NEWS

7/23/13 My Hometown: A Tribute To NJ featuring The Grip Weeds (and others) is now available here! For a limited time only, purchase of the CD from The Grip Weeds Online Store includes a free exclusive download. More info here.

5/13/13 Grip Weeds "Lies"

My Hometown: A Tribute To NJ is a new compilation CD to be released this July on the NJ indie label FDR (www.fdrlabel.com), and features an amazing collection of bands covering the greatest rock 'n roll songs to come out of the Garden State. All proceeds, after production costs, will be donated to local relief organizations to help rebuild the Jersey Shore.

The Grip Weeds recently recorded the Nuggets classic "Lies" during sessions for their upcoming new album at the House Of Vibes. The original was a hit for The Knickerbockers, who got their name from Knickerbocker Avenue in Bergenfield, NJ, just a stone's throw from where The Reil Brothers grew up!

My Hometown: A Tribute To NJ also features Cliff Hillis, The Anderson Council, The Successful Failures, Bastards of Melody, Cryptkeeper Five, Keith Monacchio, Tim Lee, Janet Labelle and more, covering Springsteen, Smithereens, Shirelles, Fountains Of Wayne, Yo La Yengo and more- stay tuned for more details!

My Hometown

1/30/13 We're In A Book! The Grip Weeds are covered in the second installment of Power Pop Prime, a nine volume book series by Bruce Brodeen of Not Lame Media. Volume 2 covers the years in Power Pop 1998-1999, during which The Grip Weeds released The Sound Is In You. This book includes a new exclusive interview with The Grip Weeds, a review of the album, and on an accompanying CD the German single version of "We're Not Getting Through", which makes its CD debut here. For more info and to order yours, go here.
11/18/12 Two Holiday Shows added- check out the SHOWS page.
8/17/12 Getting psych-ed up for RondeauFest
7/25/12 Check out the latest press for Speed Of Live and Live Vibes here.
6/19/12 Speed Of Live and Live Vibes are released today and available for purchase here and at iTunes, Amazon and in stores!
6/6/12 Grip Weeds singer/drummer Kurt Reil is this month's guest on the Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV Show, airing on Comcast Mon/Thurs at 7:30pm, or watch here now: http://vimeo.com/bongoboy/bongoboytvshowgripweeds
5/21/12 The Official Release date for Speed Of Live and Live Vibes is June 19th. Join The Grip Weeds Fanclub now for exclusive early access– the fans get it first!

4/18/12 SPEED OF LIVE Release Announcement

On June 19th, The Grip Weeds’ new live album Speed Of Live will be released across a variety of formats by Ground Up Records. In addition, Live Vibes, a new DVD that captures a live in-the-studio performance along with exclusive band interviews, makes its debut as part of the deluxe edition of Speed Of Live available only at www.gripweeds.com.

Following the successful recent holiday release Under The Influence Of Christmas and 2010’s double-length juggernaut Strange Change Machine (both on the Rainbow Quartz label), Speed Of Live is the electric distillation of The Grip Weeds sound, bursting with all of the passion and power they put into every live performance. The Grip Weeds are a band for which a live album really is a true “by-popular-demand” necessity, not just a stop-gap.

Speed Of Live will be available across a variety of different formats:

Standard Edition: 1CD Digipak

Deluxe Edition: Speed Of Live CD, Live Vibes DVD, audio versions of Live Vibes songs plus bonus track (accessed via a download card included in the deluxe edition package), poster

Digital: Speed Of Live will be available for download in both mp3 and High Resolution formats.

Speed Of Live will be available from Amazon.com, CDBaby, iTunes and most major digital download destinations, with physical distribution details to be announced.

For more info and full tracklisting, read the press release

4/11/12 Bassist Michael Kelly Leaves; Dave DeSantis Joins The Grip Weeds

Due to demands of my growing family, music teaching and composing career in Philadelphia, it is with sadness that I announce I will no longer be an active member of The Grip Weeds. It's been an incredible journey filled with love, artistic growth, and incredible performances. As a band, we successfully rode the ever changing wave that is the music industry and morphed ourselves into a self sustaining musical enterprise. I leave behind with great pride a contribution to a band that stands on its own without compromise (and some pretty cool albums, videos, podcasts and live shows to boot). To me, the upcoming live album release is a fitting historical musical tribute of how we’ve grown together and what's so cool about The Grip Weeds: The Music and how we perform it. And you never know- you just might catch me at a live show, or maybe a guest appearance on another Grip Weeds album in the future. I wish them well and anticipate great things to come from the band. Thank you everyone for your incredible love and support.” -Michael Kelly (‘MK’)

Michael Kelly joined the group in late 2003 and participated in five full-length releases over an eight year period, including the upcoming live collection Speed Of Live (stay tuned for announcement of this release and more coming next week). Thank you MK for all the good vibes and great music- you will be missed.

