Grizfolk - Concert Review
                                          

Recently Grizfolk wrapped up a short seven-show tour. They started in Chicago, made stops in Ann Arbor, Washington D.C, Philadelphia, Harrisonburg, Boston, and ended in New York. We caught them in in Ann Arbor, for the second time within a year, and this one was an intimate show to remember.
 
Monday February 2nd marked only the second time in 37 years that the University of Michigan canceled classes due to inclement weather; a snowstorm blanketed the area with over 14 inches of snow. I was worried that the conditions would scare Grizfolk fans away and keep them indoors. But all was not lost, and around 100 or so of us trekked through the snow to the Blind Pig.

The show started with “Waiting For You” and then “The Barrens.”  A little slow out of the gate, it took these two songs to shake some dust off. The crowd wanted to get it going, but something didn’t click immediately. Lead man Adam Roth then said a few words to the crowd, laughed along with his band mates, and it was on. “The Struggle” turned the energy level up a notch or two and “Vagabonds” had the band and crowd singing back and forth. Grizfolk were all feeding off each other as well as the audience, and this connection stuck throughout.
 
One major highlight of the evening was the pair of covers Grizfolk performed. First was Kendrick Lamar’s “Money Trees,” and later came David Bowie’s “Suffragette City.” Both came as a pleasant surprise in their set, and “Money Trees” ended phenomenally, as Fredrik Eriksson ripped a face melting guitar solo. If I could ask for one more thing, it would have been more guitar solos from Fredrik. He just killed it!

I don’t think Grizfolk were really allowed to leave the stage, as the entire audience was begging for an encore immediately when it looked like they were done. To start the encore, Grizfolk unplugged and played an acoustic version of “Way Back When.”  All it took was a guitar, a box drum, and some backing rhythmic vocals to create one of the most intimate performances I’ve seen. Then, to close it out, Grizfolk finally played “Hymnals.” Throughout the show crowd members had been cheering for it, and they finally got their wish. It put the final exclamation point on a great show.
 
Comparing the separate times I’ve seen Grizfolk perform, it is easy to see that they are really starting to figure out a performance style. The immediate growth is evident, and I’m sure it will continue. They are going to be back on the road next month and will continue to tour into the summer. This young and exciting band should be high on your list of who to see next.

By Ben Lowden