My first experience of The Grifters was seeing them open for Fugazi on freaking hot race day in Indianapolis a couple of months before Crappin You Negative came out. One of the best shows I ever saw, it was in this old run down theatre and it was so damn hot you could see clouds of steam rise from the crowd, when you were at the back.
I saw them a couple of years later in Lexington after Ain't My Lookout came out in a small club. Another good show. The drummer was so loose and could drive the band where he wanted.
I think getting all of the side projects and the fact that they were together for so long before anything really started to happen for them hastened their departure. There are some good songs on the frist Those Bastards... record that would probably have been even better as The Grifters with some live dynamics and not just tracked together.
On another note, I was always impressed with the sound of Crappin You Negative and Eureka for being pretty good for being done quite a bit with 4 tracks.
― earlnash, Sunday, 23 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 15:19 (twenty years ago) link
― jack cole (jackcole), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 15:57 (twenty years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 15:58 (twenty years ago) link
― doug (doug), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 16:02 (twenty years ago) link
― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 16:02 (twenty years ago) link
Ain't My Lookout is quite good, a bit better than Full Blown Possession, which I have grown to like with time. The biggest change of their last couple of albums is that their sound is pretty high gloss and doesn't have nearly the weird exploding guitar sounds like their first two albums, but the songs are all pretty good.
I never heard that very first ep before One Sock Missing, but it is supposedly not all that hot.
One Sock Missing has some good songs but with much less fidelity than Crappin' You Negative. "She Blows Blasts of Static" is a great song and the title fits how it sounds so very well.
― earlnash, Tuesday, 6 May 2003 16:06 (twenty years ago) link
― Pesky, Tuesday, 6 May 2003 19:02 (twenty years ago) link
― Will (will), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 20:11 (twenty years ago) link
― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 10:22 (seventeen years ago) link
― Will (will), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 12:01 (seventeen years ago) link
we never played in Las Vegas. I've never even been there.
Stan and I both play in Dragoon. Check us out. You might hear where some of the grifters' patented chaos came from. Also if you check out our myspace page click on BOB on our friends list for a look at me and Stan's ( and John Stivers) high school band. the impetus behind much of the grifters improvisational nature (though right now, all that's up on the page are selections from our goofier side)
Scott is playing with Memphis Babylon (Choppergirl backed by a rock band)and he runs Hoodoo Labs which has been producing a lot of great Memphis rap.
I'm not sure what's up with Dave's projects. I know Kevin March left to do a project with Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think).
There's been talk of reunion shows but I'll go ahead and say that I'm the hold-out. I'm finally in a band I really love and frankly Dave left us in the dust on his quest for whatever and I don't particularly relish the thought of returning to that situation. So.... sorry but the only time Dave wants to work with us is when his other projects hit a lull and I loved the band too much to watch it be reduced to some kind of fall-back position.
And I have to say this. Every single article or online discussion or blog or whatever that I've ever read about us describes it as being the songwriting team of Shouse and Taylor. That's not the way it was.
Yes, there are some songs that are completely Dave, like Eureka IV, X-Ray Hip, Queen of the table Waters, Felt-Tipped Over, #1 to name a few.
There are a few songs that are completely Scott's like, Sain, 10,000, Hours, Piddlebach, Shark.
And there are some songs that are completely mine like, You be the Stranger, Fixed in the Sky, Here Comes Larry (all instrumentals. in fact, You Be the Stranger was performed by me, Stan, and John Stivers. So there's a performance by BOB on our last record truth be told.)
BUT the grifters were mainly a collective. MOST of our songs were written by commitee. There are a lot of songs that I brought in as basically instrumental guitar rock that would end up having lyrics written for them. I brought in Corolla Hoist, Maps of the Sun, Covered With Flies, passing Out, Mysterious Friends, Wreck, Holmes, Happy, Casual Years and Contact Me Now and they became grifters songs at practice. Which was sometimes a gut-wrenching experience. I was pretty bummed out by the way the song Happy became 'Bastard Soulsified'.
Songs like Rats or Side were things that Scott had that we worked up at practice. Those songs are so chaotic sounding because of the way we would drunkly eviscerate them. (grifters practices were usually a buffet of beer, weed, acid, liquor)
There were songs like Bummer which started as a jam on one of Scott's riffs then Dave took it home and came up with a verse and some lyrics.
There were some songs that started with John Stivers giving me a riff that I brought to practice and they became grifters staples like, Founder's Day Parade and most notably Junkie Blood (which started out as a BOB song)
So I'm sorry if I ruined some of the mystery surrounding our stuff but I often feel like even though I did some of the best work I've ever done with the Grifters my contribution was completely nebulous. Nobody knows what I did and as a result, most of what I did is attributed to Dave or Scott.