Joining The Grip Weeds on bass guitar is Dave DeSantis. Dave is a veteran bassist of the New Jersey garage rock scene- in his teens, he co-founded the punk band Chronic Sick and psyche-influenced The Secret Syde, later forming Laughing Soup Dish and The X Men. Recently called out of a musical hiatus by The Easy Outs (also from NJ), he was discovered by Kurt at The House Of Vibes: “As soon as Dave walked into the studio I knew he was one of us. Then he plugged in his Rickenbacker bass and proved it.” Dave’s distinctive driving yet melodic style has lit a fire under this already potent band- come to the first show of 2012 at Union Hall show and check out the newest Grip Weed!

12/16/11 Grip Weeds singer/ drummer Kurt Reil was just interviewed by Jonathan Clark on Out Of The Box last Sunday, Dec 11th on Q1043 FM. Check out the video here!
12/8/11 Nice Review from The Guardian (UK)- Yeah, baby!
11/22/11 Under The Influence Of Christmas
is available NOW in advance of the release date at The Grip Weeds Online Store in three formats– CD, MP3 and High Resolution Download. Exclusive to www.gripweeds.com is the Deluxe Gift Package: A Grip Weeds stocking full of goodies including the CD, download card (includes MP3’s and high resolution (24 bit/ 48 kHz) audio for full album plus 3 bonus tracks), Grip Weeds Ski Cap, autographed holiday card and more. Order your copy NOW direct from the source and choose from standard or deluxe versions only available at The Grip Weeds’ Online Store!
11/08/11 THE GRIP WEEDS Under The Influence of Christmas

At last, a Christmas album for fans of power pop and psychedelic rock! Rainbow Quartz International is pleased to announce the release of The Grip Weeds’ new album Under The Influence Of Christmas on December 6, 2011.

The Grip Weeds - Under The Influence of Christmas

Go here for more info.

10/27/11 KURT REIL FEATURE IS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF MODERN DRUMMER.COM

The Grip Weeds

Grip Weeds drummer Kurt Reil takes us inside his drumming on the song “Speed of Life”-

Click here to nab a FREE copy of the sheet music and here for a FREE mp3 of "Speed Of Life".

10/26/11 Kurt's Solo Debut on New EP

Two tracks recorded solo by Kurt Reil have recently been released on Life Saver, the new EP by Third Of Never, available now at iTunes and on CD at Kunaki.com. Kurt says "these two songs were among many over the years that I've offered up to The Grip Weeds to record, but they got passed over for one reason or another, so I finally decided to record them myself." "Gonna Find My Way" is very pop and features Kurt on all the instruments, while "Wake Up Time" is heavy rock with Third Of Never's CJ and Vince Grogan on lead guitar and bass respectively. Kurt is also a member of Third Of Never (on lead vocals and guitar)- he co-wrote and produced the title track "Life Saver" which also features band members Jon Dawson (guitar) and Mike Polilli (drums) along with the Grogan brothers. Rounding out Life Saver are two solo tracks from CJ Grogan. Taken altogether, it's a very eclectic and listenable five-song EP. Get it here.

Life Saver (Three Fifths of A Third EP) - EP

4/11/11 Strange Change Machine HD!
The Grip Weeds add another format for distribution of their most successful album to date with the release of Strange Change Machine HD in 24bit/96kHz digital audio. Available at the Online Store via digital download on April 16th, Strange Change Machine HD gives fans access to a true high fidelity listening experience for the very first time.

Strange Change Machine was recorded and mixed using analog tape and high resolution digital converters. The analog mix was transferred to 24bit/96kHz digital and mastered at that resolution for the vinyl version of the album. Kurt Reil says "that's basically what we heard in the studio at mixdown. For those out there without turntables, this is as close to analog as it gets!” Rick Reil, an audiophile himself, adds, “Strange Change Machine HD sounds better than a CD and is vastly superior to an mp3. It’s the closest you can get to our original vision and sound.”

To celebrate the release and thank our fans that have made this our biggest release to date, we're offering either the MP3 or HD download of SCM for $4.99 (that's 50% off!) from April16th until Memorial Day. When you buy the album download from the Online Store you'll also get the bonus track "Sun Ra Ga (Long Version)"- 11 minutes of instrumental Grip Weeds mayhem!

4/11/11 SCM HD Release Party Info The Grip Weeds are hosting the HD release day party on April 16th at World Café Live in Philadelphia:

Saturday, April 16th at 10pm
World Cafe Live (Upstairs)
3025 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
215.222.1400
www.philly.worldcafelive.com

The Grip Weeds will perform a full electric/acoustic show focusing on songs from this new release.

4/10/11 The Grip Weeds offer free music, free sheets
Are you sometimes denied boarding at hotels because you resemble Keith Moon?
When waiting in line do you find yourself humming the drum part from "YYZ"?

If so, then you should take advantage of this FREE opportunity to download the sheet music for Kurt Reil's explosive drum part for "Speed Of Life" - the new single from The Grip Weeds.

