Artist: Grant Lee Buffalo: mp3 download Genre(s): Rock Discography: Jubilee Year: 1998 Tracks: 14 Although heralded by the critics and championed by their musical peers, the '90s alternative/roots rock trey Grant Lee Buffalo failed to break through to the mainstream, despite unassailable songwriting and an original style. The band's drawing card was Grant Lee Phillips -- natural in 1963 and raised in Stockton, CA, Phillips was equally influenced by rock music early on (David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Kiss) as well as country icons (Long horse cavalry Owens, Merle Haggard, etc.). By the dawn of his teen age, Phillips began playacting guitar and writing his own original compositions, as he sought-after to combine his both preferable styles of music together as one -- leading to the formation of his first real dance isthmus, Bloody Holly. Prior to his twentieth birthday, Phillips relocated to Los Angeles, where he roofed houses with hot pitch during the day, attended movie shoal at night, and reserved the weekends for music. By the end of the '80s, Phillips had formed the neo-psychedelic kit Shiva Burlesque, issue a couple of critically acclaimed simply commercially unmarked releases, 1987's self-titled debut and 1990's Mercury Blues, earlier rending up. Phillips then recruited Shiva's drummer Joey Peters and multi-instrumentalist Paul Kimble (the latter of which double on bass and keyboards and, later on, production duties) for a new envision. Utilizing a reserve of songs idle by Shiva, the raw group first went under several different names (including the Machine Elves and Mouth of Rasputin) earlier settling on Grant Lee Buffalo. The newly named kit landed a weekly abode at West Hollywood's Cafe Largo in the early '90s, as they honed their songs and alive picture, patch edifice up a significant undermentioned in the litigate. The trio sent a demonstration magnetic tape to the Singles Only label (headed by Hüsker Dü/Sugar frontman Bob Mould), wHO in turn issued the song "Bleary" as a single in 1992. By this time, the bombilate encompassing Grant Lee Buffalo had spread to other record labels, as Slash Records sign the trio and issued their full-length debut, too coroneted Muzzy, in 1993. Grant Lee Buffalo supported the release with about a year of solid touring -- orifice for the likes of Cracker, ex-Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg, and Pearl Jam. Instead of taking some much-needed time turned from their backbreaking agenda, the 3 went directly back up into the studio to work on their soph drive, 1994's Mighty Joe Moon, which spawned their first single/video to attract the attention of MTV and radiocommunication (albeit mildly), the easy lay "Mockingbirds." Despite landing place a prestigious gig curtain raising for R.E.M. (the group's first area enlistment in five years) and Phillips being recognised as Male Vocalist of the Year by Rolling Stone cartridge, the album failed to break the stripe commercially. Further fine releases followed, 1996's Copperopolis and 1998's Jubilee, which, again, were critically acclaimed yet commercial underachievers. Fed up, the trio softly disbanded in 1999. Phillips immediately launched a solo vocation, issue a couple of albums, 2000's Ladies' Love Oracle and 2001's Mobilize, both of which were whole penned and performed by the ex-Grant Lee Buffalo frontman (Phillips has also guested on albums by such early artists as the Eels, Neil Finn, Harvey Danger, Robyn Hitchcock, and Michael Penn, piece producing Eenie Meenie's self-titled 1997 EP). In 2001, a 30-track Grant Lee Buffalo overview was issued in England (where the grouping had enjoyed more significant success than in their native land), entitled Rage Hymnal: Gems From the Vault of Grant Lee Buffalo. Rhino released it stateside three old age later. |