Jefferson Grizzard Impresses Legends in Buffalo

How does a young singer/songwriter from Rome, Georgia get one of the music industry’s most respected drummer/percussionists to join him on stage?

He impresses the hell out of him, that’s how.

On a recent gig at Buffalo, New York’s Sportsmen’s Tavern, edgy roots rocker Jefferson Grizzard found himself backed by drummer, percussionist Sandy Konikoff. (Bob Dylan, Stan Szelest, Ronny Hawkins and the Hawks, Joe Cocker, Garland Jeffreys, Grinderswitch, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, BB King, John Cale, etc).

“My album, A Crack In The Door, made its way to Sandy,” says Grizzard. Mike Caputy, from my label “Back Porch Syndicate Records” was the conduit. “Sandy contacted me and said that if I ever came to Buffalo to play, he’d love to be a part of the band. When we got the gig at The Sportsmen’s, we contacted Sandy and he just said, ‘I’m in.’”

According to Sandy Konikoff, “He blew my mind, man, when I first heard the CD. I was blown away, quite frankly, by how intelligent Jefferson is in his writing and how he phrased his lyrics and songs. I was his age when I worked with Bob Dylan and let me tell you this kid really writes ‘em. Jefferson’s writing knocks me out. Then at the show (in Buffalo) his performance really came off. I see similarities between Jefferson and Bob, in that the songs are the thing, man. Lyrics like ‘Standing there in all your repose…’ or like in his song Forces They Fail, ‘ My girl she calls to me, asks me why I can’t see that she’s up and gone, It’s a shame she says, but the rules of this game, they aren’t open to interpretation’ Woah…that’s heavy man. That really kills me. Or in the song I Got The Spirit he writes, ‘To live like this it’s so great, Just like a kid in a candy store, too many people in this world filled with hate, causing anger, pain and war’ That’s Dylan man…to me…that’s Dylan. He’s a full throttle natural. He has no phoniness. His confidence is second nature. I was knocked out with that. The spirit was there…the energy and spirituality…I was surprised from someone so young. That knocked me out. “

And it’s not only Sandy Konikoff who’s impressed. Prior to his Buffalo show, Grizzard made some time to track some new music with Robby Takac, founding member of the Goo Goo Dolls , at Takac’s GCR Studios. According to Takac, “Even though Jefferson is only twenty-two years old, he crafts a song with the influences of a much more experienced ear and delivers them with an off-the-cuff approach stripped of many modern production cliches.”

Jefferson Grizzard is currently playing dates to support “A Crack In The Door,” his debut album, produced by Ben McRee. His recent shows included Buffalo, New York and Asbury Park, New Jersey. For more information on Jefferson Grizzard, to see his official music video for “Since You Came Around” or to receive a free download,” please visit http://jeffersongrizzard.com/.

Jefferson in The Aquarian Weekly: New Jersey’s Oldest Alt Weekly

Shoreworld: Jefferson Grizzard, Old No. 7 and Marc Muller

—by John Pfeiffer, April 13, 2012

Jefferson Grizzard – Back Porch Syndicate Meets The Asbury Park Mafia

I always get a kick out of the fact that the musical nation wants to come to New Jersey. I mean, I always want to go to their state and experience what they have to offer, and they want to experience the wondrous joy that we sprinkle down upon our mystic Shoreworld masses. The wonderful world of “The grass is always greener on the other side” rolls on and on for all of us. Nevertheless, it is flattering to know that folks list us as a destination and friend to the fan and working musician on the road to success.

Jefferson Grizzard is an artist that is testing that proverbial fence. Grizzard is a small town Georgia boy turned Nashville troubadour on his way to his own musical destiny, and he is stopping off in Asbury Park for a heapin’ helpin’ of our East Coast hospitality.

Grizzard is also out in support of his new record titled A Crack In The Door. The record is an insightful look into Jefferson’s upbringing and continued oddesy of hard living and guitar exorcism that he is now performing across the country. He calls his musical style Americana, and while that label is getting a lot of use these days, Grizzard plays close to the vest with that descriptive style.

He is not just another pretty boy soprano, and earns his jagged melody through tough insight. With a vocal style that lies somewhere between Dylan and Randy Newman, Jefferson Grizzard gets right to the point, releasing his story telling passion like a truck load of gravel being dumped in the backyard. In addition, while I can see the Neil Young inflections, I feel that Jefferson Grizzard also possesses the rock and roll phrasing of Billy Corgan, the spoken style of Kris Kristofferson, and all the raw emotion of Bon Scott. It is not pretty in the typical way of a pop artist, but he is far from anything typical, and that is what counts in my book.

Ben McRee (Back Porch Syndicate) produced A Crack In The Door and that has resulted in several great songs in the 11 offerings. Tracks such as “Since You Came Around,” a greasy, road weary rock and blues number featuring the amazing organ work of Nashville legend Dennis Wage (Faith Hill, David Allen Coe, Delbert McClinton) and drummer Mike Caputy (T. Graham Brown, David Lee Murphy, Johnny Neel, John Rich, Marty Stuart, and Rick James). These two, along with a bevy of other fine players, put the pedal to the metal on this upbeat hillbilly stomper.

