Grandaddy is an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band from

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The group was formed in 1992, and featured

Jason Lytle Jason Lytle ( ; born March 26, 1969) is an American musician best known for his work in the indie rock group Grandaddy. The group split in 2005, and Lytle continued to release music as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Gra ...

, Aaron Burtch,

Jim Fairchild Kirby James Fairchild is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the indie rock bands Grandaddy and Modest Mouse. Fairchild has released solo material under the pseudonym All Smiles. Biography Bo ...

, Kevin Garcia and Tim Dryden, until Garcia's death in 2017 following a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. After several self-released records and

cassettes Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

, the band signed to Will Records in the US and later the

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...

subsidiary Big Cat Records in the UK, going on to sign an exclusive deal with V2. The bulk of the band's recorded output was the work of Lytle, who worked primarily in home studios. Grandaddy released four studio albums before splitting in 2006, with band members going on to solo careers and other projects. Grandaddy reformed in 2012, made a number of live appearances and released its fifth studio album, '' Last Place'', in March 2017.

History

1992-1997: Formation and early independent releases

Grandaddy was formed in 1992 by singer, guitarist and keyboardist

, bassist Kevin Garcia and drummer Aaron Burtch. The group was initially influenced by US punk bands such as Suicidal Tendencies and Bad Brains. Lytle was a former professional skateboarder, who had turned to music after a knee injury forced him to stop skating. Lytle began working at a sewage treatment plant to fund the purchase of music equipment. Several of the band's early live performances were at skateboarding competitions. The band members constructed a studio at the Lytle family home, and their first release, also in 1992, was the self-produced

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

'' Prepare to Bawl''. This was followed in April 1994 by a second cassette titled '' Complex Party Come Along Theories''. The singles "Could This Be Love" and "Taster" were released later that year. The guitarist

and the keyboardist Tim Dryden joined the band in 1995. Fairchild, who left another band to join Grandaddy, was another former professional skateboarder and had already guested with them; Dryden had been Fairchild's "jam-buddy". A third cassette, ''Don't Sock the Tryer'', was withdrawn, and the band instead released their debut

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

A Pretty Mess by This One Band ''A Pretty Mess by This One Band'' is an EP by American indie rock band Grandaddy, released in April 1996 through record label Will. It includes several songs taken from the band's earlier cassette-only release ''Complex Party Come Along Theorie ...

'' in April 1996 on the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

-based

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

label. In 1997 they released their debut full-length album '' Under the Western Freeway'' through Will, and, with the help of Howe Gelb, signed a UK deal with Big Cat Records – by then a subsidiary of

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...

– who reissued the album the following year. The album included the single " A.M. 180", which was featured during a sequence in the 2002 British film ''

28 Days Later ''28 Days Later'' is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. It stars Cillian Murphy as a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagi ...

''. It was also used for the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

for the

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

television series ''

Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe ''Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe'' is a British television review comedy programme created and presented by Charlie Brooker and broadcast on BBC Four. The programme contains reviews of current shows, as well as stories and commentary on how tele ...

'' (9 years later, Screenwipe debuted in 2006), and in an advertisement for Colin Murray's

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

show. "A.M. 180" was also used in television commercials for the Dodge Journey automobile. One of the album's singles, "Summer Here Kids", was rated as "Single of the Week" by popular British music magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', and was also used as the theme music for another Charlie Brooker-fronted show, BBC Radio 4's ''

So Wrong It's Right ''So Wrong It's Right'' is a British radio programme presented by Charlie Brooker in which panelists aim to give the "most wrong" answer to a question. They describe stories from their lives, conceive of new ideas on a theme and criticise aspects ...

''. The album led to an increase in the band's popularity in Europe, and a main stage performance at the Reading Festival in 1998. The album was only a success in the US when later reissued by V2. With the band busy touring in 1999, their next release was the compilation '' The Broken Down Comforter Collection''.

1998-2005: V2 record deal and mainstream success

Unhappy with the efforts of Will Records, the band signed a worldwide deal with V2 Records in 1999, their first release on the label being the ''

Signal to Snow Ratio Signal to Snow Ratio is an EP by American indie rock band Grandaddy. It was released in 1999 by record label V2. Musical style In the describing the EP's music, AllMusic's Nitsuh Abebe writes "the band takes a large step away from its more st ...