>From Kurt Reil's Modern Drummer Magazine blog:

"The first cut on Strange Change Machine is a song I wrote called 'Speed Of Life'... I wanted to do something where the drums took the lead - not just playing a simple beat, but doing fills as part of the beat."

Click here to nab a FREE copy of the sheet music and here for a FREE mp3 of "Speed Of Life".

1/17/11 We'd like to thank the legendary Al Kooper for including The Grip Weeds in his best 50 downloads of 2010, with the following comment:

"This New Jersey band has been around since the 90’s with only a revolving bass chair. They eventually built their own recording studio which has been used by many other bands as well. Maybe that’s why this sounds so good. Very Beatles & Byrds with exceptional drumming."

This is a huge compliment for us. Let's not forget it was Al Kooper who played organ on "Like A Rolling Stone" and brought The Zombies' Odyssey And Oracle" to the US, among many other accomplishments too numerous to mention. Thanks Al for giving The Grip Weeds your stamp of approval!

AL KOOPER
www.alkooper.com
1/11/11 EXCLUSIVE: Spend The New Year With The Grip Weeds
Strange Change Machine is being played in its entirety every night at 10pm ET till 1/22. Tune in to Way Off The Grid Radio via Live 365!


Grip Weeds Top 2010 Lists!

"Speed Of Life" made Jonathan Clarke's Out Of The Box Best Of 2010 on NYC's Q104.3FM

Strange Change Machine- top 90 albums of 2010 on WBJB 90.5FM The Night.

Album Of The Year- Way Off The Grid Radio, Warren Reporter/ NJN Publishing (Thanks Jerry Balderson!)

Top CD's Of 2010:
The Worley Gig
Dr Bristol (#5)
And many more! Thanks to all who included The Grip Weeds in their lists.

Grip Weeds in The Aquarian Weekly
"Strange Change Machine is music for people who care about what they put into their brains." -John Pfeiffer
To read the full review, go here.

12/16/10 Vote for the Strange Change Machine at 90.5 The Night!
11/28/10 EDDIE BAUER Licenses CHRISTMAS BRING US by THE GRIP WEEDS to play in all stores for the next 40 Days and 40 Nights. You can hear it there..OR...go to GripWeeds.com and click on Free Downloads and get it there.
11/24/10 Jonathan Clarke from Q1043 FM jams with The Grip Weeds at CMJ 2010!

Jonathan Clarke from Q1043 FM jams with The Grip Weeds at CMJ 2010...

11/03/10 NEW VIDEO: LIVE STRANGE CHANGE MACHINE!
The Grip Weeds rehearsing and performing "Strange Change Machine" backstage at The Colonial Theater, Pittsfield, MA.

Live Strange Change Machine

10/02/10 The Reviews are starting to roll in: "The Grip Weeds have finally released their fifth disc, and it's cause for celebration..."
8/08/10 Check out Kurt's latest blog at Modern Drummer.com!
7/26/10 Thanks to Jonathan Clarke at Q1043 FM NYC!- "Speed Of Life" has been showcased weekly on his "Out Of The Box" radio show, which airs Sunday nights at 9pm EST.
5/21/10 "Speed Of Life" from the new Grip Weeds LP Strange Change Machine is the "Coolest Song In The World" this week on Little Steven's Underground Garage! Check out his shows on radio and Sirius/XM satellite.
3/17/10 Spinner
REVIEW: The Grip Weeds Interview: SXSW 2010 by Brandy Keller
"...the songs are really reactions to the world around us and the way things are now...So if you make the most of it, you'll probably have a better time. That's one of the messages of the album -- it's the state of our psyches in 2010, where we are and what experiences we've had in life to spark us to write a song."

SLEEPTALKING
REVIEW: The Grip Weeds: meet the band! by Mark Zonda
"...The Grip Weeds are self-managed. I spend much of my time doing business for the band- getting shows, coordinating promotion, publicity, etc. We’ve had one or two people over the years help us, but by and large The Grip Weeds are a DIY act- very self-contained. When we started we had no idea that this DIY model we’d developed for ourselves has turned out to be the way a band now has to navigate the music industry, whatever is left of it!"

1/29/10 REVIEW: Smithereens (& Grip Weeds) A Smash At Colonial
"They do what they do very well and gave us a nice warmup...Notably the drummer, Kurt Reil, is a fantastic performer with a terrific voice."
1/14/10 "Salad Days" made Little Steven's Top 50 Coolest Songs of the Decade!
1/01/10 Michael Kelly is featured at the 12 String Bass Website. Check it out.
12/24/09 OurStage

This month, the psychedelic sounds of New Jersey’s own Grip Weeds grace the virtual turntable..."

The Grip Weeds will be on
Real Rock TV's Holiday Show on Dec 29th at 9:30pm. The show airs on New Jersey's Comcast Cable Network, Ch26.

