Grove Street

'Grove Street: Bridging The Gap Between Old And New'
By: Aaron Kilpatrick - East Valley Entertainment

Over the course of one's life, it is only by chance that you may come across something that truly amazes you. Something that makes you stop in your tracks, turn your head, backup and focus on what you just saw. Or heard. As was the situation I found myself facing last Thursday night while checking out a Tempe bar known as 'The Sets'. I was originally there to check out the band of my neighbor's 16 year old kid, who knew I worked with music and asked me to come see what I thought of them. They were named after some Civil War general or colonel, I cannot quite remember, I'll have to ask my neighbor.

Anyhow, I decided to have a drink before they went on because two other bands were to play before the 16 year olds. The first band went on and they were another young band of teens that sounded like your local neighborhood band of teens. So I retreated back to the patio bar once again for respite and another refreshment.

Sitting beside me at the bar, I noticed two interesting looking long haired gentlemen. One was wearing a hat resembling a fishing hat, but not really a fishing hat, I couldn't tell you, for I am not a habberdasher. Anyway, I asked the two if they were there to see any of the bands playing, and the one without the hat said they were the band due up next. These were not 16 year old teens! These guys looked like Lynrd Skynrd in their prime! My curiosity was piqued. So I took my drink, casually bade the pair good luck and farewell, and went back to the stage side of the bar to join my neighbor and watch the teens finish up, and then the curious longhairs set up.

As it turned out, the LH's were joined by two short-hairs on stage. The hat wearer picked up a bass guitar and took his place behind the mic. For some reason I was expecting him to be the drummer, but the drums were occupied by one of the short-haired individuals. The other LH grabbed his Fender Strat, as did the shorter haired short hair. They proceeded to tune and do sound check, so I returned to the bar to refresh my rapidly disappearing Crown and cokes. By the time I had reached the doors to go to the patio, the sound searing out of the speakers glued me to the floor.

I am a huge fan of Johnette Napilitano and Concrete Blonde, and here were these four guys playing 'The Vampire Song', from CB's early 90's release, 'Bloodletting'. Only this wasn't the slow, airy, gothic feel that describes the original Blonde version, this was an attack, an assault coming from the stage. Not a full metal assault, but a marching, driving Mack truck, thundering along a moon washed highway. These guys were definitely not 16 year old teens, nor were they Lynrd Skynrd. These guys, I soon discover, are Grove Street. They may not sound like a legendary southern rock band, but these guys have the same heart and soul, and their own sound that could be every bit as legendary, only time will tell.

It is completely evident, as they pour into a psychedelic original I assume is called 'She Cures Me', that this band has regularly scheduled rehearsals, and that they take them seriously. These guys have chops. The mo-hawk and body-pierced clad patrons are loving it, and so am I. A music journalist in his late 30's enjoying the same act as a crowd of 16 and 17 year olds. Surreal.

The show goes on and I grow more impressed as Grove Street work through their 20 minute set. I was completely flabbergasted when this band of 30 somethings had young teens clapping their hands to the beat of a slow love ballad. Truly amazing.

After the bands set, and before my commitment to endure my neighborly obligation, I asked the hat wearing lead singer for the bands website and general information, because I was interested in reviewing their CD. It just so happens the guys are waiting for final mixes of their recent two month visit to the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe.

So now I am currently listening to the demos on their wonderful website, 'WWW.GROVESTREETUSA.COM', and I now know the long-haired gentlemen's names. Hat man is known as Dan Breneman, and he is the vocalist and bassist, not the drummer. Greg Davis wears long hair and no fishing hat, but he does sport a Fender Strat. Rich Osborne does, however, play the drums, and quite well I might add, while Rick Aldred provides a mean rhythm on the other Strat. Together these guys known as Grove Street are bridging the gap between gum-ball pop rock and the classic rock sound that is the foundation for all great rock music. An amazing thing is happening in the east Valley and Grove Street is at the center. Don't miss the bus to Grove Street.

