The Quivers

• “Gots to Have It!,” the Quivers: This local band holds nothing back on their freshly released second EP “Gots to Have It!” The album’s title track is shamelessly good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll that blasts through pretensions. With brazen, roaring vocals from commanding frontwoman Terra Peal, along with help from pounding keys, tight drumbeats and a smoldering rockabilly guitar, the Quivers show that they’re ready to take over Kansas City, one song at a time. - Kansas City Star

"...the four members of The Quivers assembled their gear. The band was dressed in sharp suits and ties (with frontwoman Terra Peal wearing a party dress and heels). I looked down at my cargo shorts and trainers and immediately felt underdressed. It's over 100 degrees in Kansas City, who has that sort of commitment to fashion? Evidently The Quivers do.

The Kansas City quartet began with several soul-fuelled garage rock numbers that could have been lost tracks by ? And the Mysterians or The Standells. I was delighted by the familiarity of it all, even if keyboardist Todd Grantham may have borrowed a line or two from other artists. Maybe his Vox Continental organ was simply returning to it's roots? Somewhere in the middle of the set, Grantham's organ took a backseat to the guitar of Abe Haddad, and the band veered into rockabilly (even flirting with psychobilly) territory. Haddad may have worn the suit, but he refused to relinquish his signature doo rag. Similarly, his clone-of-a-Fender guitar might have been better replaced with a big Gretsch hollowbody, but when he tears through those big riffs, it's obvious the man knows what he's doing. At the centre of it all is Peal. She's a big gal, with an even bigger voice. Despite carrying bass guitar duties, she is an animated frontwoman and a spectacular vocalist. And ladies and gentlemen, she can scream. Oh she can scream. With all that star power up front, poor Bernie Dugan and his small drum kit were left without a spotlight. Worry not, The Quivers didn't suffer in the rhythm department, evidenced by several dancing audience members – one of which kicked her shoes off onto the stage where they joined the heels Peal kicked off moments before. All that dancing, all that sweat, and only a 20-minute set. That's a sure sign that something good was happening.

Ultimately it would be revealed that The Quivers drew the biggest crowd of the night. That is, their friends and fans came out in the largest numbers."
- Sid Sowder | Too Much Rock

The Quivers' new EP, aptly titled Gots To Have It!, serves up 13 minutes of raucous music that you can dance to, straight up!

Track 1: “Blue Light”
Abe Haddad’s push and pull Stratocaster guitar intro on “Blue Light” is like the turnover of an old dormant Studebaker that has finally been untarped for a summer of hot, late night love runs. Bernie Dugan’s backbeat sets the idle on this Midwestern tavern dance number that also reveals lead vocalist/bassist Terra Peal’s ability to blend her strong, soulful voice—which somewhat resembles Pat Benatar’s—with her patent banshee screams that could have crumbled the former Iron Curtain, had it not been for David Hasselhoff’s embryonic Berlin Wall performance…

Track 2: “He Had It Comin’”
With its reserved country pickin’, hip-poppin’ diner waitress vocals, and county fair carousel keyboards, “He Had It Comin’” will keep your feet movin’ and your hair swishin’ back and forth, even if the lyrics aren’t really appropriate for either. Haddad’s honky-tonk guitar work, Todd Grantham’s playful keyboard licks—all infused with traces of soul—make delightful, each time the refrain comes around so you can sing, “He had it comin’… He had it comin’…”

Track 3: “I Sleep Here”
“I Sleep Here” may musically sound like some kind of mash up of Huey Lewis, Booker T., and Tommy James & the Shondells, but it very much stands on its own as pure Quivers' canon…and a song that you can’t help but grin ear-to-ear and wiggle to. Grantham sings lead on this ‘upbeat’ ballad, assuring us, “It’s pretty clear. I live alone with bravado, and ignore the phone.” And yes, that is Terra Peal growling out “Lordy, lordy!” in the background, tougher than Billy Idol ever was. That redheaded vixen sounds very much capable of damaging something if provoked.