08/24/09 Digital Downloads now available at gripweeds.com!
Summer of '69 Special Pricing to celebrate
The Summer Of '69

It was 40 years ago today- the year of "Woodstock” and incredible music from The Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, CSNY and so many others. Long hair, wild clothing and the “Peace Sign” defined a generation. To celebrate the Anniversary of The Summer Of '69, every Grip Weeds song is available via mp3 download for 69 cents, and CD prices have all been reduced. Check out the Online Store now and celebrate The Summer Of '69 with The Grip Weeds!
05/29/09 Grip Weeds at FYE!

Little Steven Van Zant and the fine folks at Wicked Cool Records now have a section at FYE stores- go there to get your copy of Infinite Soul: The Best Of The Grip Weeds and other Undergorund Garage faves. Or just watch this cool video...

03/15/09 Greeting Grip Weeds Fans and Friends! 2009 is off to a very busy start with The Grip Weeds at the House Of Vibes recording their upcoming collection of new music. Since the release of Giant On The Beach, the band has been collecting songs, and now about thirty are in the works for what could be a double album to be released this year. Stay tuned for more details as they happen!

THE GRIP WEEDS AT THE MOVIES
The song "Haunted", from House Of Vibes Revisited, is part of the soundtrack to the new independent film BLOOD RIVER, which just won 4 awards at the Honolulu International Film Festival including the "Gold Kahuna Award" and "Best Actor" (Andrew Howard). Directed by Adam Mason, BLOOD RIVER is "a psychological thriller following a married couple on their way to visit family. After a blowout on a desolate stretch of highway in Nevada, they head to the next town but discover it is abandoned. Here they meet a mysterious stranger that changes everything." Quiet Earth calls it "a horror film that's got ten times the smarts as most you'll come across...a tour-de-force." More info and release date to come...

Watch the trailer:
http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi1067451161/

THE GRIP WEEDS ARE ON FACEBOOK!

Please visit the Grip Weeds' new page at:

www.facebook.com/pages/The-Grip-Weeds/60203571568

02/07/09 LIVE REVIEW: Buddy Holly Lives, Vintage Vinyl, NJ 1/31/09

"The Grip Weeds opened their set with “Take Your Time,” which they said was “Buddy via The Hollies.” The two part harmonies of brothers Rick and Kurt Reil did indeed recall the Hollies (whose Graham Nash played the following Monday, along with Pat Dinizio and other stellar musicians, at The Surf Ballroom Buddy Holly Tribute Show in Iowa.). Rick and Kurt wrapped their lushly beautiful, melodic voices around Buddy’s solid songwriting. “Wishing” (which they noted was originally written by Buddy for The Everly 20 Brothers) and their closing tune “Not Fade Away” got the crowd boppin’ around the record and CD bins. The Grip Weeds also added their signature sound to “Rave On,” adding harmonica, which brought the Bo Diddley cadence to another level! Everyone was singing along to almost every song, all the while boppin’ and buyin’ - it was a beautiful thing!" -Phil Rainone, Jersey Beat

01/17/09 Way Wicked Cool
"For the Grip Weeds, the possibilities of songcraft and melodic inventiveness established by the great musicians of ’60s rock haven’t yet been exhausted, which is why the band’s music still has the kick, thrill, and immediacy of something new and exciting...That they’re now in the studio recording their next album gives me reason to feel hopeful about 2009." -, Joe Taylor, SoundstageAV
12/31/08 Medleyville
Infinite Soul



The Grip Weeds, Infinite Soul (Wicked Cool)
- by Gary Pig Gold

While that Village Voice may declare them to be "the natural progression from The Who to The Jam to Oasis," I’ll go that one further by claiming, as I have before, that The Grip Weeds are just about the only outfit left working out of New Jersey that deserves – no, make that demands your undivided attention. Infinite Soul compactly presents 16 of their greatest career-spanning four-minute blasts so that, if you haven’t already caught on, there's surely no excuse anymore.

12/27/08 Vote for The Grip Weeds' song "Games" as the "Coolest Song in The World 2008". Click HERE to vote at Little Steven's Underground Garage.
11/18/08 With the Holidays nearly upon us, The Grip Weeds' "Christmas, Bring Us" is going back to triple A radio yuletide airplay. Featured on A Taste Of Triple A #47, a CD sampler sent to radio programmers, “Christmas, Bring Us” is the first holiday song written and recorded by The Grip Weeds. “I wrote it in response to the materialistic side of Christmas,” says Kurt Reil, “how you get caught up in all the buying and stress but sometimes miss the true meaning of it all. I wanted it to be good enough to measure up to our other songs and also be something you’d want to hear it even if it isn’t Christmastime.” For a list of triple radio stations, go click here.



"Christmas, Bring Us" is now available as a CD single on iTunes and also on the CD Hi-Fi Christmas Party Vol. 2, available at CDBaby.

10/10/08 Check the GIGS page for exciting Fall gigs w/ ex Monkee Peter Tork and CMJ... The Grip Weeds are busy at The House Of Vibes recording a new album, due in 2009- check this page for details as they develop... The SHOP now has fresh stock of all Rainbow Quartz releases, including The Sound Is In You reissue- get them now!
08/18/08 New Grip Weeds Tee shirt now in stock!

