The Grip Weeds Rise from Basement to Billboard by Way of Garage

Press release
Source: Randex Communications

The Grip Weeds’ stellar reputation for bringing rock ‘n’ roll’s past into the future has taken them “From Basement to Billboard” amid unanimous acclaim for their first truly independent DIY release, House Of Vibes Revisited (Ground UP). New Jersey’s pioneering psychedelic power pop foursome heads for their CMJ Music Marathon Showcase – Friday, Oct. 20 at Arlene Grocery, 95 Stanton St., NYC – with “Salad Days,” the lead single, entrenched in the Top 10 on Little Steven’s Underground Garage Chart in Billboard for over a month while picking up spins at more than 50 Triple A stations with over 200 spins a week.

Shortly after being dubbed “Coolest Song in the World” on Little Steven’s nationally syndicated Underground Garage, “Salad Days” landed on New York’s top-rated new music show, Jonathan Clarke’s Q104.3/New York Out of the Box, and finally went for adds in late September.

The reaction from critics and radio cements the foundation of House Of Vibes Revisited as a home improvement of the highest order. With meticulous precision, the band The Village Voice called “The natural progression from the Who to the Jam to Oasis” spent a year remixing and re-imagining its acclaimed 1994 debut (House of Vibes) for the 21st Century, resulting in “a stellar album **** ½” (All Music Guide) that’s “damn catchy and well-executed” (Creative Loafing) and “an indie-pop gem” (Star-Ledger). The Iowa Press-Citizen declared House Of Vibes Revisited “a minor classic” and SoundStage said simply: “It’s easily my pick for reissue of the year and … it’s the most impassioned rock‘n’roll I’ve heard in a long time.”

The foundation for rising “From Basement to Billboard” was unknowingly set in June, when The Grip Weeds launched their DIY Basement to Billboard performance seminars. The ongoing series takes artists on the journey of a song, from demo to finished product ready for download, with special emphasis on doing it all from home – capped by a Grip Weeds performance.

House Of Vibes Revisited is a fully enhanced reissue with bonuses galore. Aside from the newly remixed tracks, features demos showing works in progress, sometimes markedly different from the final versions, and several tracks broadcast live on the radio from 1994 and 1995, plus band interviews and unreleased archival photos. And by inserting the CD into a computer, you gain access to a special online “secret attic space” with more in-depth info, video, audio, and all sorts of extras.

Like the original, everything found on House Of Vibes Revisited was created in that very House of Vibes that was – and is – both albums’ namesake.

The actual House of Vibes is the Victorian structure where The Grip Weeds live and let their music breathe. It’s home to the studio where House of Vibes and all successive Grip Weeds albums were recorded, where the band has been taking elements like the harmonic purity and psychedelic spirit of ‘60s rock and the visceral power of early ‘70s classics into the modern era since the original House of Vibes was created. For House Of Vibes Revisited, songwriting brothers Kurt Reil (drums, vocals) and Rick Reil (guitar, vocals), Kristin Pinell (guitar) and Michael Kelly (bass) updated original multi-tracks using digital technology in a way not even possible just a few years ago.

The dramatic and sometimes astonishing sonic difference allows listeners to hear the music the way the band always wanted but only now does technology allow them to achieve. Back then in the pre-digital era, The Grip Weeds were at the forefront of the home recording movement, a benchmark of the band’s longstanding dedication to independence through the DIY process.

House Of Vibes Revisited is available at CDbaby.com, iTunes and most major digital download destinations.

www.gripweeds.com
www.myspace.com/gripweeds

DON’T MISS THE GRIP WEEDS LIVE:
Fri., Oct. 12 Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, NJ
Sat., Oct. 20 CMJ Music Marathon @ Arlene Grocery New York, NY
Fri., Oct. 26 Magnetic Field Brooklyn, NY

Stay tuned for more GRIP WEEDS shows and tours!

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