'' EP in September that year. In May 2000 they released their second album, '' The Sophtware Slump'', to critical acclaim. ''NME'' later placed it at number 34 in their "Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade", and ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' described it as "easily the equal of ''

OK Computer ''OK Computer'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in Japan on 21 May 1997 and in the UK on 16 June 1997. Radiohead self-produced the album with Nigel Godrich, an arrangement they have used for their subsequ ...

''". The album reached number 36 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, and the band's fanbase increased, including celebrities such as

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is a British model. Arriving at the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fas ...

and

Liv Tyler Liv Rundgren Tyler (born Liv Rundgren; July 1, 1977) is an American actress, producer, singer and former model. She began a modeling career at age 14. She later decided to focus on acting and made her film debut in ''Silent Fall'' (1994); she ...

. By early 2001 the album had sold 80,000 copies worldwide. The first single from the album, "

The Crystal Lake "The Crystal Lake" is a song by American indie rock band Grandaddy from their second album, ''The Sophtware Slump''. It was released as a single on 29 May 2000 by record label V2, Around the time that ''The Sophtware Slump'' was released, Grandaddy was invited to open for

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

on his tour for ''

Figure 8 Figure 8 (figure of 8 in British English) may refer to: * 8 (number), in Arabic numerals Entertainment * ''Figure 8'' (album), a 2000 album by Elliott Smith * "Figure of Eight" (song), a 1989 song by Paul McCartney * '' Figure Eight EP'', a ...

''. On some nights, Smith would join Grandaddy onstage and sing lead vocals on portions of "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot". The band later opened for Coldplay on their US tour in mid-2001. Also in 2001, the band's version of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' "

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

" was used in the film '' I Am Sam''. On December 20, 2002, Grandaddy released '' The Ham and Its Lily'' under the alias Arm of Roger via their private label Sweat of the Alps.'' The Modesto Bee'', 6 Dec 2002, p. 69: "Baby on Way for Grandaddy; State Sees Stars." The songs were recorded prior to the release of the ''Signal to Snow Ratio'' EP, and were initially created as a prank on their record label: the band initially submitted ''The Ham and Its Lily'' to V2 executives as a practical joke.''It's Simple, It's Dumb, It's the Podcast'', Episode 9: Jim Fairchild. 22 Aug 2021. 25 minute mark. The album was sold at their concerts during 2003, and in 2015 reissued on vinyl and cassette by PIAPTK/Soiled Gold Records. Their third album, '' Sumday'', recorded in Lytle's home studio, was released in 2003. The band promoted it with a pre-release US tour with Pete Yorn followed by a three-week European tour (including a performance at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

) and a larger US tour. Lytle described the album as "Grandaddy influenced by Grandaddy ... the ultimate Grandaddy record". In 2004 and 2005 Lytle recorded '' Just Like the Fambly Cat'', which was released as a Grandaddy album, although by then the band had decided to split up. The title is a reference to Lytle's desire to leave Modesto, a town which he complained "sucks out people's souls". Lytle created the album over a year and a half in his home studio in Modesto, "fueled by alcohol, painkillers for his body aches and ... recreational drugs", with only Burtch from the remainder of the band playing on it. At the same time as working on the album, Lytle created the EP ''

Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla ''Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla'' is an EP by American indie rock band Grandaddy, released on September 27, 2005 through record label V2. According to frontman Jason Lytle, the EP was "a way to fill the gaps of time while recording 'J ...

'', which was released first.

2006-2011: Breakup and post-Grandaddy activities

In January 2006, after a meeting the previous month, Lytle announced that the band had decided to split up, citing the lack of financial income from being in the group. ''Just Like the Fambly Cat'' was released later that year as a farewell album. Lytle spoke to the ''

'':

It was inevitable ... On one hand our stubbornness has paid off, but on the other hand refusing to buy into the way things are traditionally supposed to be done has made things worse for us ... The realistic part is it hasn't proved to be a huge money-making venture for a lot of guys in the band.

Lytle had called the meeting in a hotel in Modesto, and it was the first time the band had been in a room together for two years. The feeling at the meeting was described by Lytle as frustration, the result of a breakdown in communication among the band members. According to Lytle the decision was not a surprise:

Everybody knew, but we needed to make it formal, we needed to make it official. We needed to pay some respects to what we've done, just make it real.

