Andrew Grimm is singer-songwriter behind the long-running Baltimore, Maryland band, June Star. The group formed in 1998, and over the last 20 years, he has been blurring country and rock and roll sounds while writing songs about love, reminiscent of The Replacements, Lou Reed, Big Star, and Chuck Prophet. It’s time for a change and Grimm is making the most of the election year to let his resounding swift kick gritty poetic voice be heard. Grimm will release his worldwide solo debut, A Little Heat, on October 30, 2020.
The ten-song album was remotely recorded and produced by Eric “Roscoe” Ambel at his Evie’s Terrace Studio in NYC and Andrew’s home studio, East of Eden, in Baltimore, MD. Grimm doesn’t attack the listener; he addresses issues from political to racial to science back to culture with a sharp tone to his already expressive voice.
“As I worked on this record, it became clear to me that, ‘I am making a political and cultural statement,’” declared Grimm. He’s throwing sucker punches, rocks, and holding up mirrors for all to see and reflect on how 2020 is shaping to be the year of crystal vision.
It all began one day during the very early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, while producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel (The Yayhoos, The Del-Lords, Joan Jett) was watching Andrew play online on Facebook. Grimm sent him a message about working together and sent his freshly minted song, “Money Is A Motherfucker,” a fiery response to the global economic downturn. While the Baltimore English professor didn’t think much after that, within about ten minutes, Roscoe laid down drums and guitars and sent the song back, asking, “What else you got?!?” Thus, the production of A Little Heat began.
Grimm let the words and melodies crank out of him like a well-oiled machine, and Roscoe echoed the sentiment by adding guitars and vocal harmonies to flesh out the song. Each song has Ambel’s trademark distorting guitars that match well with Grimm’s voice, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and keyboards supplying support. The other players supporting the dynamic duo were Dave Hadley on pedal steel, Brian Simms on accordion, Kenny Soule, and Earle Z. Drummond Jr. on drums, and then ellen cherry and Mary Lee Kortes on some harmonies.
A Little Heat grows in its poignancy and song strength over the course of the ten tracks, travelling the route of Dire Straits’ big hearted guitar rock to a fiery Tulsa sound drawing on boogie, country and blues. Glide is thrilled to premiere the album in its entirety below…
