Middle Western. Meanwhile, they’ve been making a name for themselves within the world of bluegrass. It’s not hard to see that Horseshoes and Hand Grenades really enjoys their craft, as well as an old fashion good time.
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Photo by Dewook Photography[/caption]
Check out this interview I did with Adam Greuel, who sings and plays guitar in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades…
Camp Counselor Carmel: For those who aren’t familiar, tell me about your band, who is in it, and how would you describe your sound?
Adam Greuel: At the core, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades is a group of five buddies who really like to make music together. Our fiddle player Collin Mettelka became interested in old-time music later in high school and he eventually met Russell Pedersen and kind of instigated him into playing the claw hammer banjo. The fiddle and banjo combination is really traditional to old-time music. Davey Lynch had been playing the harmonica and accordion before he met those two and then his blues and cajun style melded well with what they were up to and created something just a little different. They started playing together around town and eventually came across the bass-man Sammy Odin and I after about a year. We brought some other music influences to the table and the sound shifted a bit more. We were both big into the Grateful Dead and had really eclectic musical interests. Sam had been trained in the world of jazz bass playing and so it was really unique and interesting to explore the way that interacted with the more traditional forms of old-timey music. I had been playing guitar and dobro in some other bluegrass and Americana bands around Wisconsin and felt really jacked to come across four other guys who were interested in acoustic music and creating something that sounded a little bit different than what we’d gotten our ears on before.
Where are you guys from and how did the band initially form?
We all grew up in Wisconsin and met while attending college at UW-Stevens Point back in the fall of 2009. We started jamming together at house parties and we just kind of enjoyed each others company. We’ve been close friends from the very beginning and that’s really at the core of us as a band too. There was, and still is, a bluegrass open mic outside of Stevens Point, WI at the Northland Ballroom, and we started to cruise out there on Wednesday nights and perform together. We started connecting more and more with this big and beautiful music community and started to fall in love with it all. It was inspiring and full of energy. There’s a contagious element of togetherness in music and I personally started to realize that fact through the Northland and local bands like Sloppy Joe, Art Stevenson & Highwater, Loose Strings. Eventually we started landing some gigs and realizing that we loved being on the road playing music together. That sentiment is still strong today as we find ourselves traveling to new spaces and meeting people, and returning back to places and folks that we’ve grown to love and deeply connect with.
How does your background affect your music?
In a really big way! Our songwriting definitely draws on the natural landscapes that we’ve experienced. We all grew up interacting with the outdoors a lot and the thoughts and feelings that the natural world can evoke often come out in our tunes. Personally, I grew up on the Wisconsin River right in the heart of Wisconsin and sitting on the riverbank or in a canoe tends to be where I feel right at home and where music and ideas start flowing. The other fellas have had similar experiences in their own favorite spaces. It’s been a really neat experience to start traveling around more and getting to check out places that are inspiring other people. Sometimes it feels like different landscapes even have different rhythms or beats to them. I try to be open to allowing those feelings to work their way into the music that we make.
How did the band get its name?
Not long after we started jamming and hanging together, we were forced to figure out a name to provide to a venue owner for publicity. The issue came up at a house party over at Davey’s house and ideas started swirling around from friends and random folks who had made their way into the get-together. Lots of names got thrown around and when the smoke settled (the next day), we had to make a decision and “Horseshoes & Hand Grenades” was the idea that everyone could remember and that kind of stuck in our heads. Now days, the old saying “close only counts in horseshoes & hand grenades” comes to mind and in some ways reflects our love for keeping things light and never forgetting that, at the core, we’re a bunch of buddies playing tunes for our friends, same as it ever was.
Bluegrass is often about telling stories, what stories does Horseshoes and Hand Grenades tell?
