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All Music Guide:
The Grip Weeds' name tells you a lot about the New Jersey band, which got that name from John Lennon's Private Gripweed character in the 1967 comedy How I Won the War. Consistently mindful of 1960s rock, the Grip Weeds are a retro-psychedelic outfit whose influences range from the British Invasion power pop of the Who, the Kinks, and Revolver-era Beatles to the Southern California jangle pop of the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. The rockin' yet highly melodic quartet has often been compared to another New Jersey band, the Smithereens, and in fact, Grip Weeds singer/drummer Kurt Reil played alongside Smithereens members Dennis Diken (drums) and Jim Babjak (guitar) in the 1990s side band Jim Babjak's Buzzed Meg. But while the Grip Weeds and the Smithereens have a mutual appreciation of British Invasion rock, no one would have a problem telling them apart -- the Grip Weeds are too psychedelic to be mistaken for the tougher, grittier, more forceful Smithereens.
The Grip Weeds were formed in New Brunswick, NJ, in the late '80s, when Reil and his brother, singer/guitarist Rick Reil, joined forces with guitarist/singer Kristin Pinell and bassist Michael Nattboy. After playing the East Coast club scene for a few years, the Grip Weeds recorded an EP titled See You Through for Ground Up in 1992. Their first full-length album, House of Vibes, came out on Ground Up in 1994 and was followed by 1998's The Sound Is in You on the Buy or Die label. Summer of a Thousand Years was released on the Rainbow Quartz label in 2001, followed by the reissue of The Sound Is in You with bonus tracks in 2003. In 2004, the band released its fourth full-length, Giant on the Beach, again with Rainbow Quartz. The ambitious and diverse double-disc Strange Change Machine appeared in 2010.
Wikipedia:
The Grip Weeds are an American rock band from Highland Park, New Jersey.
History
The Grip Weeds were formed in 1988 in New Brunswick, New Jersey by brothers Rick Reil (guitar) and Kurt Reil (drums). The band is named after the fictional character “Musketeer Gripweed”, played by John Lennon in Richard Lester’s 1967 motion picture How I Won The War. The Reil brothers are joined by guitarist Kristin Pinell, and bassist Michael Kelly, who are both veterans of New York City's The Rooks.
Their music is often classified in the Power Pop, Psychedelic Rock and Garage Rock categories. Influences include The Beatles, The Who, Big Star, Buffalo Springfield, The Yardbirds, The Smithereens, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, and others.
The Grip Weeds began their recording career with the 1992 three-song independent release See You Through on their own Ground Up Records label, followed by the single “She Brings The Rain b/w Strange Bird” for the German Twang! label. Their 1994 full-length album debut House Of Vibes, was the first to be recorded in their own fully equipped home studio, also known as “The House Of Vibes”. Known for its laid back atmosphere and a collection of vintage sound equipment and instruments, it has also been put to use by many other recording artists including The Smithereens, Jim Babjak’s Buzzed Meg, Najma Akhtar and Gary Lucas, The Swingin' Neckbreakers, The Anderson Council and more. A second album, for Buy Or Die Compact Discs, The Sound Is In You, followed in 1998. The band signed with Rainbow Quartz Records for their 2001 release Summer Of A Thousand Years, and followed it up with Giant On The Beach in 2004. “Little Steven” Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool label released the compilation CD Infinite Soul: The Best Of The Grip Weeds in 2008, and Van Zandt has been a vocal supporter of the band. Rainbow Quartz released the band’s latest album, the double CD and double vinyl LP Strange Change Machine in June 2010.
Throughout their career, The Grip Weeds have performed at venues across the United States, and internationally, including the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England, and several tours of Europe, among others.