Lytle also stated that he was "burnt out on touring" and cited his fears over his drug and alcohol problems as a factor in the band's split, and in 2009 he expressed his preference for being solo, saying that he was "a bit of a loner", and, referring to his former bandmates, stated: "The main thing is not having four girlfriends to lug around with me all the time." Lytle regarded ''Just Like the Fambly Cat'' as a "pretty fitting" last stop for Grandaddy. But he continued to make music and perform solo, and worked with

M. Ward Matthew Stephen Ward (born October 4, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, Oregon. Ward's solo work is a mixture of folk and blues-inspired Americana analog recordings; he has released ten studio albums since 19 ...

on '' Hold Time''. In 2009 Lytle moved from Modesto to

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, and released his first solo album '' Yours Truly, the Commuter''. In late 2009 Lytle and former Grandaddy drummer Aaron Burtch joined Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray of Earlimart to form the band

Admiral Radley Admiral Radley is an American indie rock band based in California, formed in late 2009 by members from the bands Grandaddy (Jason Lytle and Aaron Burtch) and Earlimart (Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray). Admiral Radley released their debut album, ...

. Admiral Radley's debut album ''I Heart California'' was released on July 13, 2010 via Espinoza's label The Ship. In 2011 Burtch played in a band called The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit. Lytle's second solo album, '' Dept. of Disappearance'', was released in 2012. Jim Fairchild's first solo album, ''

Ten Readings of a Warning ''Ten Readings of a Warning'' is the first album by All Smiles. It was released on Dangerbird Records on April 24, 2007. Track listing All songs written by Jim Fairchild Kirby James Fairchild is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He ...

'', was released in April 2007 on Dangerbird Records, under the name

All Smiles Kirby James Fairchild is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the indie rock bands Grandaddy and Modest Mouse. Fairchild has released solo material under the pseudonym All Smiles. Biography Bo ...

. A second All Smiles album, '' Oh for the Getting and Not Letting Go'', was released on June 30, 2009. In 2010, he was selected to lead a project at the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...

, and in 2011 he released his third All Smiles album, ''Staylow and Mighty''. Fairchild has also played for the bands

Giant Sand Giant Sand is an American musical group from Tucson, Arizona, United States. Its most constant member is singer-songwriter Howe Gelb. The group started as Giant Sandworms in the late 1970s post-punk and paisley underground scenes. They later s ...

Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great ...

Lackthereof Lackthereof is the solo project of Danny Seim, a founding member of the Portland, Oregon-based band Menomena. History The first six Lackthereof albums were recorded at home and given out to Seim's friends on cassettes and CD-R's. In 2005, FILM ...

and

Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenced ...

, having first played guitar with the latter in 2005.

2012-2013: Reunion

In March 2012, it was announced that Grandaddy had reformed and were to play a limited number of shows, including London on September 4, and headlining the End of the Road Festival in the UK. Grandaddy also played San Francisco's

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival The Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is a music festival held annually in San Francisco, California, at Golden Gate Park. The festival is produced by Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly Presents, and Starr Hill Presents. It is the l ...

and Paris's Rock en Seine Festival in August 2012. On August 7, 2012, to kick off their reunion tour, they played a "secret" show at the Partisan venue in Merced, California, but were billed as "

The Arm of Roger The Arm of Roger is a fake band created by Jason Lytle and other members of American Rock band Grandaddy. The group released one album, 2002's ''The Ham and Its Lily'' on Grandaddy's Sweat of the Alps record label. History Between 1993 and 1999, Gr ...

". The next day they played as Grandaddy at the Henry Miller Library,

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

. Regarding the band's reunion, Lytle noted, "The bargain I made myself regarding the 'brief reunion and couple of shows' situation was that I wasn't gonna talk too much about it. I was just gonna stew on it, and then do it. That's the good thing about festivals. No need for me to sell anything here. Get in, rock out, get paid, get out. There are just going to be a few shows. Festival-type thingies. Perhaps the odd 'warm up gig' in someone's hair salon or something. Money was a motivating factor (resurfacing my indoor tennis court, oil change for my 4×4 Ferrari) but the idea of playing and hanging out with each other is something all of the guys are pretty stoked about." Lytle later noted, "It was actually Jim airchilds fault. He suggested that we consider playing some shows, and I went, 'No', uthe convinced me it might be a good idea. We talked about it for a little while. I didn't think anyone else in the band would be into it, ndhe checked around and it turns out they were all enthusiastic. I think I was the last one to say yes. ... I was actually blown away that they even wanted to. Once I found that out, I said 'OK, let's start doing the work, figure out how to play the songs.' The weird moment was when he had the first rehearsal; I had no idea how it was going to turn out. After five days of playing together it actually sounded really good. It was too easy, and we were actually really having a good time together." Lytle also noted that he was likely to record a new Grandaddy album, stating, "It's probably going to happen. ... If anyone knows anything about Grandaddy, they realise that my olomusic and Grandaddy's music is slightly interchangeable. I think if I were to focus on making a Grandaddy record t would bea full-blown Grandaddy record, and I like the idea of that. I'd like to give it a shot." In early 2013, Lytle elaborated: "I love the idea of making another Grandaddy record, but I wouldn't want it hanging over my head like 'Okay, you made this record, now are you guys going to get out there and tour in support of it?' ... I'm hoping for this dream scenario where I can make Grandaddy records every so often and not have all this messy stuff that goes along with it. I already did that and it's just not appealing to me any more."

