PRESS - Summer of a Thousand Years
 
 
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05/07/03 I-94 Bar - Sydney, Australia  
Amongst these thirteen originals...the legacy of the sixties is held up to the light, finely sifted, sorted, selected and used as the basis for synthesizing a musical continuation...Make no mistake though; the Grip Weeds are looking forwards from 1967, not backwards from 2001.  
 
03/19/03 Packet Online - New Jersey  

Peace, harmony and understanding are all part of a tribute to the Fab Four at nine separate locations throughout New Jersey...

The influence is obvious in their sound, which borrows the swirling guitars and vocal harmonies of the Beatles mid-period albums Rubber Soul and Revolver. It is obvious in their name, taken from the character Private Grip Weed, played by John Lennon in the film How I Won the War

  
 
12/29/02 Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago, Illinois  
The Grip Weeds made the Top 130 list for Best Albums in 2002  
 
12/06/02 New York Post - New York, New York  

"The IPO festivals have done great things to create a buzz for 'power pop' music," said Kurt Reil, whose group the Grip Weeds performs at Arlene Grocery next Friday.

"Being associated with this music scene has helped us build an international fan base. It comes in handy to have a support system of pop fans when you play out of town."

 
 
11/21/02 The River Reporter - Narrowsburg, New York  
"The band’s material is loaded with unfailingly interesting melodies and sounds that will take you back to 1966 in a heartbeat."  
 
11/01/02 Home News Tribune / Courier News - Bridgewater, New Jersey  
"Having toured both Europe and the Southeast within the past six months, The Grip Weeds will showcase at the CMJ Music Marathon for the second year in a row tonight at Arlene Grocery in New York City. "  
 
10/09/02 ESP Magazine- High Point, North Carolina  
"The Grip Weeds return to headline Friday's show. The Weeds don't meet anybody's idea of a pop band, either, unless you have the nerve to lay that label on the Who. The Weeds have been compared to the earth-shaking wreckage that the early Who laid on unsuspecting listeners, but led by a woman who plays like Led Zep's Jimmy Page. But it's only the spirit, not the material of these early rockers that the band is covering -- the Weeds write their own stuff."  
 
10/02 Torpedo Records - Malmo, Sweden  
"The Grip Weeds are a rock band ! One of a kind that is pretty rare since the beginning of the seventies."  
   
9/9/02 Independent - Durham, North Carolina  
The Grip Weeds: These New Jersey popsters sound decidedly contemporary as they seem to write and play with a copy of the Nuggets CD boxed set under their arms. It's here live and on their latest release Summer Of A Thousand Years (Rainbow Quartz) -Tony Madejczyk  
   
9/18/02 The Village Voice - New York, New York  
From the "Voice Choice" section of The Village Voice (9/18-24):

GRIPWEEDS One of my favorite new bands on one of my favorite new labels, Rainbow Quartz. The Grip Weeds not only play a retro-garage Merseybeat power-pop rock and roll sound, they are a retro-garage Merseybeat (from Jersey, which really rhymes with Mersey) power-pop rock and roll sound! The natural progression from the Who to the Jam to Oasis - cool!

(Aber)

  
   
7/19/02 Home News Tribune - Central New Jersey, USA  
"There's enough ringing Rickenbackers, heavenly harmonies and merry melodies on "Summer of a Thousand Years" to transform the listener into a kaleidoscopic reverie."  
   
5/9/02 Courier News - Central New Jersey, USA  
Makin' Waves by Bob Makin
"The Grip Weeds are making more waves than ever. The New Brunswick-based '60's-inspired pop-adelic four-piece recenty obtained a national distribution deal for "Summer of a Thousand Years", its third full-length album and 2001 debut for Rainbow Quartz records in New York...Always consistent with its sound, the Grip Weeds' power-pop has not changed much since its formation, but its chops have gotten better with lead guitarist Kristin Pinell and bassist Michael Nattboy...The Grip Weeds have stayed true to their love of the Beatles and other '60's pop..."		  
   
Spring 02 Pop Culture Press  
"Glistening harmonies, deliciously jangly guitars and tightly constructed songs make Summer of a Thousand Years the genuine article in a crowded field of power pop wannabes."  
   
Spring 02 Bucketfull of Brains  
"Live, they are one of the best in-your-face rockin’ bands that you could ever encounter..."  
   
2/21/02 Sticks and Stones  
"Retro sounding power pop is nothing new, but for a band to absorb such influences and have something that actually has power and sounds modern come out the other end, well, that's something, isn't it?"   
   
2/8/02 Goldmine  
"...the band takes a stylistic sojourn that links the jangly melodies and wistful refrains of The Byrds to the adrenaline-fueled ferocity of The Who."  
   
1/02 Pop Matters  
"...Apart from the clean harmonies and Byrds-y guitar riffs, The Grip Weeds specialize in creating their own type of well-crafted pop, sprinkled with extra layers of melodic twists and turns that reveal themselves with extended listening."  
   
1/02 Uncut  
"Their third album, though also rooted in sixties USA (Byrds, Beau Brummels, Buffalo Springfield), acknowledges the Carnaby Street R&B of the Pretty Things and the Who"  
 
12/01 Amplifier  
"Summer of a Thousand Years is one of the best albums you’ll hear this year, from one of the most capable and dedicated bands you’ll hear in your lifetime."  
 
12/25/01 Timeoff - Australia   
"If you’ve got a hankerin’ for some classic pop with a rockin’ sound..."  
   
12/01 Q Magazine - England  
"The sumptuous guitar sounds, crafted by Rick Reil and Kristin Pinell, are the grip Weeds’ glory."  
   
11/04/01 The Sunday Times - England  
"...the title track is the kind of slow-burning, snake-charming, psychedelic vamp nobody writes anymore, and maybe never did."  
 
11/01 Fufkin.com  
'If ever a band was deserving of wider exposure, it's The Grip Weeds...there is no band that sounds quite like The Grip Weeds'"  
   
11/01 Highbias.com  
"With a skilled, versatile rhythm section and an exceptionally potent combination of jangling 12-string and crunchy lead guitars, the band sets up an instantly appealing wall of sound; their smooth harmonies are a bonus."  
 
10/01 All Music Guide - Ann Arbor, Michigan  
"...if you’ve spent hours and hours savoring the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Yardbirds and Revolver-era Beatles, it is impossible not to fall in love with Summer of a Thousand Years. The melodies are enriching, and lead singer Kurt Reil knows how to make the lyrics come alive. (4 out of 5 stars)"  
 
10/01 Aversion.com  
"...the band’s got a juicy bunch of tunes on its hands."  
   
 
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