Quotes
"Raw, powerful and intense." "Some might even call it mind blowing."
- Tom Laurie (Music Connection Magazine) -
"TheGrumpy have successfully given a critically acclaimed piece of music to the fans, with a true to the heart sound." - Q/5 (MUEN Magazine) -
"I was completely blown away by The Grumpy" - Debra Stocker (All Access Magazine) -
"West knows how to deliver a song in the way that sticks with you and his delivery feels and sounds effortless." - Kim Thore (All Access Magazine) -
"After listening to 'THROES OF CONTEMPLATION', one can only hope that this is only the begining for the band, despite the fact that they've been together for close to a decade. WEST is the chief songwriter for the band and one can hear evidence of the man's classical training, despite the BLUE OYSTER CULT-styled power chords. From the opening track CHANGE to the closing lighter waving anthem MISUNDERSTOOD, the band remain consistent and engaging throughout, while wearing an obvious RUSH influence on their rolled up sleeve."
- Brian Lush (Rockwired Magazine) -
"...the Grumpy has a good recipe: Take rock instruments, put them into real musicians' hands, add soothing male voices and shake the whole thing up with some beats. Caution: This will contaminate even the most skeptic rockers."
- Mereme Diop (Sacramento News & Review) -
All Access Magazine (Vol. 7, Issue 2)
All Access Magazine CD Release Press Release
What's Up Magazine (Los Angeles Publication) Volume 12, Number 11.
What's Up Magazine (Los Angeles Publication) February 15th, 2009 Issue.
FEB 09 ISSUE
February 19, 2009
The Grumpy :: Throes of Contemplation
CD Review
By Kim Thore
The Grumpy
According to their myspace bio, The Grumpy equals Versatility and this reviewer agrees. Led by multi-instrumentalist Cameron West, one can tell about 4 seconds into track one that he truly has been “influenced by a huge variety of music ranging from Aretha Franklin to Cannibal Corpse.” Their latest EP “Throes of Contemplation” is a gratification for the listener who is looking for something more than the status quo.
The Grumpy, originally formed in 1999 as the brainchild of Cameron and drummer JW Brooks, and has been a California stage presence ever since. With the addition of bassist Jake Ferguson, this trio has found the right mix and the courage to explore musical territory with no pre-conceived agenda.
While their music can be described as rock, it has a unique blend that almost begs for a new moniker. Echoes of 80’s cerebral British pop sounds twist and turn through the ep as does the opulent vocals of singer Cameron West. West knows how to deliver a song in the way that sticks with you and his delivery feels and sounds effortless. He’s hitting the mark but not overshooting the target. With the sonic scenery of Brooks and Ferguson, the combination is rather striking.
Notable tracks include “Change” and “Under the Light” and “Misunderstood”, however this is a rock solid cd, with no frills.
4.5 Stars
Review by Kim Thore
February 12, 2009
KYDS Radio Live Interview
February 2009
Indie 104 Radio "Artist of the Month"
Music Underground Entertainment News (MUEN Magazine)
CD Review:
THE GRUMPY
"Throes Of Contemplation."
The chemistry of this Sacramento based power trio is undeniable from the opening Bass slide and guitar riff of the first song, "Change" to the final chilling piano notes of, "Misunderstood". theGrumpy will leave a lasting impression on all that listen to what they play and have to say, throughout their masterfully written third E.P. "Throes Of Contemplation." The musical talent of lead singer/guitarist, Cameron is evident throughout this CD with an equally talented backbone provided by drummer J.W. Brooks and bass guitarist Jake Furguson. theGrumpy have infectious grooves and lyrical persistence that grants them leverage into the world of popular music.
"Change" opens this powerful E.P. as strong as any opening song I have heard to date. A heavy drum beat with crashes perfectly synchronized with the artful guitar licks that peek and comfort ones interest at all the perfect times. Singer Cameron uses simple but brilliant vocal changes throughout this song leading up to the dramatics incorporated in the lyrics, "I don't think I'll sleep again?" "Under The Light" drifts in with a menacing lyrical line that is capable of becoming any ballad lovers' favorite through the use of catchy word phrasing and the quintessential romantic vocals of Cameron. "Walk" parallels with the heaviest of heaviest in drum and groove. The drumming of J.W. Brooks stands amongst some of the best that I have heard in recent memory with a sound few drummers can duplicate, but many attempt. Brooks has many drum changes and rolls showing his dedication to his craft, throughout every one of the songs that make up, "Throes Of Contemplation".
"Throes Of Contemplation" was co-produced, engineered, mixed by Brian Randolph with co-production by Cameron. Any fan of good lyrical content in music today with a totality to stay within the wholly sensatory rock scene played out on a scale that many attempt and few accomplish, will be musically engulfed by this work of art. TheGrumpy have successfully "produced," in the creation of "Throes Of Contemplation".