Track 4: “What Went Wrong”
Peal struts her country vocal sensibilities to the pattering player piano saloon riffs in “What Went Wrong,” a song that will surely leave a dance floor full of boot scuffs and whiskey splatters. When Peal confesses, “I’ve been bad all my life,” it can make for some anxiousness, because her singing lends to many desires in the minds of many. Musically, perhaps the most contemporarily solid track on the EP, The Quivers show off their prowess and versatility, yet again.

Track 5: “Gots To Have It!”
“Gots To Have It!” bursts forth in purely fun, sock hop n’ roll fashion. Heavy snare hits (surely with some drumstick points toward the crowd), jogging keyboard chords, stacked vocals, and a tipsy rockabilly guitar solo that gets all up in your face and absolutely gets it done. This closing number burns a candle in the Church of Eighties Ending Credits Movie Songs ... Wait. It didn’t appear at the end of a John Cusack movie? Well, it should have!

The Quivers play rock n’ roll that is sometimes soulful, sometimes rockabilly, sometimes country, sometimes…well—sometimes it’s hard to classify just what they do best! One thing is for certain; they are the perfect entertainers for pretty much any given night. You will smile, and you will quiver, when that band—the one straight from the garage on Sex Appeal St.— thrusts upon you when you – Gots To Have It! - Christian Anders Liljequist | The Deli Magazine

Kansas City's Motown napalm darlings, The Quivers followed Drop A Grand. A little bit country, a little bit rock 'n’ roll, a little bit Carrie Fisher with a flamethrower, their groovy tunes really got Ricardo dancing. Their set was quick, no nonsense, and a hell of a lot of fun. The well-dressed band jumped from song to song, never letting the sweaty crowd get too much of a break from the groovy vintage tunes. The set really picked up steam in the second half when vocalist Terra Peal let her voice play in the sandbox a little. Her vocals carry a combination of pure power and snarl that contrasts wonderfully with the organ and guitars beneath. - Zach Hodson | The Deli Magazine

What if there is no secret to the universe? What if there are only loud, driving guitars, tube amplifiers, thumping bass runs & maniac drumbeats?
The singer's glorious voice peeled the paint slowly off the fucking wall with angry-sex-voodoo curse. - William Chaffin | Kill Your TV

What if there is no secret to the universe? What if there are only loud, driving guitars, tube amplifiers, thumping bass runs & maniac drumbeats?
The singer's glorious voice peeled the paint slowly off the fucking wall with angry-sex-voodoo curse. - William Chaffin | Kill Your TV

""The Quivers are foul. The Quivers are terrible people. The Quivers killed my dog, had me arrested, foreclosed on my trailer and put the milk carton back in the fridge when there was only a few drops left."

But in reality, the debut EP from The Quivers is a delight to the ears. Fronted by Terra Peal, the four-piece group is a powerful force of rock 'n' roll mixed with an old-school Motown sensibility. The group is propelled by Peal's strong stage presence and Tina Turner-esque vocals, but its staying power comes from having a tight musical backbone. Abraham Haddad's guitar riffs come second nature to him much of the time, while Todd Grantham channels old Motown sounds on the keys. With a solid and sometimes jazzy backbeat, Bernard Dugan sets the foundation of the music.

The stand-out track on this album is "Shake Me," a song that showcases Peal at her best: with a raw, melodic voice and a brazen boldness. She plows through the song with a purpose, and an enhanced strength from driving rhythm and a wailing axe. And every song on this quick 4-track album does just that. And that's why we like it." - The Deil Magazine

""The Quivers are foul. The Quivers are terrible people. The Quivers killed my dog, had me arrested, foreclosed on my trailer and put the milk carton back in the fridge when there was only a few drops left."