The Online Store is now offering specially priced
bundles of merch and music- check out the Shop now.
06/18/08 All Music Guide Jo-Ann Green is first to review Infinite Soul: The Best of The Grip Weeds

After 16 years together, it's high time the Grip Weeds were treated to a compilation, and Infinite Soul: The Best of the Grip Weeds cavorts merrily around the band's past pastures, pulling out the best blooms from the group's four albums for listeners' perusal. Having snapped up the Grip Weeds onto his Wicked Cool Records label, Little Steven does the selecting with panache, highlighting their influences and showcasing the diversity of their retro-garage sound. The Weeds' heroes were easy to spot -- they oftentimes wore them on their sleeves -- and the set points out the majority in quick succession: the Who, the Beatles, the Byrds, and the Jam, who are paid tribute to on "Every Minute," "Love's Lost on You," "Save My Life," and "Ready and Waiting," respectively. The Kinks, the Zombies, Bob Dylan, and even Sonny & Cher leave lighter marks elsewhere. But obviously the New Jersey legend wouldn't have been impressed with a mere bunch of apers, and it's the Weeds' own distinctive styling that he showcases across the rest of this set. Tablas and Eastern mystery pulse through "Life and Love, Times to Come"; here the Canterbury scene is pulled toward the garage. A subtle mix of styles highlights the lovely, lilting "Give Me Some of Your Ways," while slippery rock sliding between the decades and subgenres defines the band's "Infinite Soul" sound. Kristin Pinell's sweet vocals illuminate "Closer to Love," one of the few times the lead guitarist steps up to front the band. Add a storming new number, the hard-rocking pop of "She Brings the Rain," and this set indeed brings fans all the best the band has to offer and then some. .

Michael From The Paisley Umbrella Reviews INFINITE SOUL (must be logged into MYSPACE to read it!)
The Who on psychedelics? The Byrds on steroids? Their words, not mine. Apt description, though. New Jersey's The Grip Weeds play psychedelic rock the way it should be: Simple songs, great vocal harmonies, 12 string Rickenbackers, some of the coolest drumming around, but a female lead guitarist who sounds like her parents sent her to early '70s rock shows instead of school. The songs are dense psychedelic rock with supercharged powerchords. It's unimaginable that so much could be fit into small, basic three to four minute songs! The Grip Weeds have set a new standard for psychedelic guitar pop.

Go Here to read the review for Infinite Soul: The Best of The Grip Weeds. There's a damn cool video, too!

06/12/08 THE GRIP WEEDS DEBUT ON WICKED COOL RECORDS WITH “INFINITE SOUL THE BEST OF THE GRIP WEEDS” IN STORES JUNE 24.
The Grip Weeds - Infinite Soul, The Best Of The Grip Weeds

The Grip Weeds share the best of their "sparkling, insanely catchy psyche-pop" on this collection, the band's debut for Wicked Cool Records. INFINITE SOUL includes fifteen tracks from their four albums, plus one newly recorded version of the song: "She Brings The Rain." The central New Jersey natives have fanned the flames of a growing audience thanks to immense press, significant radio/internet airplay, and tour dates throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Infinite Soul, The Best Of The Grip Weeds
INFINITE SOUL is a greatest hits compilation with all songs handpicked by Little Steven himself. The album will be released June 24th. You can pre-order your copy at Best Buy Online, Amazon, CD Universe and Barnes & Noble F.Y.E. outlets nationwide. online outlets; it will also be available at Best Buy stores.

The album will also be available at The Grip Weeds website and direct download from Wicked Cool Records as well as iTunes.
"We like to mix it up in Jersey and The Grip Weeds are a great example," says Little Steven.
"A touch of The Beatles, a bit of The Byrds, A dash of The Kinks, pinch of The Who, and a dollop of The Zombies and you get something quite original actually. And quite cool.”

03/03/08 Kurt is featured in Modern Drummer’s April 2008 issue.
(Look for the cover featuring Levon Helm and Steve Jordan) in a very cool interview by journalist and rock critic Gail Worley. It’s on Newsstands March 4th- Get two copies and have Kurt scrawl on them for you at the next Grip Weeds gig!

02/04/08 New review of HOVRE in SKOPE magazine! Click here to read.

01/25/08 BIG STUDIO NEWS
House Of Vibes Productions, The Grip Weeds? recording studio, recently took delivery of a Sound Workstore analog recording console. Owned by musician Jan Hammer, this console was used to record the Miami Vice TV show soundtrack and Jan?s music for the last 20 years. It now begins a new life at The House Of Vibes- the first recording session will be with Najma and Gary Lucas, quickly followed by The Smithereens. Then of course The Grip Weeds will resume recording sessions for their 5th album this Spring. Studio tan, anyone?