12/04/07 Aaron Kilpatrick - E.V. Entertainment
- Aaron Kilpatrick - East Valley Entertainment

'A Long Hard Road To Grove Street' By T.H. Collins

Why in the world would a band name their debut album 'Greatest Hits'? Well, they either have really big balls or they have a really good story. Or both, as I soon found out when I sat down to interview the groups seemingly larger than life front-man. Doubling as the Mesa based quartet's bassist, singer Dan Breneman at first encounter may seem deceptively intimidating as he rumbles into the lads' meager rehearsal space. A large mass of man with dark sunglasses and long locks of rock-n-roll hair. As I wait patiently for him to squeeze in behind the set of Ludwig's crammed snugly into the corner of the room, it is soon apparent that he could do triple duty as the band's drummer if it were physically possible to simultaneously sing like your soul is on fire while shredding up the four string bass! When I ask him why he is not the band's drummer, his answer is quick and forthright, "Because Rich is my drummer!", indicating percussionist Rich Osborne. I ask what he means by that and he proceeds to regale me with an intriguing story of two high school friends and band-mates. Their names are Dan and Greg....

It is in August of 1986 when a 14 year old Dan Breneman first meets up with 16 year old Greg Davis during Marching Band at Cortez High School in Phoenix, AZ. Together they make up the tri-tom section of the bands drum-line. My first interruption takes place here as I ask incredulously, "Your lead guitarist plays drums too?". His rebuttal is an exasperated, "Well, yeah!", like it's obvious to the rest of the known free world. I urge him to continue and the tale soon leads the young men to the school's band room piano, where the two promptly put together the beginning bars of their first song, 'Take A Ride'. They'd known each other for only four hours. From then on the pair were best of friends, nearly inseparable. They formed their first band, Mystic, with two other classmates. They wrote some more songs. They practiced non-stop. They smoked lots of pot and dropped a little acid now and then. They soon lost the drummer; a foreshadow of things to come. So Mystic the quartet is now Mystic the trio. They acquired acoustic guitars. They smoked more pot and dropped more acid. They also started snorting a little crystal meth. They wrote a TON of songs! And they played them and played them and played them...

After a few years as an acoustic trio, the natural evolution of things eventually led to Dan and Greg performing only as a duo. It is during this time that drugs and alcohol take their predictive hold on the boys' lives. Yet, through their struggles they continue to write songs and hone their performing skills. They perform for various charitable organizations in Scottsdale and Phoenix. They drink. They smoke. They snort...

Time takes us to the year 1997. Dan's a working family man. And a meth addict. Greg is on somewhat the same path. Dan hasn't picked up a guitar in months; almost a full year, let alone written any new songs. He informs Greg that he is pondering moving his family to Tennessee and getting away from the meth lifestyle. Go to Music City, USA! Start fresh and exist in a musical environment. "We had all these songs that people had been telling us for years were great and that we should record and release", Dan says. Greg does not hesitate with his response; "Let's go", he answers...

It is while in Nashville, TN. that the pair meet up via internet with their next drummer. Along with a newly acquired keyboard player, the group perform as Mystic. The keyboardists tenure is short-lived however, and the quartet soon become a trio. In 2000, the name of the band is changed to Aladdin Sane and relocated to the Knoxville area. They perform the local bar scene for nearly two years when it becomes apparent that civility between the drummer and the rest of the band is growing more difficult to attain. Dan and Greg fire the drummer...

Months go by and once again the internet is involved in locating a drummer. The band continues as Aladdin Sane. The drummer is becoming increasingly certifiable. Crazy. Suicidal. He does however, have the loudest P.A. in East Tennessee. They tour the southeast United States. They rock. Crowds love them. Still issues with the drummer arise. He quits the band. He wants back in. He quits again. He begs back in. He even bribes the boys with a big truck with the bands name plastered all over it. He threatens to quit again. He wants to relocate to Florida. Dan is done. "I was sick of being yanked around on a chain like a damned dog!", he intones.
Drummer number three is out...

The year is now 2005. Dan and Greg are exhausted with Tennessee. It is time to go home to Arizona. Shortly after moving back to the desert the two are introduced to a shy young man who proves to be a wonderfully talented drummer. They call themselves Grove Street and set to rehearsing songs at a private residence in Mesa provided by a married couple who are avid music fans. The offer of their home for practice is greatly appreciated, and is in fact the very place where this interview is occurring! The couple, known as Chris and Scott, are affectionately referred to by Dan as his 'enablers', due to the fact that they allow Grove Street to rehearse there virtually anytime the band feels the need, while also providing nearly all of the equipment used. "If not for these two wonderful people and their family, Grove Street would likely not exist", Dan admits...

