BIO

Critics, while praising The Grip Weeds, often try to pigeonhole them with the “Power Pop” label. This is a bit of a misnomer. While there are plenty of driving, poppy melodies, chiming guitars and close harmonies, The Grip Weeds’ releases have sported many different styles of original material, from Psychedelic and Garage Rock to Folk-based ballads and thought-provoking social commentary. This diversity has landed several Grip Weeds songs on the top of the Little Steven’s Underground Garage "Coolest Song In The World” list, as well as placed Grip Weeds music in several television and film projects. Their reputation as a top shelf live band has brought them to venues across the United States, and internationally, including the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, Liverpool, England’s legendary Cavern Club, and several tours of Europe, as well as showcase gigs faithfully backing Sixties rock legend Mark Lindsay, among others.

Family ties are strong in The Grip Weeds, as singer/drummer Kurt Reil is joined by his wife Kristin Pinell Reil and brother Rick Reil, both singer/ guitarists: Kurt’s drum style at times seems manic and driving, yet with a keen sense of timekeeping; Kristin’s growling, aggressive lead guitar lines are laced with style, emotion and impressive technique; Rick adds his own distinctive guitar and songwriting talents, and the family trio also spearheads the recording and production of The Grip Weeds’ music. Bassist Dave DeSantis has held down bass duties for a number of top New Jersey bands before settling in with The Grip Weeds since 2012. All four Grip Weeds sing, and their group vocals have been acclaimed as one of the most distinctive and natural close harmonic blends working today.

House Of Vibes, The Grip Weeds' successful commercial recording studio, has played host to a number of diverse projects, including albums from New Jersey’s favorite sons The Smithereens, legendary vocalist Mark Lindsay and sessions with South African choral singers Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It is where The Grip Weeds have produced the lion’s share of their recording projects to date, starting with their 1994 debut album, which was remixed and expanded in 2007 as House Of Vibes Revisited. The Sound Is In You followed in 1998, Summer Of A Thousand Years in 2001, and Giant On The Beach in 2004. Following a 2008 compilation release, Infinite Soul: The Best Of The Grip Weeds on Little Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool record label, the band began work on their soaring 2010 double CD/LP Strange Change Machine. The holiday-themed project Under The Influence of Christmas came at the close of 2011, followed in 2012 by Speed Of Live: In Concert In New Jersey CD and its companion DVD, Live Vibes, videotaped live in the studio at the House Of Vibes. Rounding out two decades of recordings is the 2013 rarities collection Inner Grooves (Rare And Under-Released Tracks). 2015 brought The Grip Weeds' ambitious and acclaimed How I Won The War, named after the 1966 Richard Lester motion picture that incidentally featured John Lennon's character, "Musketeer Gripweed", the original inspiration for the band's name. A shimmering performance at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City was filmed, resulting in the 2016 concert DVD Force Of Nature Live In NYC. The band's catalog of stellar studio releases was joined in 2018 by the acclaimed Trip Around The Sun, while the vinyl revival resulted in an ongoing series of remixed and expanded archival editions of their catalog, starting with their debut album, the recently renewed Giant On The Beach Anniversary Edition, and the holiday themed Under The Influence Of Christmas.

Then, 2020 happened, and everything came to a sudden stop for The Grip Weeds. Like the rest of the world, the COVID 19 pandemic initially forced the band in to an extended hiatus. Quickly adapting, and bouncing back, the band stayed sharp working with the music that inspired their early days. This resulted in the band's acclaimed 2021 collection of cover songs, DiG. It also coincided with The Grip Weeds participating in the popular Jem Records Celebrates... series of tribute albums, which so far has included salutes to the songs of John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Pete Townshend, Ray Davies and the team of Mick Jagger & Keith Richards.

As the world finally re-emerged, so did The Grip Weeds. Live performances have resumed, both their own, and with Mark Lindsay. Meanwhile, The House Of Vibes has gotten loud again, as those long-paused projects get moved to the front burner. Even after three decades, it's accurate to say The Grip Weeds' next act is just getting under way!

–Rich Firestone