Grizzly Derringer is an independent rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2014. The band consists of Jeff Skelton (vocals, guitar), Matthew Eldredge (vocals, guitar), Jason Cottis (vocals, bass), and David Lentz (drums, percussion). Their sound has been categorized as “guitar driven Americana rock” or “new classic rock”, and is dominated by the use of heavily textured guitars and a distinct California sound.
Dual front men Skelton and Eldredge, have been writing and playing music together ever since their arrival to Los Angeles from Arizona. Coming together over a shared affinity for bands like Love and Rockets and PJ Harvey, the duo started experimenting with primitive 4 track writing sessions and quickly realized they had a great chemistry. Inevitably those sessions lead to the formation of the band New Oblivion and later, the more gritty Thunderbird Motel. By 2014 the pair found themselves without a band and contemplating quitting music. Eldredge decided to give it one more try and put out an impassioned ad on Craigslist (it’s not just for killers) and the first two musicians to answer were Lentz and Cottis. Lentz has a stellar indie rock pedigree and counts himself as former founder and alumni of Fake Your Own Death (S.F.), UNIVAC (Los Angeles) and American Mars (Detroit). His drumming is heavily informed by a creative confluence of his academic roots (orchestral/ jazz/ concert/ marching) and the countless hours spent in rock’s woodshed. Cottis is a Portland transplant with an affinity for outlaw country, classic rock, metal and vintage punk rock. Formerly a member of Portland’s Puma Frenzy, his straight ahead, no nonsense, approach to his instrument underpins the band’s music with a sense of gravity and groove. Upon meeting for the first time at a dingy LA studio, the chemistry was immediate and the band wrote their first song “Nothing Again” (debut EP). The band have gone on to be prolific writers and have amassed a trove of unreleased material.
The band hit the stage almost immediately and has been earning fans with each blistering performance. With an extensive back catalog of music, they can easily play up to 90 minutes of original material and always have one more ready for an encore. Simply put, Grizzly shows rock. The band’s chemistry and rigorous rehearsal routine translates to a show with transcendent moments of musicianship and emotion. Grizzly Derringer plays throughout southern California with immediate plans to play in northern California, Arizona and Nevada.
The band released their self titled debut extended EP in the spring of 2015. The sessions were produced and engineered by Sean Beresford (Third Eye Blind, Run DMC, The Donnas) at his treehouse home studio in Northern California. The songs cover an eclectic range of sonic territory from the sprawling space country of “Golden Place” to the psychedelic bluesy swoon of “Transmissions”. Beresford’s signature stamp was a keen ear for guitar tones and impeccable harmonies, guiding the band’s sound to a finely crafted, yet classic, edge.
The band is currently supporting their latest extended EP “American Dream” recorded by multi-platinum Aussie producer Adrian Newman at Fireside Sound owned and operated by Chris Thorn (Blind Melon/ AWOL Nation/ Sonny Boy Thorn). In the studio, Newman pushed the band into a decidedly more rock territory, largely eschewing the lush textures of the previous record in favor of something more raw and immediate. The extensive vintage gear available at Fireside allowed the group to experiment sonically and craft new textures and sounds. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the title track, starting off on a slow burn before quickly exploding into a fury of fuzz guitars, delay, and anthemic gang vocals.
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