I’m often mind-blown by peoples kindness on the road and also by how different every show is. I think most of our shows have memorable aspects, mostly because we really try to be thankful for where we’re playing, the people hanging out, and the ability to be playing music that day. The folks who come to see the show really add the color and inspiration to the performances. I’m reminded of a show we played this past fall at the beautiful Meyer Theatre in Green Bay, WI. It was a big show for us, in a big old theatre full of people amped up for the show. We came on stage and the energy was just electric and vibrant. We played a couple songs and then this big sonic boom noise started happening and the sound system cut out. We had been a little ways into our song “Wisconsin Waters” and we all just walked to the front of the stage and played acoustically. The whole audience sang the chorus so sweetly and it really brought us all together, despite something having happened that could have ruined the show. We were in a huge theatre together, but somehow it felt like we all were in a living room with a big happy family singing “Sweet Caroline” or “Amazing Grace”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS4_Q_J7ftE
Tell me about your newest album Middle Western? Why did you choose that name? What was the recording process like?
We record in the Northwoods of Wisconsin west of Minocqua on Squirrel Lake, a beautiful little hideaway. The studio looks like a boat house and it hangs over the lake, giving us a good glimpse of sunsets and a chance at some lunker smallmouth bass in between sessions. Our cell phones don’t get reception unless you find the perfect spot and there was no internet connections easily accessible. It really gave us a chance to be together and present, and to focus on what we were up to and trying to accomplish. Some friends came up from time to time and gave us some laughs when we needed them the most, and there were even some magical moments with the northern lights. Our engineer on the record Mark Richardson has a fantastic ear and some really neat hand-built equipment that gives our voices and instruments a unique and honest sound. Being that the process of recording “Middle Western” took a year and half, we got to see the seasons change right along with ourselves and all of the life in and around Squirrel Lake.
It’s been a wild ride to get where the project is now. We’ve grown a lot as people and musicians during that period, and it’s probably kind of reflected in the music. We were traveling a lot and learning more and more about life and all of the kinds of people and places you can come across along the way. You hear stories on the road, you experience some strange things, you feel inspired at times, and you feel frustrated just the same. Different landscapes, that being physical, cultural, and social, teach you so much about the differences and similarities in people, and everything within yourself too. All of that information coming into our young minds made for lots of ideas and thoughts, some of which have turned into songs.
Each one of the 5 band members has at least one tune on the album that they wrote and the whole record is original music. We’re all different people and we all see things a little differently, so we wanted to make sure that we’re all able to let ourselves out and onto something that together we’ve put a lot of love and energy into. I think that we all really appreciate the tunes that each other have written and we’re excited about the whole thing. It’s been a long and winding road making this album, and a whole lot of ourselves and the people we love are ingrained inside of it.
What inspires you as a musician?
It could be anything! Last night I had a bizarre dream and started writing it down this morning. That will probably turn into a song. Like I mentioned earlier, the natural world is a big one for me, probably because I’m really comfortable outside and I tend to easily get to thinking and creating there. Conversations with friends or strangers can be really inspiring too, or just random life experiences. I guess almost anything that gets your wheels turning, makes you think, or question, or want to make some kind of point. When I’m on stage and I look out into the audience and see smiling faces full of emotion, that’s when I almost feel the most strong sense of inspiration. I’ve looked into the crowd and seen tears too, and that actually makes me feel really good. I think music has a beautiful ability to help people feel their emotions, maybe to release some things, embrace, or get a sense of a fresh start.
This is your first year playing Summer Camp Music Festival. What expectations do you have coming into this festival for the first time?
We’re really excited for our first Summer Camp, man oh man! I remember when I first started hearing about music festivals, lots of friends were telling us how awesome of a time it was and how we would fit in really well down there. We’ve always had fun jamming around the campgrounds when we can and I’m excited for the festival this year because we’ll be hanging out for a couple days. Its always good to really dig into the scene, enjoy some of the other music happening, and get to make some new friends and connect with old ones too! I’ve heard many Summer Camp stories from friends and fans, and I’m really excited to make some of our own too. It’s going to be a joy to be part of the festivities and the merriment.
What are you most looking forward to this summer?
The sunshine, the smiling faces, the sense of community that happens at festivals. That feeling right around sundown at a festival where everything feels just about perfect and you remember how thankful you are to be alive. Fishing new creeks and rivers that we stumble across on the road. Meeting new people, seeing new places, and inspiring each other, learning.
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades will be hosting a Summer Camp Pre-Party at Schubas in Chicago this Saturday, May 2!
The night will feature the release of the new Horseshoes & Hand Grenades album “Middle Western”, a Summer Camp ticket giveaway, and more… see you there!
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