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| Cover art Wendy Meyer Britton |
Music inspires us. It has the potential to speak louder than words and to convey feelings that help us get a better grasp of our own emotional truth. Sometimes music can be more authentic to us than the reality that surrounds us in our day-to-day existence. Music is feeling, it is poetry and it is the essence of life itself wrapped up in notes, chords and lyrics. It is a marinade that we soak our lives in, creating a tenderness within our souls in which we find solace and sanity.
Napa based
groove-folk rockers Grass Child is such a band that use their music to create
the sanity and solace many of us are looking for within life itself. Grass Child’s
sound is a bit of rock and roll with taste of funky-folk and flavored with a
sprinkle of reggae-fusion.
Each member
in Grass Child is an accomplished and talented musician and performer. Sarah
Madsen’s sweet, powerful and soulful voice lends harmony and breadth and she is
a dynamic front woman; Brant Roscoe’s blazing yet gentle guitar adds depth and
meaning to the music; then there is heartbeat that is the backbeat of Grass
Child with Barry Forsythe keeping the pulse on drums along with the smooth and
soothing bass lines that come from Jonathan Tindall.
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| Sarah Madsen |
Says
vocalist Sarah Madsen of the band’s style, “None of us are nailed or pigeon
holed into a specific style. We each write and create what makes us feel good.
And yes, that’s “moody”. We’re all old enough to know and understand the
different joys and facets of life. Luckily we have an outlet to express that.”
Grass Child
has had many incarnations as a band, beginning in 1990 with guitarist Brant
Roscoe and drummer Barry Forsythe putting together a band called Gypsy Grass
Child with original vocalist Kurt Briggs Schindler. The band morphed again in
1995 with the addition of bassist Jonathan Tindall. The band at that time
worked hard to make a place for themselves, gigging massively and cutting two
full-length albums.
Various
personal woes led the band to disband in 2005, each member going their own separate
path, yet they kept in touch throughout the years following the breakup.
In 2009,
Jonathan, Barry, Brant and pianist Charlie Thompson reconnected with new ideas
and a desire to create their own music. They were without a vocalist this time,
but luckily, through magic of a conversation with a stranger named Sarah
Madsen, whom Brant met on a job site, the band found their “voice” fresh of her
tour with Lynnard Skynnard tribute band “Skynnin’ Lynnard”.
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| Brant Roscoe |
“I went out
to jam with them the first time with only tribute or top 40 bands and one
original project in my arsenal. First thing they said to do was 'freestyle to
what we play'. It was a bit nerve racking but nevertheless, magical,” remembers
Sarah. “It was from then on that I began developing MY vocal style and intonation,
my groove. Prior to that it had been all someone else's shit (copy bands). And
once I jammed with these boys, I knew I didn't ever want to sing anyone else's
song again, unless for it was for me and my jollies. So Grass Child was born.”
The group
decided to let go of the “Gypsy” within the original band name and establish
the new version of the band as “Grass Child”.
Within the
first year together, Grass Child had renewed personal problems and disbanded
again, only to re-group in 2011 with a pile of songs that were loosely recorded
by Brant, Barry and Sarah. “Brant and I committed to each other and to our
music. We decided not to lose any of it and to record the tracks we had written
and we continued to write and arrange together at Brant’s house,” says Sarah. “We went in the studio as much as
possible (paying out of pocket) and we truly enjoyed that process. We spent the
better part of a year recording together. Once Barry and Jon made contact
again, we shared with him what we had been working on. Jon ingested what was
there and wrote his bass parts for the new tracks.”
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| Barry Forsythe |
With the
renewed desire to play music together again, the seeds of Grass Child’s
full-length album, Marinade, were
planted. Says Jonathan, “The title
Marinade actually came from a quote
that Brant spat out during a rehearsal one night where we were being unusually
creative. He related that ‘we
didn’t break up for a year, we were just Marinating.’ That and the disjointed recording process lending a bunch of
individual ingredients to the overall recipe led us to the title.”
Marinade is definitely a hodge-podge of sounds
and moods. “We started out as a mostly acoustic hippie-jam band that dabbled in
reggae. Many of those influences
are still present, however we tend to pull more from Barry’s and my classical
and jazz training, Brant’s heavy metal and Sarah’s classic rock styles,” says Jonathan.
