Discovering the musical talent in this country one area at a time, we came across a phenomenal band called Grand Marquis. A blend of middle America and southern jazz and swing, their style and sound a reminiscent of decades previous. They have been playing music in the Midwest and beyond for 14 years, and know a thing or two about the local music scene. Check out our little chat with the band, find out what’s going on in their promising future, and then go out and check into your local music scene! There could be talent lurking in the corner somewhere—it’s up to you to go and find it!
Serial Optimist: If you could introduce yourselves to our readers in the most unique way possible, how would you do so?
Grand Marquis: First of all we would love to turn on the (Kansas City) Plaza lights! We have been introducing ourselves to the people of Kansas City for 14 years and we keep finding new fans come out of the woodwork. We hope to reach even more with this newest release. We are an American Roots band that leans toward the swinging blues and speakeasy jazz styles. We love to pay homage to the past without being a time capsule. Progressing american music without reinventing, by keeping it relevant, fresh and at the same time keeping it timeless. We pull from our Kansas City heritage as well as early Memphis and New Orleans styles. We enjoy playing the music we play and each other. Still a constant in Kansas City, but traveling around the country spreading our unique blend to as many people as possible.
SO: How is it that you all became acquainted with one another? Any quirky stories?
GM: Nothing really quirky. We assembled and found new members through networking and finding players that shared our ideas and that we could get along with. Maybe divine intervention with a Stan Lee storyline.
SO: Any fun things you have learned about each other through the years? Silly habits? Pre-show rituals? Odd favorite foods?
GM: Well we could get into some pretty weird stuff, but you know we are family. As anyone in a band knows, while traveling for long periods of time you get to know each other very well. I could list plenty of eccentric behaviors, but we would need another article for that J
SO: What do you think makes KC such a great place to play music?
GM: First of all, the music heritage from Kansas City, is very important to us. We like being a part of it and moving it forward in the only way we know how. Also, the diversity in this city is a big plus. We have so many great musicians that are doing all kinds of music. As musicians, we are not only into the type of music we play. We are fans of music and learning about new music, hearing new sounds is easy to do in KC.
The variety of venues and chances to play is a great bonus. We can work in KC alone and stay plenty busy with clubs, parties, festivals, and civic events.
We have great organizations that promote music, such as the Midwest Music Foundation, Kansas City Blues Society, Topeka Blues Society, Jazz Ambassadors, KKFI, KCUR, two weekly magazines, and the recent addition of The Folk Alliance is really exciting!
Important to a working/traveling band is that we are in a central location. It is pretty easy to go out on little 4-5 day outings and cover a bunch of territory and still make it back home. Kansas City is home and the culture here is home. Everything!
SO: Tell us a little bit about your newest album, just released June 25th.
GM: The new record “Blues and Trouble” is our 7th release in our 14-year career. It is always a progression of your material when you put out a new album. For a variety of reasons your music will change over the years. Sometimes quickly and sometimes it is a very gradual thing. This album is a natural progression after our last one “Hold On To Me”. We went into the rehearsal space and crafted 12 originals for this record and decided to throw on one cover tune that has been a favorite of our fans.
Also, we took some more time with the recording process. We went the route of recording with Duane Trower. He has a studio in the Crossroads called Weights and Measures. Great guy to work with and we have been using him for the last decade. We put more time into the recording and really think it came out well. Usually, we will track all tunes in two days and mix in another two, this time we took about three weeks to get it done. The finished product reflects the time spent on it.
SO: This is an outstanding debate at Serial Optimist. Meerkat or sloth? Substantiate your claim.
GM: Sloth, because a whole ecosystem can exist in its fur. Meerkats are cute, but life gets dirty sometimes.
SO: Where’s your favorite place in all of Kansas City to go for drinks?
GM: Anywhere that serves Boulevard beer works, but that does not narrow it down at all.
The Kill Devil serves up some tasty drinks and we play there. Harrys Country Club is another spot to listen to great tunes while you sip on a cold drink. La Bodega and Extra Virgin are also top notch. Live music venues are a must. There are so many great spots to frequent, it is hard to nail em all down.
SO: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
GM: Really excited to get this music out to our fans and the fans that have yet to discover us. We have sent copies to all corners of the planet and hope to have some more people discover us. Already getting reviews from Australia and Europe, so things are looking good.
We will be traveling all summer, so please check the website grandmarquis.net to make sure we are at all our regular spots. In October, we will be going down to play the Daytona Blues Fest in Florida, other than that you should only miss us in KC about a weekend a month. We will be staying busy pushing this new album.
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SO Note: Check out the band’s Facebook page for regular updates!