Grandaddy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grandaddy
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Jason Lytle performing live with Grandaddy in London in 1998
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Modesto, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1992–2006, 2012–present |
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| Associated acts |
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| Members | Jason Lytle Jim Fairchild Tim Dryden Aaron Burtch |
| Past members | Kevin Garcia |
Grandaddy is an American indie rock band from Modesto, California. The group started in 1992. Its members were Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Kevin Garcia, and Tim Dryden. Sadly, Kevin Garcia passed away in 2017.
The band first released their own music. Then, they signed with Will Records in the U.S. and Big Cat Records in the UK. Later, they signed a special deal with V2 Records. Most of Grandaddy's music was created by Jason Lytle. He often worked in his home studios.
Grandaddy released four studio albums before they decided to take a break in 2006. The band members then worked on their own music projects. Grandaddy got back together in 2012. After some successful tours, they released their fifth album, Last Place, in March 2017. After Kevin Garcia's death, the band stopped their touring plans and took another long break.
In 2024, Jason Lytle brought the Grandaddy name back. He released the band's sixth studio album, Blu Wav.
Contents
Grandaddy's Musical Journey
Grandaddy's first work was called Complex Party Come Theories. After this, Jim Fairchild joined as a guitarist and Tim Dryden joined as a keyboardist. In 1996, they released an EP (a shorter album) called A Pretty Mess By This One Band. Their first full-length album, Under The Western Freeway, came out in 1997.
One song from that album, "Summer Here Kids," was named "Single of the Week" by NME magazine. In 2000, they released The Sophtware Slump. This album featured old-fashioned electronic music. In 2002, Concrete Dunes was released, but the band did not approve it. In 2003, the group released another album, Sumday, which got good reviews. Their album Just Like the Fambly Cat was released in 2006.
The Band Takes a Break
The band broke up in 2005, even before their album Just Like the Fambly Cat was released. They did not tour for that album. The band members were happy with their decision to end Grandaddy at that time. In the song 'Elevate Myself', Jason Lytle sang about not wanting to work all the time on songs that make people sad.
Other band members worked in different fields. However, Jim Fairchild continued to work in music. He played guitar for the band Modest Mouse on tour. He also released his first solo album, Ten Readings of a Warning.
Getting Back Together
In 2012, Grandaddy reunited to play at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco. They also performed at the End of the Road Festival that same year.
From 2014 to 2015, Jason Lytle helped produce an album for the band Band of Horses. He also contributed some music to it. This led to a song called "Hang an Ornament", which was released by both Grandaddy and Band of Horses. In September 2015, Jason Lytle shared on social media that a "new GD LP" (a new Grandaddy album) was being made. This made many people excited.
After another reunion tour in the summer of 2016, the band announced a new album. It was called Last Place. It was released on March 3, 2017, by Danger Mouse's 30th Century Records. They also released a music video for the song "Way We Won't" featuring actor Jason Ritter. In March 2017, Jason Lytle said that the band would likely make at least one more Grandaddy album after Last Place.
A Sad Time for the Band
Kevin Garcia, who was a member of Grandaddy since he was 15, passed away on May 2, 2017, at age 41. He had suffered a serious health issue. After his passing, the band canceled all their planned live shows. Two special shows were planned in Modesto in October 2017 to remember him. However, these were also canceled because the band members were still very sad about losing Kevin.
Recent Activities
In late 2017, Grandaddy released a music video for "Brush with the Wild" from Last Place. It featured comedian Jonah Ray. They also released a shorter album (EP) called Things Anyway. This EP had live and different versions of songs from Last Place. To celebrate its 20th anniversary in October 2017, the album Under the Western Freeway was re-released. It included eight demo (early version) tracks. In November 2018, a song called "Bison on the Plains" was released. Jason Lytle said he had written it before Last Place was finished.
On August 28, 2020, it was announced that Grandaddy's 2000 album, The Sophtware Slump, would be re-released for its 20th anniversary. The special part was that Jason Lytle performed the whole album using only a piano. He recorded this version during a time when many people were staying home. It was released in November 2020.
In October 2020, Jason Lytle said he planned to record a sixth Grandaddy album. He mentioned wanting it to be a "big, cool send-off." He also shared that he wanted to spend more time outdoors and away from busy life. He later said it might not be the very last Grandaddy record. He hoped it would be the most complete-sounding one and might even be part of a documentary.
In April 2022, Jason Lytle and some French musicians went on a short tour in Europe. They called themselves "Grandaddy and the Lost Machine Orchestra." They played the entire The Sophtware Slump album during these shows.
On February 25, 2023, Jason Lytle announced that a new album had been recorded. He said it would be released "in the middle of" that year. On May 12, 2023, Sumday: The Cassette Demos was released. This album featured early demo versions of songs from their 2003 album, Sumday.
On October 25, 2023, the song 'Watercooler' was released. It was the first song from their new album, Blu Wav, and came with a music video. Two months later, on December 1, 2023, 'Cabin in My Mind' was released as the second song and music video from the album.
Grandaddy's Music Style
Grandaddy's music is known for its "lo-fi" indie rock sound from the late 1990s. "Lo-fi" means it sounds like it was recorded simply, sometimes in a home studio. They create catchy tunes using synthesizers (electronic keyboards) and distorted guitars. Many of their songs are slow and have a lot of emotion. They also use electronic sounds in their music.
Their song lyrics are often a bit mysterious and imaginative. A common picture that comes to mind with their music is someone relaxing in a quiet, beautiful countryside. The Sophtware Slump is often seen as their best work. However, other albums like Under the Western Freeway are also very popular.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Under the Western Freeway (1997)
- The Sophtware Slump (2000)
- Sumday (2003)
- Just Like the Fambly Cat (2006)
- Last Place (2017)
- Blu Wav (2024)
Images for kids
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Grandaddy live at Concorde 2 in Brighton, England, April 1, 2017: Kevin Garcia is at right
See also
In Spanish: Grandaddy para niños