~Quentin Q. Quirk (Q/5)
Music Connection Magazine Live Review (September 2008 Issue)
theGrumpy
The chemistry that this Sacramento based power trio has is undeniable from the opening Bass slide and guitar riff of the first song, "Change" to the final chilling piano notes on, "Misunderstood". The theGrumpy (www.thegrumpy.com and on MySpace URL http://www.myspace.com/thegrumpy) will leave a lasting impression on all that listen to them throughout this masterfully written third E.P. "Throes of Contemplation."
The musical talent of lead singer/guitarist, Cameron is evident throughout every song with an equally talented backbone in drummer J.W. Brooks and bass guitarist Jake Furguson. theGrumpy are virtually on the wave of stardom with contagious grooves and lyrical diligence that grants them leverage into the world of popular music.
"Change" opens this powerful E.P. as strong as any opening song I have heard to date. A heavy drum beat with crashes perfectly synchronized with the artful guitar licks that peek and soothe ones interest at all the perfect times. Singer Cameron uses simple but brilliant vocal changes throughout this song leading up to the dramatics incorporated in the lyrics, "I don't think I'll sleep again?"
"Tastic" has a mantra type feeling to its opening lines only to step out and grab the listeners' attention with accommodating musical changes that positively prove the tightness of this three some. This song, with its physically powerful changes and steadfast guitar fingering, made me think of how wonderfully, "Throes of Contemplation", was master in its entirety. (By: Michael Romanoski)
"Under The Light" drifts in with a looming lyrical sing along capable of becoming any ballad lovers' favorite. Through the use of catchy word phrasing and the quintessential romantic vocals of Cameron, "Everyone is dancing, everyone is smiling. Let's just watch the sun creep away tonight. Everybody's gawking, everyone's still talking. And all I see is you under the light", is sung with a beauty very often attempted by never accomplished with such chilling counter piece as with theGrumpy.
"Walk" parallels with the heaviest of heaviest in drum and groove songs in music today. The drumming of J.W. Brooks stands amongst some of the finest that I have heard in recent memory. Brooks has many drum changes (fills) and rolls that draw attention to his consistent rhythms, proving his devotion to his craft, all through every one of the songs that make up, "Throes of Contemplation".
"Fuzz" makes me think of the college radio station that desires a hit to make it a success at the midnight hour. It has perfect pitches along with cunning word play that paralyzes the listeners' ears with wonder. This E.P. thrilled me with out of this world Production and mixing, all the way through. "Throes of Contemplation" was co-produced, engineered, mixed by Brian Randolph with co-production by Cameron.
"Misunderstood" glistens with the guitar playing of Cameron on top of the consistently heart racing bass lines of Jake Ferguson. Leaving this song on the E.P. as musical master piece that one must simply listen to, to truly appreciate.
Any fan of the lyrical high play in music today with a curiosity to dive into a sensory rock sound, played on a level that few musical artists can attain, will be engulfed by this work of musical art. The theGrumpy have successfully given a critically acclaimed piece of music to the fans, with a true to the heart sound.-Sinfully, Q/5
By Debra Stocker
Judge this CD NOT by its cover. Thinking I was in for some growly lyrics I couldn't understand, I was guilty of judging this CD by its cover. Melodic rock – and very pleasurable at that – is what I did find! There are six songs in total, but I wish there were more. The selection of songs for this CD couldn't have been better, and they’re well arranged too. If this is a taste of more to come, add my name to the band’s mailing list. The Grumpy have great lyrics and musicianship. I loved the guitar riffs in the last song titled “Misunderstood” – my fav. Just as I thought it was over, turns out they saved the best for last. Yes indeed, this Sacramento-based band did pleasantly knock my socks off. And again, if this is a taste of what’s more to come, then bring it on.
I was completely blown away by The Grumpy, and think you will be too. My instincts tell me this is a band on the rise! Yes, of course they have a web site: MySpace.com/THEGRUMPY. Check them out. Better yet, mark your calendar for the band’s next show, ’cause I’ll be the one standing right next to you.
www.THEGRUMPY.com
Review by Debra Stocker
After listening to 'THROES OF CONTEMPLATION', one can only hope that this is only the begining for the band, despite the fact that they've been together for close to a decade. WEST is the chief songwriter for the band and one can hear evidence of the man's classical training, despite the BLUE OYSTER CULT-styled power chords. From the opening track CHANGE to the closing lighter waving anthem MISUNDERSTOOD, the band remain consistent and engaging throughout, while wearing an obvious RUSH influence on their rolled up sleeve.
ROCKWIRED spoke with WEST and drummer J.W. BROOKS over the phone. Here is how it went.
You've got a great E.P. out!
CAMERON: Thanks! We're diggin' it and I hope that everyone else is too.
And now that it's out there for everyone to hear, how do you guys feel about it?