This young, up and coming drummer that the boys discovered is becoming quite the virtuoso. Everywhere they play he receives compliments on his abilities. The band is rocking. They're learning lots of songs. "Yet, we could play so many more songs with another guitar player!", Greg exclaims. They talk about finding one, but lo and behold, before such a thing can happen, the drummer finds love. Here, my second interruption occurs. "What do you mean he found love?", I inquire. I am told he had found a girlfriend and decided that being in a rock band wasn't what he really wanted to do. He enjoyed playing and all, but the drive to reach the stars was not in his genetic makeup. Drummer number four is no longer a member of Grove Street...

Sometime before the exit of drummer number four, Dan gets acquainted with a coworker named Rich Osborne. Rich is a little quirky in a way that Dan really likes and identifies with. They get to talking and it is discovered that Rich is a drummer. Ah, but Grove Street already has a drummer, a really good drummer, and at this time he had yet to find his love, and Grove Street was rocking! The friendship with Rich blossoms however, and it was agreed that he would host a website for the band, and provide graphics and other such duties that a band needs done occasionally. Shortly thereafter, the ax fell with number four, and Rich was recruited to join Grove Street...

So here we are, the long hard road to the current lineup of Grove Street revealed, I ask where they found the other guitar player, Rick Aldred, an addition so longed for by Greg. "My drummer brought him in and he's a perfect fit!", Dan tells me with a look of relief and satisfaction on his goateed face. "It's the lineup Greg and I have been wanting for years. No hidden agendas, no egos, and we all consider ourselves family instead of just band-mates, and that makes all the difference in the world!" So why does this band insist on naming their debut release 'Greatest Hits'? Dan sums it up humbly, "Because as long as we've been together", he explains, "if we had been a major act all these years, this would be about our third greatest hits release!". I believe it may be that they have found their greatest sound, and from what I've heard, they are traveling on the right street!

12/02/07 T.H.Collins - Indie Music News
- T.H. Collins

'What A Set!' By: Ronnie Dykstra

I caught a show last night that found me surprisingly and pleasantly riding along to the sounds of a band called 'Grove Street'.

I just happened to stroll into 'The Sets', a venue on Mill and Southern in Tempe that is rapidly getting more notice in the Valley as one of the best places to see a live band.

Just in time for the first sound check, I was fortunate to witness four individuals who seamlessly go from chaotic, improvised jamming in a Pink Floydish vein, into a wonderfully hard driving cover of Concrete Blonde's 'The Vampire Song (Bloodletting)'. A perfect set opener.

From there, drummer Rich Osborne and guitarist Rick Aldred go into a jazzy, progressive back-beat, as Greg Davis lays down a Santana like lead guitar, providing a spacy, atmospheric texture over and through the husky vocals of front-man and bassist Dan Breneman. The song is called 'She Cures Me', and is an instant hit with the crowd. But as much as the audience loves this particular tune, the next one sends them into a wild, jumping frenzy!

'Under The Willow Tree' proves to be a tried and true crowd pleaser, with it's simple hard charging beat, accompanied by a melodic and charming chorus. But the real meat of the song is when the band begins the instrumental that finishes the song out. The lead guitar explodes right away, sending chills down this writers back. Then the rhythm section punches in and the journey has begun. The audience is more than willing to ride along.

The rest of the bands set includes a pretty yet hard rocking love song called 'Forever And A Day', followed by a piece of music called 'Traces', so exquisitely crafted that it seems to have been written by the Rock gods themselves. They finish off the set with a bluesy, rip-roarer called 'More'. It leaves the whole building quaking in it's wake. The performance left me in relative awe. I can honestly say that I will not miss Grove Street's next show on the 29th of November at 'The Sets'. I encourage all true music lovers in the Valley to do the same.

10/18/2007 Ronnie Dykstra-Independent Music Review - Independent Music Review