WHERE'S KURT?
You'll find him soon on newsstands all over the country in the April issue of Modern Drummer Magazine. Kurt gave an in-depth interview on what it takes to be a lead singer and drummer, both at the same time, and not suck at it.

HOVRE REVIEWED IN GOLDMINE MAGAZINE
"In a grunge filled world, The Grip Weeds' 1994 debut arrived like manna from heaven. In many ways, the band was the American answer to Brit-pop, but better, serving up an enticing dish of British Invasion pop, liberally garnished with psychedelia and late '60s hard rock.

Thirteen years on, not only hasn't the album dated, it actually sounds even more relevant. Subtle remixing brings the bass up, and it has been remastered to create a cleaner sound -- all of it making House of Vibes Revisisted a relevation, one that's now packed with extras. There's a trio of early demos and half a dozen exciting period live recordings interspersed with short interviews, while the booklet gives the album's background and the enhanced CD takes you online for even more music, videos, photos, etc. A ground-breaking album breaking new ground all over again. 5 STARS
"-- Jo-Ann Greene

12/18/07 Check out The Real Rock TV-NJ Christmas Show tonight, Tuesday Dec 18th at 9:30pm for a new live video of Kurt and Kristin performing "Christmas, Bring Us". This show is found on Comcast Cable CH26, , serving Union, Hudson, Essex and Middlesex Counties in NJ.

Also, go to www.randynow.com for the podcast and pics from Kurt's Dec 5th radio appearance on The Capital Garage.

10/2/07 Kurt talks drumming on Modern Drummer Website!
Check out Kurt's blog for Modern Drummer at www.moderndrummer.com and myspace sites.

9/28/07 The Grip Weeds go from Basement to Billboard, literally.
"Salad Days", the lead single from House Of Vibes Revisited, The Grip Weeds' first truly DIY independent album has been Top Ten on the Billboard Garage Rock charts for weeks, topping out at #4! Jonathan Clarke at Q104.3 FM also gave the track a spin, and now it's hitting the playlists of Triple A Radio stations nationwide. Stay tuned for more info!

9/25/07 Grip Weeds on Real Rock TV- NJ 10/2 and 10/9
The Grip Weeds will be featured on two consecutive episodes of Real Rock TV- NJ! The shows will air Tuesday, October 2nd and Tuesday, October 9th at 9:30pm on Comcast Cable TV Channel 26, serving Union, Hudson, Essex and Middlesex Counties in NJ. The two half-hour segments are totally devoted The Grip Weeds and include exclusive new live performances, music videos, archival footage and interview clips. Not to be missed!

9/13/07 "Salad Days" is #7 on the Garage Chart in Billboard this week!

8/25/07 House Of Vibes Revisited is now available for download at iTunes. Be the first to review the album there!

8/13/07 On Tuesday 8.14, to coincide with the release of House Of Vibes Revisited, the new music video for the lead single "Salad Days" will premiere here at gripweeds.com. The disc will initially be available for purchase here, or from Not Lame, Jam and Koolkat Musik. Koolkat is offering a deluxe version which includes the CD version of SEE YOU THROUGH, The Grip Weeds' first ever 7" release, previously out of print. However you get it, the disc offers and enhanced link to a special online “Secret Attic Space” with more in-depth info, more video, more audio, and all sorts of added goodies to explore. This link is active on date of release.

8/03/07 HIGHLAND PARK, NJ- THE GRIP WEEDS’ stellar reputation for bringing rock ‘n’ roll’s past into the future has come full circle. With the Aug. 14, 2007 release of HOUSE OF VIBES REVISITED (Ground UP), it’s their own history that New Jersey’s pioneering DIY power popsters are boldly carrying forward.

More than just a fresh coat of paint, HOUSE OF VIBES REVISITED is 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. THE GRIP WEEDS have created a reissue with bonuses galore. Aside from the newly remixed tracks, HOUSE OF VIBES REVISITED 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, more video, more audio, and all sorts of added goodies to explore.

HOUSE OF VIBES REVISITED

“Salad Days,” the lead single from HOUSE OF VIBES REVISITED, was just proclaimed “The Coolest Song in the World” on the immensely popular nationally syndicated radio show, Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

For HOUSE OF VIBES REVISITED, the band 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.

Long out of print, the original House of Vibes was hailed by Goldmine as “loaded with cool songs that are sometimes trippy, sometimes poppy, sometimes garagy, but always appealingly structured and highly melodic... definitely a road worth traveling...quite a triumph." Featuring an impressive blend of Beatle-esque sensibilities fused with rock edginess, the band’s trademark lush harmonies and high caliber songwriting, the original release put THE GRIP WEEDS on the map.

“The original album was the turning point for us, where everything crystallized,” says Kurt. “Kristin joined the band, it was our first full-length effort, and it was the start of our methodology and way of working."

HOUSE OF VIBES REVISITED will be available at CDBABY.com, Amazon.com, iTunes, at most major digital download destinations and, of course, direct from www.gripweeds.com.