I never wrote any lyrics (not many anyway) but I'm all over those records. I usually played as much guitar on any given record as Scott or Dave. Covered With Flies, Corolla Hoist, Maps of the Sun, Mysterious Friends all have a whole lot of my guitar playing on them.
I know I've attained McCartney-level pettiness with this post but it drives me nuts. Really. Do you like it when someone else gets credit for your work?
And for what it's worth, I truly feel that Scott is the most under-appreciated lyricist of the 90's. And my favorite songs of ours are X-Ray Hip and Felt Tipped Over (both Dave tunes)
-Tripp
sorry for nerding up your board
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:25 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:35 (seventeen years ago) link
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:39 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:40 (seventeen years ago) link
― dmr (Renard), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:42 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:44 (seventeen years ago) link
― dmr (Renard), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:45 (seventeen years ago) link
― M@tt He1g3s0n: oh u mad cuz im stylin on u (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:45 (seventeen years ago) link
naw, Columbia was always a bright spot on tour.
from what i can remember.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:49 (seventeen years ago) link
― Will (will), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:50 (seventeen years ago) link
xpost
― dmr (Renard), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:51 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 21:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:00 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:00 (seventeen years ago) link
The analogy I always use to describe it is... it's like a girlfriend you use to have. The sex was incredible and it was a wild time BUT you fought a lot and she was always flirting with other guys. So you break up and it's a nasty break-up. But a couple of years later you run into each other and enough time has passed that really all you remember is the great sex and it turns out you're both available at the time so you jump back in the sack and give things another try. Then sure enough, a week later you realize you have all the same problems you use to have and you kick yourself for being stupid enough to get back together.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:13 (seventeen years ago) link
did you move to NYC with all the other Columbians?
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:15 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:17 (seventeen years ago) link
― dmr (Renard), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:21 (seventeen years ago) link
KCOU KCOU 88.1 BIG STAR ALEX CHILTON JODY STEPHENS GRIFTERS MEMPHIS GREG DULLI VAN DYKE PARKS ROAD TRIP TO CHICAGO ROLLERBLADES KCOU JEFF BREEZE UP AGAINST THE WALL MOTHERFUCKER.
And nah, Tripp. It was up in the rafters of the Blue Note while Seam was playing. Grifters are still in my top five Memphis bands.
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:24 (seventeen years ago) link
yeah, the Clears were Alicia Trout and Shelby Bryant and Brad.... something.
Alicia is like the queen of memphis now. she's awesome.if you go to myspace look for River City Tanlines or Contaminated Records.
Shelby put out some stuff on Steve Shelly's label . Look forCloud Wow Music.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:27 (seventeen years ago) link
― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:27 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:32 (seventeen years ago) link
― dmr (Renard), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:33 (seventeen years ago) link
― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:33 (seventeen years ago) link
but yeah, FBP is sorely lacking in the chaos department.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:37 (seventeen years ago) link
LPOE? If so, yeah that was on time. I tried to make the Murphy's show w/ Wallendas the other night, but was road worn. (Juicy J was, up until a couple of months ago, my boss. I know S. from when Yvonne B used to make me go to yoga with her. Ok, she didn't make me.)
― Will (will), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:48 (seventeen years ago) link
Kristen found me via the grifters myspace page so that was cool.
Stan's 15 year old son runs the grifters page but I give him stuff for it all the time.
I'll try to put up that live version of Crashing Jet sometime.
Also, if you look on our friends list and go to Flecton Big Sky that's our old friend Miche Jette. the songs on his page are from his record that features der grifters backing him up (as well as Califone). Those recordings represent the last time the grifters recorded together.
we did record 2 songs later that year but the tape was lost forever so the Flecton recordings are it.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 22:57 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:00 (seventeen years ago) link
rad ... I will check that out
I saw Kristen a couple years ago at (drumroll) ... an nyc Bloodthirsty Lovers show. ha.
― dmr (Renard), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:02 (seventeen years ago) link
― jaxon (jaxon), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:26 (seventeen years ago) link
I still see Tim whenever Califone's in town. Which is never enough for me.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:26 (seventeen years ago) link
― dmr (Renard), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:30 (seventeen years ago) link
http://www.myspace.com/dragoonmemphis
Also, if you frequent the BOB page, right now I'm kind of posting stuff from our tenth grade year (1982 or so) but pretty quickly it'll get into our eh.. less-goofy years and you can start to hear me and Stan find our footing as musicians.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 23:45 (seventeen years ago) link
still works.
you have to be a huge nerd to give a shit.
