Iconic troubadour Grant-Lee Phillips has been a pioneering force for more than twenty five years.
Pushing the limits of folk, alternative, pop and Americana, Phillips’ band Grant Lee Buffalo was a seminal ‘90s mainstay. The twenty-first century saw his transition into a prolific solo career. Says Phillips, “History and legend have often found their way into my songs.”
On his 2012 release “Walking in the Green Corn” he drew from his Native American heritage. A year later Phillips relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville, marking a new creative chapter, inspiring his freshly minted new album project, “The Narrows.” Rolling Stone named the album as one the 35 most anticipated Country albums of 2016. While “The Narrows” may buck ideas of what Country is and can be, it’s founded on a genuine embrace of America’s musical roots and branches, hinging on Phillips’ proclivity for detailed lyrical story telling and rich musical atmospheres.
It’s a signature that marks the albums of Grant Lee Buffalo, going as far back as “Fuzzy” ( 1993 ) which Michael Stipe of R.E.M. endorsed as “The best album of the year.” Grant Lee Buffalo albums like “Mighty Joe Moon” remain enigmatic treasures, that new generations are drawn to.
As with most artists, Grant-Lee Phillips’ eyes are fixed on the work at hand and that of tomorrow. With four Grant Lee Buffalo studio albums and eight to his own name there’s precious little time to enjoy the fruits of his labor. His tour schedule finds him circling the globe many times over in a given year. Occasionally he turns up in the most unlikely places, such as portraying the Town Troubadour on TV’s The Gilmore Girls. Constant movement, physically and creatively is almost a mantra. Say’s Phillips, “I never could sit still."
