolowski on rhythmguitar and vocals - all formerly of the assault pop octet Furniture Falling Down the Stairs. After a few months of composing and rehearsing in afriend's basement and playing one show at Baltimore's glorious 14 Karat Cabaret, they picked up bassist Chuck Gross who at the time was teachingseminars on the ecstatic melodies of the psychedelic group Fever Tree and playing with thegroup Blammo. As a foursome they made their first recording at Mojo Hand Studios in Pasadena, Md. The engineer at Mojo Hand, Ralph Stewart, liked what heheard so much that day that he joined the group. His gritty LittleWalter/Sonny Boy Williamson inspired harp playing was a soulful addition tothe neurotic quartet. Two cuts from that recording, "Slipping Off the Map"and "New Year with Guns" were put out on a 45 by Asa Osborne of Lungfish onhis label Walker Records. The highlight of this period were the opening spots Gruntpack got withBaltimore icons and nice guys Lungfish at the old stripjoint, rock arenaMemory Lane. Luckily it was never too cold there for Chuckle's tongue tostick to the stripper pole.Slipping Off the Map Little Gruntpack's first full length recording was recorded over thecourse of two nights in Waverly's Red Room (their new practice space) withan eight track recorder. Gajoob magazine calls it "hillbilly-type garagerock informality with lots of great songs to get you yelping, happy to beinvited to this mud bath of time". It's a lo-fi garage mix that was once described by an onlooker at aNew York show as "hillbilly Velvet Underground". Serious Recordsdominatrix Diana was on hand for one of the nights of recording to helptwiddle knobs, nod her head knowingly and contribute Yogi Berra-like nonsequiturs. Song titles are Pretty Girl Dream, Codeine Man, Do With Your Mouth,Slipping Off the Map, Welcome to Baltimore (Watch for Falling Objects),Chinese Food (The Blizzard of '96), Blotation, Horrible Fantasy, BirthdayOut of Body, Split Level Head and Green (Song for Maryland Ave.).Lurking Sometime after Slipping Off the Map came out, the members of Gruntpackstarted running into another ex-Furniture Falling Down the Stairs player,Scott Larson, at some of their favorite waterfront dives. Scott wasentering a new creative period after settling some longstanding legaltroubles and was looking for another venue for his musical powers inaddition to his work with his self-created instrument/beast TheAbomination. He was soon added into the Gruntpack mix on accordion,debuting live with the band at a show at Belair road's infamous bingopalace/chili joint Cafe Tattoo. As a strong new sextet, the group entered Studio 503 withengineer/producer Sam Wylie of The Larval Trading Company. Going for aslightly cleaner, bigger sound on sixteen tracks, Sam and Gruntpack keptthe group's backwoods garage of the fired High School science teacher'sfeel. John Lewis in Baltimore's City Paper said "Little Gruntpack wraps themangled roots of American music around peculiar narratives steeped in thesin and salvation of Tiny Town.......the material is good enough to stakethe band a place alongside the likes of Vic Chesnutt and Will Oldham as poppurveyors of the American Gothic spirit". Song titles are: Things that Once Were Men, Dear Connie, New Yearwith Guns, B-Side Shenanigans, Girlfriend on a Surfboard, Short Road toUgly, Caution Your Head Samba, Do What You Will Do (cover version of WillOldham), Blotation (studio version), Birthday Out of Body (creamy CarlySimon version), Bozo Bigtime, Schizophrenic (an old Furniture Falling Downthe Stairs chestnut), A Potato Growing Eyes (for Mok), My New Pants, andLonely Motel 6. The old men of Gruntpack are currently riding high after their gig atBaltimore's Ottobar with the legendary Half Japanese. Eric Hatch of TheCity Paper wrote of the show: "Next up to bat was veteran Baltimore bandLittle Gruntpack, which bridges classic-rock styles with dashes ofcontemporary indie singer/songwriters such as Will Oldham and Smog.Gruntpack's catchy arrangements, textured with accordion and harmonica,sent significant pockets of the audience dancing, an Ottobar rarity."For a more slanderous and detailed history of Little Gruntpack and for upto date news of upcoming shows contact the gruntslut athttp://saaron.home.mindspring.com/gruntpac.htm

Group Members Angus,Batworth,Chuck,Scott,Ralph,Rupert

Instruments Guitar, Drums, Bass, Accordion, Harmonica, Rhythm Guitar

Albums "lurking" and "Slipping Off the Map"

Location Baltimore, Maryland - USA

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