The Grip profile picture

The Grip

About Me


'The Grip' is an old British slang meaning sickness, and this illness' symptoms are making people boogie.
Exploding onto the Colorado music scene in 2007, The Grip is an organ trio fusing funk, jazz, neo-soul, and blues into one original mix of tunes. Infectious grooves, talented players, and a blend of classic and modern sounds comprise the sound of The Grip. Their music is always groovy and full of funk to dance to, but also keeps a close tie to jazz and blues intellectual roots.
The Grip is made up of two accomplished Fort Collins musicians and one sensational newcomer. Charlie Humphreys (guitar) formerly played with blues rock favorites ‘Holy Moses and the High Rollers’ and recorded an album to high acclaim. Stu Crair (drums) toured nationally with the highly respected progressive-rock band ‘Orooni’, as well as forming ‘the Hugh: Jazz Combo’ which continues to play in a weekly jazz residency in Fort Collins. Newcomer Walter Hannah (Hammond organ, keyboards, bass keys) came to the band via Portland where he recorded with The Parallel Trio and pushes the sound of The Grip by playing with his unique style and phrasing.
The members of the Grip have played over 500 shows collectively, including major music festivals like Wakarusa and 10,000 Lakes Festival. In addition, the members of the band have been on national tours from Vermont to Washington State and everywhere in between.
Their musical influences range from Mike Stern to Stevie Wonder; from Booker T and the MG’s to Frank Zappa. The Grip has shared the stage with jazz and funk heavyweights such as Soulive, The New Mastersounds, Lettuce, Bustle in Your Hedgerow (featuring the Benevento/Russo Duo and Dave Driewitz of Ween), Joey Porter and Dominic Lalli of The Motet, The New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Magic Gravy (featuring members of ALO and The Motet), Garaj Mahal, The Stanton Moore Trio, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Porter Batiste Stoltz, Eric McFadden Trio, The Breakfast and many more.
Already, The Grip was named as the first house band for Hodi's Half Note in Fort Collins, and has performed at the world renowned Fox Theatre, the Aggie Theatre, The Goat, 320 South, the Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Owsley’s Golden Road, and Alto jazz lounge to name a few. Their infectious music will soon be heard all across the Northern Colorado Front Range and beyond with no end in sight for how far the epidemic might spread.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 06/11/2007
Band Website: http://www.thegripfunk.com
Band Members: Charlie Humphreys:
(guitar, vocals)
Stu Crair:
(drums)
Walter Hannah:
(organ, clav, keys)
Influences: Zappa, Sly and the Family Stone, Soulive, Jimmy Smith, Miles Davis, Parliament, Beatles, Phish, Charlie Hunter, Jeff Beck, and many more.
Sounds Like: Jimmy Smith, Dr Lonnie Smith, Parliament, Sly and the Family Stone, Soulive
Record Label: Unsigned

My Blog

NEW DOWNLOADS AVAILABLE!

Check out 2 new shows on Archive.org available for download.  Please grab em, and pass it on to your friends!  Post a comment if you feel so inclined.  Enjoy!02/11/2009 - Hodi's Half Notehttp://www.a...
Posted by on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:14:00 GMT

JUST ANNOUNCED: FOX THEATRE(01/14)

The Grip's 2009 shows!01/14 Fox Theatre w/Bustle In your Hedgerow01/17 Road 34 - Fort Collins02/11 - Hodis Half Note - Fort Collins02/12 - Dulcineas - Denver02/21 - CSU's Mardi Gras Celebration - Fort...
Posted by on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:29:00 GMT

NEW LIVE SHOW DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE!

Hi all-We are excited to post a new live show from our recent performance at Hodi's Half Note on 09/20/08.  This show was a special one as we were joined onstage by the New Orleans Preservation H...
Posted by on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:24:00 GMT

4 SHOWS THIS WEEK IN CO incl 2 in FoCo!

Hi there!  The Grip has 4 shows this week: Thurs, 09/18 Dulcinea&39;s | Denver, COSat, 09/20 Sustainable Living Fair | Ft Collins, CO | 4pmSat, 09/29 Hodi&39;s Half Note | Ft Collins, CO ...
Posted by on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:19:00 GMT

IN THE STUDIO...

We are hard at work recording our first album...we can't wait for you all to hear it!  Expect some Grip funkiness, special guests, and some new tracks you've probably never heard before.  We...
Posted by on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:18:00 GMT

NEW MUSIC - Check out the Tunes on MySpace and Archive

2 New songs on our MySpace page plus 3 shows are now available through Archive.org. Go to http://www.archive.org/details/TheGrip to pick a good one.Hope to see you all at Hodi's this Wed for Stu's Bi...
Posted by on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:54:00 GMT

NEW VIDEO - Funch

Check out the new video, courtesy of MoBoogie.net. This was shot at the Taboot Music and Art Expo in Denver on 06-07-08. Pass it on!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99XKJnb0PosThe Gripwww.thegripfunk....
Posted by on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:23:00 GMT

NEW DOWNLOADS AVAILABLE!

The Grip has posted 2 new downloads on Archive.org. Download, spread it, write a review, and enjoy. All The Grip music is through this link, http://www.archive.org/details/TheGrip . Here's the set lis...
Posted by on Thu, 29 May 2008 21:58:00 GMT

OWSLEYS (DENVER) AND MISHAWAKA SHOWS ADDED!

THE GRIP is really excited to add shows this summer at Owsleys Golden Road in Denver on June 7th and the Mishawaka Ampitheatre on July 6th. Both of these venues are fantastic and we're stoked to be a...
Posted by on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:36:00 GMT

3 Shows this Week...FoCo, Denver, Boulder...plus 188 downloads!

Hi all-THE GRIP has 3 shows this week that we're excited about.Thu, 04.24 at Hodi's in FoCo. Opening for JFJO! 9pm Fri, 04.25 at Alto in Denver. FREE. 9pmSun, 04.27 at Pearl Street Pub in Boulder. ...
Posted by on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:38:00 GMT