2014-2018: ''Last Place'' and the death of Kevin Garcia

Grandaddy at Concorde 2 Brighton UK 1 April 2017

From 2014 to 2015 Lytle produced the album ''

Why Are You OK ''Why Are You OK'' is the fifth studio album by indie rock band Band of Horses, released on June 10, 2016, on Interscope Records. Produced by Jason Lytle, of the band Grandaddy, the album was preceded by the singles " Casual Party", "In A Drawer" ...

'' by

Band of Horses Band of Horses is an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Washington. Led by singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes, the band's current line-up also includ ...

, to which he contributed material; this collaboration also produced the single "

Hang an Ornament "Hang an Ornament" is a song by American indie rock bands Grandaddy and Band of Horses, released as a single on December 17, 2014. Release The single is the first collaboration released between Grandaddy and Band of Horses. With the release o ...

", which was issued as the work of Grandaddy and Band of Horses. In September 2015 Lytle tweeted that the band was working on a "new GD LP", which was interpreted by the media as confirmation that a new Grandaddy album was being recorded. Following a second reunion tour in the summer of 2016, the band announced that a new album called '' Last Place'' would be released by

Danger Mouse Danger Mouse may refer (or appear in) to: * ''Danger Mouse'' (1981 TV series), a 1981 British animated television series * ''Danger Mouse'' (2015 TV series), a 2015 reboot of the British animated television series * Danger Mouse (musician) (born ...

's 30th Century Records on March 3, 2017, and released a video featuring the actor Jason Ritter for the single "Way We Won't". In March 2017, Lytle said that he could "at least promise one more" Grandaddy album after ''Last Place'', since it was the first of two that the band was contracted to create. Kevin Garcia (born Kevin Michael Garcia on June 22, 1975 in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

) died on May 2, 2017, aged 41, one day after suffering a "massive

". He became a member of Grandaddy at the age of 15. Following his death, the band canceled all its planned live appearances. Two commemorative shows were planned in Modesto for October 2017 – the first was a scheduled date that had already sold out – but these were also canceled due to the band members' ongoing grief over Garcia's passing. Minor activity during the rest of 2017 included the releases of a music video featuring the comedian Jonah Ray for the single "Brush with the Wild", taken from ''Last Place'', and an EP of live and alternative versions of songs from ''Last Place'' titled ''Things Anyway''. To commemorate its 20th anniversary in October 2017, the album ''Under the Western Freeway'' was reissued as a double vinyl LP that included eight

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

tracks. In November 2018 a song titled "Bison on the Plains" was released: Lytle revealed that it had been written prior to the completion of ''Last Place'' .

2020-present: ''The Sophtware Slump...on a wooden piano'' 20th anniversary edition and future

On August 28th 2020 it was announced that Grandaddy would release their 2000 album '' The Sophtware Slump'' in a 20th anniversary edition but with a twist--the whole album being performed by Jason Lytle with piano and no other instruments. The album was initially recorded during lockdown by Jason Lytle and was released in November 2020. In October 2020, Lytle confirmed that he had plans to record a sixth (and possibly final) Grandaddy album: "I'm working on a solo LP, then I'm gonna do another Grandaddy record. I'm gonna go big on the Grandaddy; I want it to be this all-encompassing, cool send-off. I have life plans that don't involve playing live. I want to spend more time outdoors, off the grid." Lytle elaborated, suggesting that it might not be the project's final release: "I am just embarking on a new album of my own; it’s gonna be under my own name, but right after that I’m starting on a new, very big, comprehensive Grandaddy record; I’m not gonna call it the last randaddy record it’s gonna be the most comprehensive-sounding, and it’s gonna be tied in with a documentary."