I'm sorry I broke up your black panther party.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 00:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 00:22 (seventeen years ago) link
I've made a huge mistake.
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 00:40 (seventeen years ago) link
Is this the Goner board!??! AW SHIT!!
― Tripp lamkins (trippl), Wednesday, 31 January 2007 00:42 (seventeen years ago) link
wot a fuckin freak care in the community haa failed again
― Fer Ark, Thursday, 31 July 2008 22:50 (fifteen years ago) link
i just got full blown posesssion yesterday
my first grifters record
i love it
scuzz blues are my favorite blues
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, 18 April 2010 22:42 (fourteen years ago) link
My fav band ever - get One Sock Missing, Ain't My Lookout and the first 2 EPs (The Doink Years). Those are my favorites.
― CaptainLorax, Sunday, 18 April 2010 23:58 (fourteen years ago) link
that is about their least scuzzy record big HOOS, you've got some primo scuzz-blues discovery in store if you get some of the other ones
― dmr, Monday, 19 April 2010 03:02 (fourteen years ago) link
crappin you negative
Crappin You Negative is A++ scuzz, sounds like a rock band should.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtTCPiw-If0
― The Amy Misto Family Knife (Plasmon), Monday, 19 April 2010 04:01 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah but the end of "The Sweetest Thing" may be their most gorgeous moment.
― Evan, Monday, 19 April 2010 04:47 (fourteen years ago) link
i am
the mambo king
― mookieproof, Monday, 19 April 2010 05:31 (fourteen years ago) link
Wrapped tight in my tarantula skin
― CaptainLorax, Monday, 19 April 2010 06:45 (fourteen years ago) link
their most gorgeous moment = gotta be something off the Eureka EP. maybe Founder's Day Parade.
― dmr, Monday, 19 April 2010 13:43 (fourteen years ago) link
Dragoon (Tripp and Stan from the Grifters + Bobby from Trusty) has something out now:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FF8860/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_mp3a
Dragoon is still slugging through.
myspace.com/dragoonmemphis
trying to get the first record done. Everything's recorded just need to mix a few things. And get it mastered. And do all the art.. it'll never get done..
― griftertripp, Wednesday, May 7, 2008 10:41 AM
― dmr, Tuesday, 27 April 2010 17:13 (fourteen years ago) link
their most gorgeous moment = gotta be something off the Eureka EP. maybe Founder's Day Parade.[
Founder's Day Parade is indeed a gorgeous tune.
The Grifters are still one of my favourite bands ever along with Ramones, Buzzcocks,Du, Mats et al - 'famous' bands if y'like
― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Tuesday, 27 April 2010 19:58 (fourteen years ago) link
i think "wonder" is a pretty song
― 69, Tuesday, 27 April 2010 20:06 (fourteen years ago) link
friend of mine just ripped a Grifters live show from cassette
http://soundcloud.com/dan-lehr/the-grifters-cha1994
live in Chattanooga, November 4th, 1994, at the Barking Legs Theater
Snake OilBronze CastWonderMaps of the SunHolmesSainDead Already (incomplete)SideSteamthe Casual YearsTatSkin Man PalaceCorolla HoistGroundReturn to Cinder10,000EncrustedFelt Tipped OverShark (incomplete)You Don't Miss Your WaterLove X (incomplete)
― dmr, Monday, 10 September 2012 20:50 (eleven years ago) link
I <3 this thread
― Colonel Poo, Monday, 10 September 2012 21:04 (eleven years ago) link
Reformed?Reunion shows for you lucky Memphibians
― Jessie Fer Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Sunday, 17 November 2013 21:35 (ten years ago) link
dammmmmn
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Sunday, 17 November 2013 21:36 (ten years ago) link
!
― mookieproof, Sunday, 17 November 2013 22:01 (ten years ago) link
Already happened. Video at http://www.rocketscienceaudio.com/ (you have to register)
― Wandering Boy Poet, Monday, 18 November 2013 13:11 (ten years ago) link
Yeah but... I want to see them on the east coast :(
― Evan, Monday, 18 November 2013 15:06 (ten years ago) link
Wandering Boy Poet - thanks so much for the almighty link.
Given that they won't be visiting Ol' blighty again, any clues as to how to save this vid in case it walks?
― Jessie Fer Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Tuesday, 19 November 2013 22:52 (ten years ago) link
It's some annoying new format. I've grabbed the (literally) 1000 or so fragments, but the methods for joining them don't seem to work for me (& I haven't got anything that'll play the fragments). Need to get back onto researching it.
