LyricsVideosPhotosTourAboutContactThat night, they took another break from writing and headed into a pitch black town. As they approached the one building with it's lights on, two Rottweilers tied to the back of a jacked up mud truck began howling, lunging at them. They continued past them and made their way up to the front door.
The bar was surprisingly lively but filled with a local crowd who greeted the outsiders with cold stares and whispers. A heavily tatooed ex-marine-turned-bartender finally cut the tension, shouting over the jukebox, "YOU GUYS IN A BAND OR SOMETHING?"
The five made their way to the bar, and ordered a round. One by one, the locals let their guard down and sparked up conversations inquiring about the band.
By the end of the night, they booked their first show ever - a three hour set of covers and originals to be played at the bar on the band's final night in town, five days away.
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The first gig is now the stuff of local legend in North Fork. Midway through the third set, appropriately in the middle of the Petty classic "Refugee," two thirds of a packed bar emptied into the parking lot, the other third pressed up against the windows in the back of the bar. "All of a sudden, the place was empty," guitarist Joe Guese says, "I thought maybe we had finally worn out our welcome, or worse, maybe we were terrible?" Unsure of what was happening, the band played on.
A few minutes later, the ex-marine bartender ran inside gesturing wildly, shouting for the shotgun. "Refugee" in full swing. A couple minutes later, three shirtless, adrenaline-filled locals stumbled in blood-soaked, b-lining their way to the bathroom. Holding a smoking gun, the bartender followed and locked the door behind them. Looking around in disbelief, the band played on.
"They ended up shutting it down and locking us all in after the gun fight. I joke all the time about barely surviving gigs, but that was a special one," singer Casey Shea jokes. "Grand Canyon could easily have been one of those bands you've never heard of," laughing to himself, "as a matter of fact, we probably are."
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Their first LA shows were held under the cover of darkness at The Overpass; don't go looking for it, it's no longer there. The shows typically started at 3AM, just as things started to get interesting in the LA underground. They continued playing unpublicized gigs around town, honing in on their sound and developing an electric show that leaves audiences not only entertained but longing for a time long gone.
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In an era of computer-made, beat-driven music, Grand Canyon is the antithesis of modern music. However, by focusing on musicianship and timeless songwriting, and drawing on the inspiration of the classic sounds and arrangements of the 70s, it is the kind of music that will be wafting through the canyons for a long time.
The members of Grand Canyon have sold millions of records, toured the world in their own bands and as sidemen, appeared on countless daytime and late night shows, and had songs that set the scene in numerous television shows and movies. They have graced the stage with everyone from indie folk hero Daniel Johnston to Thai pop sensation Palmy to Celine Dion to Dwight Yoakam, played in the SNL house band, and recorded with everyone from Rod Stewart to Linda Perry. They have worked in the studio with Mike Deneen, Brendan Benson, Jamie Candiloro, Dave Schiffman, Steve Albini and more.
The Los Angeles based rock and roll band followed up their 2018 self-recorded debut album, Le Grand Cañon with a five song EP, "Yesterday's News" in August 2019. A set of songs that the LA Times said, "seems to run on rocket fuel, it showcases a band that soars with confidence, equally adept at expressing Saturday night fury and Sunday morning reflection."
The Canyon retreated into the caves of LA throughout the 2020-21 pandemic and began recording a new phase Grand Canyon album, due out in early 2022.
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