Groovin Ground
Merging old school funk with old school art rock in a jam band formatis no easy task. But this music is proof positive that risk taking and creativity is still
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Prisms Prisms
Arena rock monster with Chris Forshage on guitar and Crysta Bell on orgasmic backup vocal
Band/artist history
Founding members David Brown, Evan and Dustin Bozarth (along with former members Bud Lucchesi and Kyle Clark) began playing Grateful Dead covers as The Heart of Gold Band at the Pier on Lake Austin. As crowds grew larger and the band matured, original compositions became the core of band performances. The group changed its name to Groovin Ground and moved to the downtown Austin entertainment district, utilizing a little known and seldom-used live room called Bojangles on 6th Street. The owners gave the band Wednesday nights, traditionally the deadest night of the week. Within weeks, Wednesday nights at Bojangles were standing room only. Other touring bands and musicians like Particle, Umphreys McGee and Ray's Music Exchange, were enticed to play Jam Night and legendary jams began to be heard on a weekly basis.
The owner of the Vibe on 6th Street witnessed the Groovin Ground phenomenon and informal discussions led to a decision to move Jam Night to the larger and friendlier live music club in May of 2002. Groovin Ground hosted the raucous Jam Night at the Vibe for almost a year. During that time they jammed with touring bands The Greyhounds, Agua Dulce, Psychedelic Breakfast, Bernie Worrell, Larry, Motion for Alliance, Tea Leaf Green, Llama, Umphrey's McGee, and Brothers Past.
The first album GROOVIN GROUND: RAW LIVE was recorded at the Vibe and produced by legendary engineer, Chet Himes (Ted Nugent and ZZ Top). It showcases the band's early material in a typical rowdy Jam Night environment.
Lights and multi-media began to become a prominent part of a Groovin Ground performance. Long-time supporter of the band, Bryan Azar, realized his dream of producing light shows for the band. Since that time Bryan has graduated from operating a small DJ light system to building a full-service, professional lighting design and production company. His work with Groovin Ground and others can be viewed at Iliosdesign.com.
The band continued to push the limits of creativity both musically and visually, often utilizing costumes and theatrics to provide new dimension to the live experience. An early pinnacle of band creativity was their infamous 2002 Halloween show with good friends, Spoonfed Tribe. The Ground wrote and performed an original 90 minute rock opera entitled THE GOAT: Part 2, a futuristic opus that chronicles a man’s existence in 2 different planes of consciousness, and what results when dimensions collide. The finale of THE GOAT is Prisms, a power ballad of epic proportions. A version of PRISMS is displayed on GG’s debut studio CD release, DOME.
Groovin Ground toured heavily in 2003, performing in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. Opening slots for Fareed Haque, Oteil Burbridge, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, and a PACKED Trey Anastasio after-show in Denver CO raised awareness of the band for both new fans and other musicians. It was during this time that many current songs were honed and road tested. Fresh off the road, GG began pre-production for the Dome CD at the home studio of friend and collaborator, Grego Loboz. These ‘informal’ sessions at Grego's came out so well, the decision was made to release them on CD. "LIVE AT GREGO’S" revealed a super-tight and mature band while capturing the energy and group interplay of their live shows.
For the long-awaited studio project, the band chose engineer, Thomas Van Der Brook, who had recorded and produced a much-admired Austin masterpiece, Big Biscuit Oogie Machine by Grass. After basic tracks were laid down at Tonehaus Studios (Austin TX), the band took a break from recording to compose new music. This became the 1st annual X-MAS BAND CAMP, a weeklong lock-in, rich with songwriting, experimentation, and Miller High Life. 20 songs later and from completely out of the blue, the band (as it was then known) broke up and Groovin Ground was no more
Evan, Dustin, and band manager, El Boz, made the decision to complete production on the DOME project. Three guitarists, a complete horn section and backup vocalists were utilized and new material was included from the bizarre but productive Band Camp sessions.
In the interim, the Brothers Bozarth created a side project named The Portal. The Portal features 3 set of all-improv, collaborations between the ‘Bozboys” and invited combinations of talented musicians. The essence of live music is distilled into its raw form, nurturing a performance that completely lives in the moment, and embraces each new discovery. The Portal gave new focus and spark to Groovin Ground's improvisations and has been a haven for musicians and listeners who enjoy risk-taking music performed in the present tense.
After applying the finishing touches on DOME, GG’s studio debut, one ideal became clear. The band now owns a completely unique and individual sound. Groovin Ground is now reformed with a new musical perspective and a singular goal to bring their music to the people.Your musical influences
Psychedelic, improvisational, proggyAnything else?
Check out these reviews for the DOME CD
http://www.glidemagazine.com/2/reviews594.html
http://www.groovinground.com/review_dome_austindaze.html
Austin, TX
USA
ID
325151
Contact
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