Musical style and influences

Much of the band's music is characterized by Lytle's analog synthesizer and the fuzzy guitar, bass and drums of the rest of the band. The band has variously been described as "bittersweet indie

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

", "

neo-psychedelic Neo-psychedelia is a diverse genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the sounds of 1960s psychedelia, either updating or copying the approaches from that era. Originating in the 1970s, it has occasionally seen mainstream pop suc ...

, blissed-out indie rock", "dreamy, spacey psychedelic pop", and "an uneasy combination of warm, tactile guitars and affectless electronics". Jon Pareles of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the band's songs as "stately anthems orchestrated with full late-psychedelic pomp: fuzz-toned guitar strumming, rippling keyboards, brawny drumbeats". While the band's style has sometimes been described as alt country, in Lytle's view it is the sentiment of country music that the band embraced rather than the musical style. In their early days, the band's

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

sound was compared to Pavement. The band has also been compared to

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

(even described as "the next Radiohead" in 2001),

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...

and

. With ''Sumday'', the band was compared to the

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

and

The Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompanie ...

. Lytle has cited both The Beatles and E.L.O. as influences, stating in 2003: "I'm completely in tune with E.L.O. and Jeff Lynne – I know that guy like the back of my hand." He stated in 2009: "I think the majority of my musical influences were set in stone when I was five or six years old." Lytle's vocals have drawn comparisons with

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

Lyrical themes

Common lyrical themes include technology and a resistance to change. Adrien Begrand, writing for

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, described the lyrics on ''The Sophtware Slump'' as "one's attempt to transcend the glut of technology in today's urban lifestyle, in search of something more real, more natural, more pastoral". Ben Sisario of ''The New York Times'' stated that the band "provided the soundtrack to dot-com-era alienation, singing in a cracked yet still innocent voice of life spent staring into a computer screen". Ross Raihala, reviewing ''Sumday'' for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', identified what he called Lytle's "geeky identification with technology". On ''The Sophtware Slump'',

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

writer Richard A. Martin commented on Lytle's "sympathy for the lost souls and machines of the high-tech dot-com landscape". Lytle described his empathy with machines in 2003, stating "I find it easier dealing with certain things by living through inanimate objects" and how the song "I'm on Standby" is about Lytle relating to a

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

: "I was spending so much time learning the art of turning off, while still being 'on'". Lytle said of the tracks on ''Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla'': "For some reason, they are tied together by the idea of being fed up with your environment." He stated in 2001: "I have a growing appreciation for that which is simple and natural. I get that from the outdoors, and seeing the accumulation of clutter and waste and not being too happy about it." There is also much humor in Lytle's songwriting, including the band's promotional Christmas single released in 2000, " Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland", which was also included on the charity compilation '' It's a Cool Cool Christmas'', described by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Tim DiGravina as possibly "the funniest song from 2000".

Recording techniques

The band's releases were generally recorded and mixed in makeshift studios based in homes, garages and warehouses, although the last two albums were mixed in a dedicated facility. Although live performances used a full band, much of the recordings were done by Lytle alone using analog recorders and Pro Tools. He recorded basic drum tracks in a soundproofed room and overdubbed cymbals and tom toms. He recorded his vocals close to the strings of a piano for what he described as a "ghostly effect". Lytle described how the Grandaddy recordings became more of a solo effort, and the right conditions for recording:

Earlier on I tried to include people as much as possible. Then I realised the magic is me really prying stuff out of my head and getting it on to tape, and that stuff doesn't happen unless I'm completely alone. Sometimes it's about the right amount of blood sugar, just slightly hungover. And I'm really affected by the weather. If it's too nice outside it's insane for me, the concept of being inside. Everybody talks about this whole technology versus nature thing and if it's anything that is it: look who my best friends are, a bunch of plastic and circuitry and electricity, when I should be running around getting chased by bumblebees.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Under the Western Freeway'' (1997) * '' The Sophtware Slump'' (2000) * '' Sumday'' (2003) * '' Just Like the Fambly Cat'' (2006) * '' Last Place'' (2017)

References

External links

* * https://grandaddy.live {{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from California Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups reestablished in 2012 Culture of Modesto, California Musical groups from California V2 Records artists 1992 establishments in California