Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit is an American Rock n’ Roll band from Austin, TX. Influenced by blues, soul, roots, rock and reggae- the music grounds itself in groove, tenacity and feel.
Sam’s voice and guitar playing are the signatures of the sound. His booming baritone and soulful growl give the music a robust edge; while his heavy, swinging guitar has been described as “a marriage between Peter Green, early Clapton, and early Hendrix.”
The last two years have been the busiest to date for Sam Pace. With the release of the band’s third album Judgment Eve in 2018– Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit embarked on a North American Tour comprised of over 60 dates from coast-to-coast. They also opened for such internationally acclaimed artists as Everlast and Larkin Poe. In 2019 and 2020, Sam joined Triumph Motorcycles as an Artist in Residence for a three month solo tour which spanned the entire U.S. coast to coast and back again. The 45-city tour included crowds ranging from 300-500 people per show.
In years past, Sam has been peppered throughout the Austin Music Awards annual Top-10 lists. He has placed Top-10 for Musician of the Year, Best Song, Best Album, Best Album Art, Best Rock Band, Best Blues/Soul/Funk Band and two years in a row for Best Guitar Player and Best Male Vocals.
“The songwriting and originality of sound is of paramount importance to the band,” says Pace. Rock n’ roll roots and bluesy, soulful influences are always present- but their variations of theme, groove and emotion encapsulate an entire world of sonic dexterity. “Their three studio albums – The Feelin’ (2012), Rapture (2014), and Judgment Eve (2018) display the growth of the band in full force.”
After three full length albums- the band now focuses on regular single and shorter length EP releases. 2020 has seen the release of “Gone Gone Gone”, “Made It All The Way To San Francisco” and “Tacky & Mediocre”- three vastly different tracks, all embodied with the same foundation and spirit always present in the band’s original material.
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Tarry and the Towns is formed of Garrett Dunlap on guitar, Kenny Albert on bass, Conner Cox on drums and Ian Sloan, lead vocalist.
Based in Austin TX, these four fellas have a love for the Blues, R&B, Rock and Indie music familiar to most Austinite’s enjoying themselves on a Sunday afternoon on Rainey Street or a late night out on 6th Street and Red River.
“Tarry and the Towns” is derived from Tarrytown, a hip neighborhood in “old Austin” proper. The group met through a mutual friend, Nick Freeman, who began hosting epic jam sessions in his garage. The guys attending soon realized they all wanted to write original music with similar tastes and influences. The band recorded their first EP at Space Studios here in Austin in September of 2019 and released it on all major streaming platforms in November of that same year.
The four song EP is comprised of “PTO day” a whimsical pop song and fan favorite. “Mess you left” a driving blues song with call and response licks from guitar and vocals. “Move” will literally have you moving on the dance floor with its melodic rhythms. “Drunk Talk” is a soulful but punchy tune. As Ian Sloan jokingly puts it “Drunk Talk feels like the most honest expression of the band because well… we were a little drunk when we wrote that one!”
The guys have big things in store for 2021 as a new tour is forming and a first full-length album is on the way. Stay tuned!