Loretto,TN-based duo Grace & Tony, the husband-and wife pair responsible for the progressive blend of musical styles dubbed “punkgrass,” have announced the launch of their collaborative video series, “Grace & Tony Greenroom Sessions.” The series kicks off today with a clip featuring the duo’s performance with Malcolm Parson of Carolina Chocolate Drops of the brand new Grace & Tony song, “The 1.” (Watch the clip here: http://theboot.com/grace-tony-greenroom-sessions-the-1/) The video, along with all future session clips, will premiere exclusively on TheBoot.com. New sessions will be posted twice each month.
Says Tony: “The ‘Greenroom Sessions’ are going to be something that is very real. Real musicians, real collaboration, real music. We wanted to strip these videos down completely (iPhone only) and present an honest performance with some of our favorite people.”
Says Angela Stefano, Editor of TheBoot.com: “The Boot is the premier online destination for classic country, Americana and alt-country, featuring news, exclusive interviews and music from some of the top acts in those genres. We’re excited to be able to partner with Grace & Tony to bring this video series to our readers around the globe.”
Video clips for “Greenroom Sessions” will be shot on the road and backstage at some of the duos favorite venues. Each session will feature Grace & Tony playing a song acoustically with performer friends. Already confirmed for the series are labelmate Christian Lopez (a cover of “Million Dollar Bill” by Dawes), and Odane Whilby (a cover of “Deep Water” by Bob Wills). There are also planned sessions on the books with Jim Avett, Black Feathers, Penny and Sparrow, Humming House, and Misty Mountain String Band, plus many more surprise guests to come. The idea was born from an impromptu backstage dressing room jam with Malcolm Parson of the Carolina Chocolate Drops on the Grace & Tony song, “Let You Down” (http://youtu.be/aJ3CfzIVy58). Parson’s cello added a haunting layer to the song, and feedback from fans led Grace & Tony to turn the collaborative idea into a series.
Grace & Tony released their full-length debut album, November, on November 11, 2013, via Rock Ridge Music. (With distribution through ADA, the label has offices in Newark, NJ, and Nashville, TN). Working with Lloyd Aur Norman and Stephen D. Jones of Villain Place in Nashville, the pair was accompanied by a full band to fill out their unique sound. The release follows the 2011 EP Inside a 7-Track Mind, which introduced “punkgrass” to listeners. Exposed to music early on in their lives by family (Grace’s liked the Southern styles from gospel all the way to rock, while Tony learned from his brother, John Paul White of The Civil Wars fame), Grace & Tony experimented with an unlikely blend of genres by mixing punk, folk, bluegrass, and Texas swing, to create something new.
Since then, doors have opened, and they have succeeded in their goal to be heard by bigger audiences by headlining the historic Crockett Theater (Lawrenceburg, TN), appearing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and performing twice on the legendary “Daytrotter Sessions,” as well as performing for Balcony TV, “Jimmy Lloyd’s Songwriter Showcase,” and Knoxville’s “Blue Plate Special” programs. In addition, two of their videos (“Let You Down,” “November”) are being played in regular rotation on The Country Network. They’ve also scored airplay on CMT Edge and GAC. No Depression praised the album, saying: “Telling universal stories about love and loss through the perspective of larger-than-life characters gives November a literary feel. Place that in the setting of a musical genre that opens up traditional forms of musical communication to the adventurous nature of punk and even a little swing, and Grace & Tony has produced an album in November that is not only a lot of fun, but provides the music lover with musical substance that demands repeat listening.”
More opportunities for Grace & Tony wait on the horizon; their dance card is filling up quickly as shows are added to their schedule on a regular basis (recently, they’ve shared the stage with folks like the Lone Bellow, Billy Joe Shaver, Dom Flemons, and Carolina Chocolate Drops, as well as hitting the high seas on the Cayamo music cruise, playing alongside the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Ricky Scaggs, Bruce Hornsby, and Lyle Lovett). They will also be performing at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in July 2014.