CAMERON: I'm actually pretty happy with it. We've spent a lot of time on this one in making sure that everything is where we wanted it. We went the extra mile, I guess you could say.
J.W.:Yeah it was good times doing it.
You guys have been around for a while yet a I don't have a discography handy. Is this your first release?
CAMERON: No. This is the fourth-ish. We've done a lot of E.P.'s and live things but this is the first CD where we went all the way through with the whole production value of it all and making sure that the mastering was done by a very reputable fella. We spent way too much time in the studio making sure that everything went the way we wanted it.
How did this band come together. What got everybody on the same page?
J.W.: CAMERON and I have pretty much known each other our whole lives so it's been off and on as far as music goes. We've always played and jammed together. The band has always been there. It's always been a different name with different music, but as far as a name for right now, we've landed on THE GRUMPY. We found JAKE FERGUSON (the bass player) a few years ago. We went to school with him back in the day and we just ran into him. he was playing bass so we got together and started doing our thing. It's been going strong for the last few years.
Why the name?
J.W.: Have you seen our website?
Yes I have.
J.W.: So I assume you've seen me. I look pretty grumpy, I think.
Yeah, you do a little bit.
J.W.: I don't know. I give everybody the same answer and I know it sounds ridiculous but I just say that we put a thousand names in a hat and picked out THE GRUMPY.
What drew each of you to music specifically?
J.W.: I'll let CAMERON go first.
CAMERON: For me, it was from birth. I crawled out and onto a piano. I knew what I wanted to do since I was about two. For me it was pretty easy to pick this road because it's all I've known since I was born.
J.W.: It was easy for me to grow into music because growing up, every single one of my friends was a musician. I was playing five gallon drums at parties when I was ten or twelve. I actually picked up a drum set and started playing when I was about fifteen. Since all my friend were musicians, I had a lot of people to jam with, so you learn real fast.
What music spoke to you in the begining?
J.W.: The kind of music that's still speaking to me is Classic Rock. Stuff like JIMI HENDRIX, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, PINK FLOYD, and LED ZEPPELIN. I've been listening to that stuff since I was old enough to listen to music
How about you CAMERON?
CAMERON: My experience growing up was almost exclusively classical until I was in my mid teens. That was when I got to experimenting with some more of the modern music. My brother was a big jazz afficionado so between him and I there was a lot of dead people music floating around the air in the house.
Explain how a song gets written in this band.
CAMERON: I go and suffer a whole bunch and then I write about it. The creative process is just finding the mark or the color of an idea and letting my hands do what they do and let my voice do what is does.
Are there any plans for a full length release?
CAMERON: It's a funding thing for the most part. We keep setting a new standard every time that we record something. Now the standard is set to do a full length album the way that we want to, but it's probably going to need a little more support.
And CAMERON, this question goes to you specifically. Talk about your band mates. What do you think that eachof them sort of brings to the table creatively, musically and personality-wise.
CAMERON: The easiest one to address is going to be the drummer. J.W. and I go all the way back to elementary school and junior high and all the way up. Over the course playing music together as kids, we broke off and went our own separate directions. We also played the rhythm section in a country band for a while , we did a rhythm section for a death metal band and a regular metal band. We did everyhing. We've done folk and latin music for a while so between him and I, we have a chemistry that just makes it work. Everything we do wherever we go, we seem to go there together. There is that tightnes that we have that I don't think that I've had with very many drummers. Our bass player JAKE is nutty and that's really what bass players do, I guess.
And J.W., I'd like for you to talk about CAMERON.
J.W.: Well, just like CAMERON says, we have a chemistry. As far as talking about CAMERON in front of him, I've got to say that he's a great guy and he's easy to work with and he's a phenomenal writer. If we can make it happen musically, than I've got say that kicks ass.
From this current relase are there any tracks that sort of stand out for you?
J.W.: That's a tough one. Alot of those songs stick out in my head just because they are so fun to play. Every song we play is fun to play in it's own way, but the tunes on this new album are really great. We're getting great responses from our live work as well as what we're laying down on wax. If there is one song that sticks out in my head, I would have to say 'WALK'. It's so damn fun to play on the drums.
How about you CAMERON?
CAMERON: I think the one that gets me is MISUNERSTOOD because it was an after thought in adding it to the CD. I was actully thinking about pulling it from the CD and putting it on a later release but the engineer sat me down and had this long discussion with me about how he wanted the song on the album and how he would make it work. Three or four weeks later, we worked the song from the ground up and turned it tnto what it is now, which is something that I'm very happy with. So the song has gone from being my least favorite to the most notable, and maybe even my favorite on the album.
What would you like person to come away with after hearing it.
CAMERON: Here is where the artist in me has to answer. That's the part that's art. I can't really dictate what I'd like someone to walk away with . All I can do is share what I have and let that affect them in the way that it does, however that may be.