But in reality, the debut EP from The Quivers is a delight to the ears. Fronted by Terra Peal, the four-piece group is a powerful force of rock 'n' roll mixed with an old-school Motown sensibility. The group is propelled by Peal's strong stage presence and Tina Turner-esque vocals, but its staying power comes from having a tight musical backbone. Abraham Haddad's guitar riffs come second nature to him much of the time, while Todd Grantham channels old Motown sounds on the keys. With a solid and sometimes jazzy backbeat, Bernard Dugan sets the foundation of the music.

The stand-out track on this album is "Shake Me," a song that showcases Peal at her best: with a raw, melodic voice and a brazen boldness. She plows through the song with a purpose, and an enhanced strength from driving rhythm and a wailing axe. And every song on this quick 4-track album does just that. And that's why we like it." - The Deil Magazine

It's great to know why musicians do what they do. Why they write songs about heartache or joy. What kind of emotion they're trying to express. Who they most look up to. That's the magic of what they do. But then there's the science of it. How do they make the most raw or sensual sounds come out of their instruments?

This week we talk with Todd Grantham, also known as the suave ivory tickler of The Quivers.


The Deli: What kind of gear are you using?

Todd Grantham:
I play a Roland XP-80 and a 1968 Vox Continental organ with The Quivers. I think the XP-80 was introduced in 1996. That's the year I first bought the smaller Roland model - the XP-50. They both have 3.5" disk drives. So cute. I like the XP series.
At home, when I'm relaxed and want to play sitting down? I play a 1959 Cable Nelson Spinet piano. It's been in the family since before I was born and I've been playing - mostly banging on that piano since I was a baby. I love it. You can't make a keyboard thunder and rumble quite like it.

The Deli: What makes your particular gear achieve the sound you're looking for in your music?

Todd: Opportunity, convenience, good fortune and affordability.

The Deli: How would you describe your sound?

Todd: Sometimes it's a little toot or a beep. Sometimes it goes Rrrrrrrarrrrrrrwwwwwrrr. When I'm in a hurry on piano it goes pling pling pling.


The Deli: What projects are you in you're in right now?

Todd: The Quivers have become a full-time job for me. I couldn't be more artistically satisfied playing with this gang. But I played organ and piano on a few songs for Red Kate's upcoming album. Can't wait for that to be released. Holy cow, them boys are serious! Their song "Hypnotized" is gonna be big! You'll see.

The Deli: What other instruments do you play?

Todd: I've toyed with an accordion and a tin whistle, and can make a harmonica groan like a flattened tire. Oh, and I shouldn't say this, but for at least a dozen years I've had a vibraphone that doesn't actually belong to me. If the rightful owner sees this, I'll probably have to kiss that vibraphone goodbye. So this is off the record, right?

The Deli: Who are your favorite or most inspirational players (of your instrument[s]), both in KC and beyond?

Todd: Locally? Jason Beers plays a wicked organ with Wild Chipmunk & The Cuddly Poos. He sickens me with how effortlessly fantastic he is. You know what? This is a difficult question. He's not a favorite, nor inspirational. He's freakish. He's a mutant. He should be shunned and banished from society. Devil-man! Devil-man! He loosens our morals and our morale, and I hear he's one of those free-thinkers.

The Deli: What is your ideal dream equipment set up?

Todd: If it were the ideal dream, we wouldn't be talking about musical gear.

The Deli:
Where do you like to shop for gear, and why?
Todd: To be honest with you? I don't shop for gear. Bernie [Dugan] tells me, "You need to get one of these…" and then he goes out and GETS IT FOR ME! I love my friend! But he makes me play extra pretty for him.

The Deli: Do you have a favorite KC venue to play in terms of sound quality?

Todd: recordBar always does us well. I recommend the Cowtown Mallroom too. The acoustics in there are a hoot.

The Deli: Ever made or have thought of making your own custom gear?

Todd: Oh god… Oh GOD the burns! Call 911.

Although Todd probably doesn't have the burns, you can catch him performing tonight at The Brick with The Quivers. They'll be joined by The Wild Ones and Bummer City, both from California. The Quivers' new EP Gots To Have It! will also be available this weekend!


-Michelle Bacon - Michelle Bacon | The Deli Magazine