08/01/07 Little Steven has further embraced The Grip Weeds by hand-picking another song (“Love’s Lost on You”) to appear on his Coolest Songs in the World, Vol. 2 compilation, due Aug. 7 on Wicked Cool Records (Sony/RED). It features the genre's big stars like the Ramones and the Buzzcocks alongside independent, up and coming artists like the Grip Weeds. The CD can be ordered online from Wicked Cool Records at http://www.wickedcoolrecords.com/albums.html and will be available in the Little Steven's Underground Garage section in all Best Buy stores.

"We like to mix it up in Jersey and The Grip Weeds are a great example. A touch of John Lennon (and an appropriation of his character's name in "How I Won The War"), a bit of The Byrds, A dash of The Kinks, pinch of The Who, and a dallop of more muscular Zombies and you get something quite original actually. And quite cool." -Little Steven

Coolest Songs in the World, Vol. 2

5/23/07 THE GRIP WEEDS COMBINE PERFORMANCE WITH RECORDING IN NJ SEMINAR SERIES

The Grip Weeds are presenting the first in a series of
performance/seminar shows which focus on Do-It-Yourself Recording
June 9, 2007 at Ocean County Library's Toms River Branch

BASEMENT TO BILLBOARD: D.I.Y. RECORDING W/ THE GRIP WEEDS
Live Performance, Multi-Media Presentation and Q&A Session

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ - Make a world-class recording at home! International recording artists THE GRIP WEEDS take you on the journey of a song, from demo to finished product ready for download, with special emphasis on doing it yourself from your own home. Along the way, THE GRIP WEEDS will perform live, show videos and demonstrate basic recording techniques. Topics to be covered are song arranging, making a demo, recording and overdubbing, mixing, mastering and finally uploading the song to iTunes.

The first session in the FREE “Basement to Billboard: D.I.Y. Recording with the Grip Weeds” performance/seminar series will be held Saturday, June 9 at the Ocean County Library, Toms River Branch, 101 Washington St., Toms River, NJ. Start time is 2 p.m. For more info, call (732) 349-6200 or go to www.oceancountylibrary.org.

The idea for the show was hatched when Grip Weeds singer/drummer Kurt Reil participated in a Producer/Engineer panel at Brookdale Public Radio's Guitar Show this past Winter.

"I found that there are many artists out there struggling to make sense of the recording technology now available to them," Kurt says. "We're in a unique position to help because we have been there- The Grip Weeds and our studio were founded on the principle of self-reliance."

Based in Highland Park, New Jersey, THE GRIP WEEDS are a critically-acclaimed psychedelic/garage/powerpop quartet consisting of brothers Kurt and Rick Reil (on drums and guitar respectively), Kristin Pinell (guitar) and Michael Kelly (bass). The band has released four full-length CDs (three on the Rainbow Quartz label), performed throughout the US and in Europe, and has garnered significant radio/internet airplay including several songs spotlighted on Little Steven’s Underground Garage radio shows. THE GRIP WEEDS have produced all of their recordings at their NJ studio (House of Vibes) as well as those of many other artists: Most recently, Kurt engineered and co-produced Meet The Smithereens, a CD tribute to the Beatles by New Jersey's The Smithereens. The Grip Weeds' latest release, House Of Vibes Revisited, is a remixed and remastered edition of their debut disc, which celebrates and cements the band's reputation as D.I.Y. recording stalwarts. Additionally, the band will be featured on compilations to be released on Little Steven’s Wicked Cool Records this year.

Basement to Billboard: D.I.Y. Recording with the Grip Weeds
Saturday, June 9th @ 2pm – FREE!
Ocean County Library
Toms River Branch
101 Washington St
Toms River, NJ 08753

(732) 349-6200
oceancountylibrary.org

Please call or register online to reserve seating.

12/31/06

"Christmas Bring Us" was featured on Little Steven's Underground Garage Christmas show as the Coolest Song in the World this week!! This nationally syndicated radio show reaches over two million listeners via radio and internet streaming. Thanks, Steven!

10/26/06 New Grip Weeds

Work on the "restoration" of HOUSE OF VIBES continues... Remixes of the original 12 songs from The Grip Weeds' 1994 debut album are in progress, and the band has also recorded fresh versions of 3 songs that predate HOV- "She Brings The Rain", "Hard To Take" and "Used To Play"- which are slated for inclusion on this deluxe reissue, along with a selection of demos, outtakes and live tracks. Check out gripweeds.com for more details as and when they develop. Coming this Fall! Until then, supplies of the original version are extremely limited. GRIP WEEDS IN THE HOUSE By way of promoting HOUSE OF VIBES REVISITED this Fall, The Grip Weeds would like to bring their Vibes to your place for a limited run of House Concerts. Although the low-volume set has only recently become a staple of Grip Weeds live shows, they have been doing House Concerts for years. "House Concerts are a lot of fun for us- we seem to connect with the audience on a more personal level, and always leave them with a good vibe," Singer/Drummer Kurt Reil said. The Grip Weeds, electric, acoustic or both- it's your choice at your venue. Contact Eli Ransford at bookings@gripweeds.com to bring the Grip Weeds into your own House of Vibes this Fall. GRIP WEEDS TOP IAC BIG 50 IACMusic.com continues to provide wide exposure and true appreciation on the web for the music of The Grip Weeds. "Closer To Love" from GIANT ON THE BEACH held the #1 spot for more than 5 weeks earlier this year, and along with "Games" is currently in the top 10 of their Rock Genre chart, streamed by over 60 internet radio stations. The Grip Weeds have continued to enjoy high profile rankings on the charts, alongside well-known artists like Pete Townshend, Sheryl Crow, Aimee Mann, XTC Norah Jones among others. Check out the site, where you can hear and download a special selection of Grip Weeds Music.