The
recording process is always an interesting journey for a band. Grass Child’s
recording of Marinade was that and
more. With busy schedules, families and the usual obstacles of life, the band
needed to be creative within their creativity to record. “What was unique about
the project overall was that it was a rare occasion that more than one or two
of us were in the studio at the same time. In the past, we’ve always recorded with the whole band
present.” Says Jonathan Tindall.
“This project allowed a little more individual freedom in performance,
with feedback often only coming from the engineer or perhaps one other member
of the group. After all of
the tracks were recorded, we returned to the studio over several sessions to
create final mixes and masters of the tracks, and completed the project in
March 2012.”
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| Jonathan Tindall |
Adds Sarah Madsen,
“During some of the writing of Marinade,
Brant and I used a handheld BOSS 4 track recorder. He'd stick some riffs or
ideas on it and give it to me. I could then record vocals (with effects!) and
get it back to him.”
Marinade opens with “1760” with it’s minor
keys and marching, dirge-like beat with lyrics that tell, fittingly, of their rehearsal
space where all the magic is created. “Fryin” in a fun, kinetic romp of
acoustic guitar beginnings and acid-jazz rhythms that feels like a 1968 rock
and roll acid-trip in itself. “Driftin’ Away” takes us on reggae-infused
booty-bump and the song is probably the star of the album. “No one knows where
the wind blow, all they know is their way….”
The feeling
of longing is ever present on Marinade.
Three songs in particular point
out ideas of wanting to create personal change. “Chasing Time” has some
beautiful guitar work by Brant; both electric and acoustic, while the bass and
drums of Jonathan and Barry roll like gentle waves and Sarah’s vocals hush and
soar. “Down Here” asks one to let
go of ego, imploring those who only see the heights of selfishness to “come on,
get down from yourself. ‘Cause I think you’ll like the feel down here”. “Let Yourself Go” is a heartfelt call
to using the power of love in order to see what is in front of you. “Look in my
eyes and see my love, feel my love. Take a chance and come with me, be with me.
Let yourself go, before I am gone”. The melodies and harmonies of all 3 songs
melt one’s heart while soaring with the feelings of hope.
Marinade is a mostly acoustic disk, with
itchings of both acoustic and electric guitar and bass strewn throughout. All
members of the band contribute efforts to creating the songs. “We
all write and create individually and together. There really isn’t one way that
we come up with our songs.” Says guitarist Brant Roscoe. “Sometimes one of us
will have the complete song arranged and ready to go, other times it’s just an
idea or a guitar riff or drum beat that we build off of.”
The idea of songwriting and creating as a band is about “finding
an interesting musical vehicle to tell a story with lyrics, or crafting lyrics
to a mood or progression of a jam while trying to be original and relevant,” says
drummer Barry Forsythe. “When the groove is right and we are killing it, all
trials and troubles cannot find their way into that space.”
“The boys write all their parts. And
occasionally lend to each other when they have a specific thing in mind,” says
Sarah. “Either Brant or Jon will bring a message or a new riff to build off of
and they make magic in the lab. Then it comes my way to see what melody and
harmony I pick out, what arrangement in the time signature, meaningful lyrics
and how I want to arrange them.”
Most bands go through a lot in order to succeed and make the magic that is music. In some ways, being in a band is more like a “relationship” that must endure anger and fear, fights and making-ups, joys and achievements. But over all it’s all about the music and the desire for a musician to create with others.
“We’re family first and foremost;
and as a family we definitely have our clashes and strife,” says Jonathan. “But
most of all, we respect each other and truly appreciate each individual’s
talents, quirks and contributions.
We get along really well these days and have grown closer in the last
year.”
Grass Child
is ready for another level of being in the music industry; they are solid in
their lineup and they want to bring their music to more and more fans. But more
than anything, they want to create music for the love of creating.
Says Sarah,
“In this bullshit world of pop lyrics jammed into the boom-tiss techno crap
with theatrics, costumes, make up and dancers, all I want to do is sing to you
barefoot. No fucking effects. I want to make you feel the pain of my song not
from what I recorded or from what I felt when I recorded it, but what I am
feeling, right now.”
Brant Roscoe voices it best, “I believe there is no limit to
what Grass Child can do or go in the music world. As long as were making music
and playing for people, I am happy.”
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