― Wandering Boy Poet, Wednesday, 20 November 2013 01:38 (ten years ago) link
Cheers WBT. please keep me updated. Not been lazy there, I'm just not tech and too fucking burnt out to learn
― Jessie Fer Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Thursday, 21 November 2013 20:46 (ten years ago) link
I haven't tried it, but the Firefox "Download Helper" add-on might work. It doesn't catch on to every web player but you can get lucky.
― Evan, Thursday, 21 November 2013 21:14 (ten years ago) link
Evan. Thanks. Hopefully you have e mail?
― Jessie Fer Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Saturday, 23 November 2013 10:25 (ten years ago) link
i just dug out the eureka ep for the first time in…a decade?
some observations just because i wonder what this sounds like to other people almost 20 years on
eureka iv -- i still like this song, although what was up with gold boys and ray guns in the 90s? it sounds weird now. his jesus song -- awesome, still love this and i would not mind being in this bandx-ray hip -- what the fucking fuck is going on with the singing/lyrics in this song. awful. otherwise it's fine but not memorablethere's also a song that sounds like an alex chilton impersonator
i guess part of it held up ok. that's not bad! the only song i could really get into was his jesus song. this video is pretty awesome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=995hAm-wcys
― Mayor Manuel (La Lechera), Wednesday, 30 April 2014 16:32 (nine years ago) link
Relistened to it, still think it's their most solid release, though other albums contain some better songs.
I've always linked Eureka with Urge Overkill's Stull EP from a few years previous. Comes right between the promising/catchy/eccentric minor league album and the major label jump. Features an eclectic bunch of stuff, some much more accessible than anything previous, some out-there. Like a last-minute housecleaning before getting more focused. Actually there's a bit of similarity between the two bands' career arcs, probably due to the state of the music business at the time more than anything else, I'd guess. Especially:
Supersonic Storybook/Crappin You NegativeEureka/StullAin't My Lookout/SaturationFull Blown Possession/Exit The Dragon
― dlp9001, Thursday, 1 May 2014 16:54 (nine years ago) link
One Sock Missing is my favorite Grifters album, and one of my favorite albums from the 90's.
I only saw them once at a small bar around '95? They were good and sloppy or sloppy good I guess.
I still remember some drunk from the back kept yelling out, "Rolling Stones!"
I guess I could see them covering a couple of the 'Exile' songs.
― nicky lo-fi, Thursday, 1 May 2014 17:48 (nine years ago) link
mmhmm
― Mayor Manuel (La Lechera), Thursday, 1 May 2014 19:27 (nine years ago) link
Grifters show in September at Gonerfest and two in November in NYC
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/08/memphis_legends.html
drudgesiren.gif
― dmr, Wednesday, 20 August 2014 02:08 (nine years ago) link
got my tickets for Glasslands already. thinkin I'll go to both of the new york ones. one of my favorite live bands of all time.
― dmr, Wednesday, 20 August 2014 02:09 (nine years ago) link
see u at mercury lounge
― mookieproof, Saturday, 23 August 2014 03:03 (nine years ago) link
high five
― dmr, Saturday, 23 August 2014 13:29 (nine years ago) link
I need to get on this.
― Evan, Saturday, 23 August 2014 13:48 (nine years ago) link
awesome, got glasslands tickets.
― adam, Saturday, 23 August 2014 14:28 (nine years ago) link
I just saw this, and it was too great not to mention. Bunch of blue-collar guys just jamming on the street. I'm guessing they'll do a Bad Company cover...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL6ctSaNQVg
― dlp9001, Friday, 8 April 2016 22:23 (eight years ago) link
Oh, to be, the state of the art, of boho/alt
― calstars, Saturday, 9 March 2019 21:24 (five years ago) link
nobody loves babies in barsbetter than yourself
― mookieproof, Saturday, 9 March 2019 21:28 (five years ago) link
Still salty I missed the NYC show in 2014.
― Evan, Saturday, 9 March 2019 21:45 (five years ago) link
Cool jerkNo particular sloganSigns are for the bottomless pitWhere nobody's going
― earlnash, Thursday, 1 April 2021 01:57 (three years ago) link
love that song so much
― Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 1 April 2021 09:12 (three years ago) link
― mookieproof, Monday, April 19, 2010 1:31 AM (twelve years ago)
― CaptainLorax, Monday, April 19, 2010 2:45 AM (twelve years ago)
― mookieproof, Monday, 11 July 2022 23:20 (one year ago) link
The situation's growing hopelеssSo I pretended not to noticе
― earlnash, Sunday, 4 September 2022 20:05 (one year ago) link