Want to go?
WHO: Grover
WHERE: Peach’s Grill, 104 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs
WHEN: 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22
COST: Free
MORE INFO: 937-767-4850 | Website
ARTIST INFO: www.groverband.com
Like many jam bands, Grover built its following in the Dayton music scene and beyond through live shows. It can be difficult to recreate that same energy in a recording studio.
Jeff May (guitar, vocals), Michael Bisig (saxophones, flute), Tommy Emmrich (bass) and Terry Butts (drums) of the Yellow Springs-based group worked hard to approximate its live sound on the new album, "Tonight Only," which gets its official release at Peach's Grill in Yellow Springs on Friday, Jan. 22.
The musicians recently discussed the recording of “Tonight Only.”
Bisig: "Grover is known for our live shows and our commitment to bringing an intimate, house party vibe to everything we do — and that sets us apart from other area bands. Dayton has no shortage of great musicians, but there's something special about a Grover song, either live or recorded. It digs deep into your body and you can't help but feel connected with the music."
Emmrich: "All recordings were done at Greasy Bee Studios, AKA Mr. Bisig's basement. Guitar, bass and drums were recorded live together to capture our live sound and intensity. Solos for saxophone and guitar were overdubbed as well as overdubs for additional percussion and vocals."
May: "Bisig spent many hours getting our tones and mix just right before we even pressed record. This allowed minimal overdubs and retained the improvisational feel. I was totally prepared to lay down guitar solos after we had basic mixes but the feel of the original takes had that magic and couldn't be replicated. The album feels refined, organic and has that element of surprise fans and musicians are drawn to."
Butts: "We produced the record ourselves. We've been playing these songs for a while now, and over the course of that time, the songs evolved into the feel you'll hear on the album. We tried to really capture our live sound, which helped ease the aspects of producing the album for us. The most difficult part of that process was taking those loose live elements that don't necessarily work on a studio album and translating them in a way that's still exciting to the listener jamming out in their car."
Emmrich: "The initial recording process was spread out over several months of Wednesday nights, our rehearsal night. Production for the songs was done in the evenings throughout the week between recordings. From the initial planning until the release has taken approximately a year. We're very glad to be done with the album and ready to release it, and we're already working hard on new material."
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