PAST NEWS

12/22/05 WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION for GOTB
Q: Where in the World are The Grip Weeds?
A: All over as their label Rainbow Quartz inks worldwide distribution deal.

The Grip Weeds and their label Rainbow Quartz now enjoy true worldwide distribution and have penetrated many new international markets in 2005 and will continue on this course in 2006. Soon, music fans in Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland will see the release of the entire Grip Weeds Rainbow Quartz catalog; Grip Weeds music will also be made available to listening audiences in
Scandinavia, South Africa, South America, Japan and all of the Pacific-rim countries, and of course all of Europe, including France and Italy. The real challenge for this band is to decide on which native language they should learn first.

SATELLITE RADIO
The Grip Weeds make it into “Outer Space”- Sirius Satellite Radio and Little Steven to be exact.

Little Steven's Underground Garage Channel is a premier satellite radio station that features the coolest DJs in the world, hand-picked by Little Steven himself, to expose the masses to music that still goes relatively ignored by corporate FM radio. While FM Radio's Triple A format has been extremely supportive of The Grip Weeds this year, Little Steven's Underground Garage Channel has become a huge driving force in exposing countless new bands and independent labels. You can frequently hear numerous Rainbow Quartz recording artists played on a single four-hour
Underground Garage Channel program, including The Grip Weeds, interspersed with Oasis, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, White Stripes and The Strokes. Additionally, at least one brand new Rainbow Quartz artist and a track from a new Rainbow Quartz release are played almost every week on the Underground Garage Channel.

09/20/05 GRIP WEEDS DONATE MUSIC TO HURRICANE RELIEF
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the Gulf Coast, The Grip Weeds are part of a
coalition of independent authors, publishers, and musicians in an effort to provide books and
music to families in need. Danny Adlerman, who is leading the coalition with his wife Kim, said,
"As independents, we felt the need to help in the only way we know how. These families in many
cases have lost everything, and books are precious. They service not only the need and love of
literacy, but quite frankly can be a most welcome distraction for destitute people who are
surrounded by a bleak reality." In addition to books, The Adlermans are donating music as well,
including copies of The Grip Weeds' THE SOUND IS IN YOU. Kurt from the Grip Weeds says "It's such a small gesture in the scheme of things, but maybe our music will give people some comfort when they need it most." Read Danny and Kim's press release here.

8/16/05 1. CBS TELEVISION USES GRIP WEEDS SONG FOR NEW FALL PRIMETIME SERIES :
CBS licensed “What’s In Your Mind”-- hear a sample now (from the album The Sound Is In You) for the promotional campaign of the new Fall crime drama series CRIMINAL MINDS, starring Mandy Patinkin . The song is featured as the core music for the 20 and 30 second-long CRIMINAL MINDS promotional commercials currently running in heavy rotation on national CBS stations and affiliates throughout the end of September, as well as on basic cable, radio and CBS website streaming.

“What’s In Your Mind” was discovered by CBS Director of Drama Promotions Brad Roe, through an iTunes search. According to Roe, “The title of The Grip Weeds song had grabbed me, but it was the chorus that was exactly what we needed, as the lyrics sell the premise of the show. I also liked the energy of the song and felt that its contemporary sound would appeal to a younger demographic.” The song was recorded at the House of Vibes and remixed there to great effect for the Rainbow Quartz reissue of The Sound Is In You.

2. VIDEO NEWS:
MTV Latin America Music and Video 8 in San Francisco have added The Grip Weeds’ video “Astral Man”. Starcast Network has also added "Astral Man" to their video jukeboxes which are placed in different nightlife locations throughout the country.

MTV Latin America reaches 35 million potential viewers in the US and 17 different South American countries, and airs 24/7 on cable. Music Video 8 reaches 1 million potential viewers on cable in the San Francisco bay area . The show airs on Friday at 1:30 AM for one hour on cable.

“Astral Man” is also a featured video at Havoc Television, a music channel which is available nationwide via Comcast and Adelphia digital cable service providers.

According to Havoc, “The Grip Weeds mow over their pre-Woodstock love-and-peace vibe with a treble-heavy, early 70s guitar attack.” http://havoctv.com/videos.asp