“Burned Out Sun” steers close to Neil Young/Tom Petty territory with its melodic similarities and tempo, but Grizzard and crew manage to stay over in their own lane, fleshing it out with layers of shimmering organ, acoustic guitar and slide work (courtesy of Tim Hamilton) that keep this traditional tribute fresh. I love the distorted, dirty slide growl that overshoots the end of the tune like some junkyard dog growling at a tire thief.

“Alaska” glides in, dynamic smooth and acoustic quiet, as Grizzard waxes poetic on the land of the snow. The Kris Kristofferson vibe is strong here with its insightful melody and instrumentation choices. The pedal steel work of Hamilton is back to sway the direction of this stark and solemn journey through missed opportunities and faded love. Grizzard has a demonstrated talent at crossover appeal, and “Alaska” is a fine example of country meets old school soft rock. The able assist of Angela McRee on backing vocals adds a fine touch to an understated gem.

Jefferson Grizzard and band will be rolling into Asbury Park on April 15 for an appearance at The Saint. Another interesting item is that a couple of our own artists will be joining his band for this show. Singer/songwriter Matt Wade takes the piano spot along with pedal steel kingpin Marc Muller (Shania Twain, Bruce Springsteen). Adding these two Asbury Park Mafia players to the Back Porch Syndicate is the first official meeting of the bosses, and it is likely not to be the last.

Moreover, while a couple of the tunes on A Crack In The Door might fall into standard fare, the major portion of the disc should have Jefferson Grizzard conquering several different charts, including country, rock and American Outlaw. For more information on Jefferson Grizzard or this Smoky Mountain show, head over to jeffersongrizzard.com and thesaintnj.com

Music News Nashville Reviews A Crack In The Door

Posted on January 24, 2012

by Chuck Dauphin

Hailing from Rome, GA, Jefferson Grizzard is a unique pleasure to the ears. Some have described him as somewhat of a southern Bob Dylan. At times, that description is pretty much dead on. Though, I think his vocal approach is somewhat less polarizing than that of Dylan.

Still, as a writer, Grizzard specializes in that deep introspective style, and there are plenty of examples of that here. “Forces They Fall” is a neat little piece of Americana-type sounds, with Grizzard handling the vocal part well. As writer on all of the cuts, he is able to weave many different emotions together in these eleven tracks.

Other highlights include the wistful “Puppet Show” and “I Got The Spirit,” on which Grizzard infuses with a little bit of New Orleans-style Jazz. Then, there’s the blues-laden “Gypsy Sally,” which kind of reminds me of some of the work of Hank Williams, Jr. – not the singles he released, but rather some of his album cuts, such as his cover of Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone.”

He closes out the album with perhaps his strongest statement, “Don’t Wanna Lie,” where he mixes all of his influences the best. In this day where you must fit in a neat little box for radio success, Grizzard doesn’t. He’s as out of the mainstream as another Georgian named Grizzard – Lewis – was in the publishing world some thirty years ago, but he does what he does, and he does it very well indeed! Definitely a name to watch!

Read the review on Music News Nashville.

Murfreesboro Pulse Gives A Crack In The Door 4 Pulses!

Thank you Murfreesboro Pulse for the great review!

BY JESSICA PACE

Jefferson Grizzard came from a small town in Georgia, and his debut is A Crack in the Door, the product of his home, his musical upbringing and his songwriting habits. A songwriter since he was a kid, Grizzard had scribbled out enough lyrics by age 18 to have impressed Ryan Adams. Like so many young contemporaries, Grizzard’s sound imitates the greats that spun on their parents’ record players. A Crack bears generous similarities to Dylan and Young, as well as hints of The Band, Skynard, Ryan Adams, The Highwaymen and far too many more to list.

Immediately, on the opener “Forces They Fail,” Grizzard establishes the spare, twangy, southern-plus-something-else sense of melody that channels Young with an unassuming little electric melody backing a haphazard philosophical daydream: “If all forces that fail are originally good/and if nothin’ is real/how can I make myself feel/like I know I should.”

The Traveling Wilburys-esque chug-a-lug of “Since You Came Around” sounds as if as if Tom Petty or Roy Orbison should be switching off verses with Grizzard, and tracks like “Alaska” and “Puppet Show” have the same hushed beauty as those Dylan songs when he decides to soften his rustic vocals and woo the listener.

Dennis Wage’s keys ooze, bleed and crash over a somber stretch of guitar on “Burned Out Son,” bringing to mind something off Ryan Adams’ Cold Roses, and “Poisoned” has all the nighttime-car-ride charm of Tom Petty’s Full Moon Fever. Some understated but killer bass from Dow Tomlin bubbles up rather sexy-like amidst the Van Morrison-ish reeds and brass of “I Got the Spirit,” which conjure a sort of burlesque-show image.

One of the most remarkable characteristics of Grizzard’s songwriting on the album, however, is the fact that he can create a full story with only about four lines repeating (“Horseleg Road”), one of the most prominent talents of a country artist. If this is Grizzard’s debut, it seems like he will only get better from here.

Jefferson Voted As Deli Magazine’s Artist of the Month

Jefferson Grizzard Deli Mag Artist of the month

Thanks to an amazing fanbase and a great team of people, Jefferson received the majority of votes for Deli Magazine Nashville’s Artist of the Month!

Visit Deli Magazine and see who’s sitting at the top of the page!

Jefferson Featured on Voices To Hear

Many thanks to Voices To Hear for featuring Jefferson in their Artist Spotlight!

View the article in full.