Grant Farm is a brotherhood with a song to sing and a story to tell. The upcoming double-vinyl release, Broke In Two (June 14, 2019), delves deep into the human relationship with the mystic, furthering the storylines and characters introduced on Kiss The Ground (2016). Broke In Two is an evolution of this concept, developing Archetypal characters such as The Innocent One and The Wanderer in the song “Arjuna The Believer”, Nester the Condemned and The Monarch King in “Nester”, and introducing The Rebel in “Life Of Riley” and the Caregiver in “Tumbleweed”. Real life experiences interplay with these characters, especially in “River Styx” and “The Salmon Song”, both of which reflect true experiences of loss and lessons passed on to the bereaved. The depth and breadth of the songs and stories on Broke In Two are punctuated by the band’s virtuosic musicianship, clever arrangements, and top-notch group vocals.
Glide is proud to premiere the robust rocker “Arjuna the Believer” (below) a syncopated composition of sped up folk, bluegrass, and rock. Grant Farm takes the earthy folk of Desire Bob Dylan mixed with the musical prowess of Sam Bush and Leftover Salmon to a novel realm of creative possibilities.
“A study on faith and the balance of light and dark,” says Sean Macaulay. “In the Baghavad Gita, Arjuna is witness to a divine act, therefore he believes. We all have personal experiences which can reveal the divine. The Wanderer and the Innocent One, Archetypal characters introduced on Grant Farm’s previous album, Kiss The Ground, are referenced here via their journeys toward the light. Later in the album, Nester faces the darkness head-on. What will become of Nester the condemned? “
Grant Farm was established in 2010 by guitarist/vocalist Tyler “The Champ” Grant, a National Flatpicking Champion and former member of the Emmitt/Nershi Band, Adrienne Young and Little Sadie, and Abigail Washburn. The original lineup featured Andy Thorn (Leftover Salmon) and Keith Moseley (String Cheese Incident). Bassist/vocalist Adrian “ACE” Engfer, a veteran of West-Coast touring groups Hot Soup and Dukes of Ted, joined in 2011, just in time for the band’s eponymous debut album, released in 2012 on Grant Central Records. Drummer Sean “Magic” Macaulay signed on in 2013 after touring the world with Donovan Frankenreiter, bringing a new energy and refined sound, as heard on the sophomore release Plowin’ Time (2014). The final piece of the cohesive Grant Farm unit of today was the addition of keyboardist/vocalist Kevin “Money” McHugh, a popular dueling piano entertainer and session musician. Kevin’s pitch-perfect singing solidified the vocal trio with Tyler and Adrian, and the meteoric evolution of Sean’s songwriting, along with the other three established composers, were the elements that crystallized into a true collective where the whole exceeds the sum of the parts.
Hard work and ambition are key elements of the Grant Farm ethos, as are love, community, and connection, which the band describes as “Farmily”. A landmark collaboration with the band Fruition spawned the Meeting On the Mountain EP (2014), which included the campfire classic “Meet Me On The Mountain”, a co-write between Fruition’s Jay Cobb Anderson and Tyler Grant. This theme was so intriguing that the band created their own video broadcast series, The Meeting on the Mountain LIVE Broadcast, which aired eleven episodes between 2015 and 2018, and resulted in Grant Farm’s stellar 2018 album Meeting On The Mountain LIVE, Vol.1, a collection of the finest performances from the broadcast series, featuring musical guests such as Todd Sheaffer (Railroad Earth), Andy Hall (Infamous Stringdusters), Megan Burtt, Reed Foehl, and John Magnie (Subdudes).
