Lay Down My Burden
Listen to excerpt of: "Lay Down My Burden"
This recording is dedicated to my parents, John and Tommy Dermody, my friend and mentor John Cephas and especially to my amazing wife, Eileen Donoghue Dermody. Part of this work is about loss, yes, but it’s also about hope, positive energy, and the celebration of life. It covers a great deal of emotional, and musical, ground.
I am fortunate to have had a great number of excellent musicians help me on this project. I am joined by, among others, Eric Bibb, Darick Campbell, John Dee Holeman, Del Rey, Louisiana Red, John Miller, Scott Law and Kilung Jigme Rinpoche. My wife, Eileen sings on a cut and the last recording John Cephas made was with me, on this recording.
Orville Johnson produced the CD. Garey Shelton did a great deal of the engineering, though I recorded the project at eight different studios, all over the country. Michael Bishop, who just won his ninth Grammy, did the mixing and mastering.
Excepts from Phil Wiggin's liner notes–
"Over the many years that I have known Grant Dermody, I have been a witness to an impressive arc of development as he has climbed the height of technical ability on the harmonica and broadened his understanding of music theory and then brought that ability and understanding down to earth. Rooted in a diverse range of traditional music styles, and grounded in the deepest human emotions, Grant's harmonica calls out in prayer, sings out in joy and in sorrow, in love and in struggle and laughs and shouts out in celebration of life".
"As I listen to the strength and clarity of Grant's voice and I hear his harmonica, each note saying something, each note molded to a particular shape, colored by a beautiful tone and infused with strong emotion, I wonder what we should call this junction of expertise and passion at which Grant has arrived. I'll call it the Blues. You can hear the influence of Irish and Old Time and you get a strong dose of gospel, but the predominiant flavor is the Blues.
I am certain that Grant believes as I do that the Blues is music that sustains us. It enriches our lives and nourishes our spirits. It is the sound track of our celebrations. It bolsters us through our hard struggles and our farewells. If Blues is the meal that feeds our spirits, Grant has served up a feast."
"Laydown My Burden " is available at Bluebeatmusic or by contacting Grant. I hope you enjoy the music. All the best to you all.
Deceiving Blues
Listen to: "Springtime Blues"
An acoustic blues CD with Orville Johnson on mandolin, dobro, and washboard, and John Miller on guitar. We all sing. This is our first recording as a trio. We recorded it live, all in the same room, no headphones. We have played this music together for over ten years. It is something we dearly love.
As John writes: ".... Though this is an acoustic blues recording, we cover quite a bit of ground under the branches of that cherished tree.These are our Blues, we sing 'em as we please. We have been playing this Blues music with each other for close to ten years. Individually, we have been doing it much longer--decades. Like many players, we've attempted to hear and absorb as much as we could from the masters who preceded us. When you work in a style in which so many definitive statements have been made, though, the question arises, "What do you have to add to what's alread been said?". The music on this CD is our answer to that question."
"We've shied away from recreations of historic recordings for a number of reasons, but primarily because we're interested in seeing what there is to say in this music now, speaking in our own voices. What speaks to us in this music? A memorable lyric, a strong melody, being right there when you sing, an instrument's wordless moan. We hope that our way of singing and playing these Blues speaks to you." –John Miller, January 2006.
"Deceiving Blues " is available at CDBaby or by contacting Grant,.
Crossing That River
Grant dedicates his solo CD, Crossing That River , to Piedmont blues legend, John Jackson who passed away in 2002. Grant calls John a "loving presence." The existence of this “loving presence" continues in Grant Dermody - in his song selections, in his musical execution, in his passion. Every ounce of his being is transformed into an immediate connection, a sound offering - to the listener, to the fine collection of players, and to the spirit. Grant describes John as having passion, power, honesty and depth of character. I find these same traits in Grant - and in his music.” ~ Gaye Adegbalola, Alligator recording artist and founding member of Safire, the Uppity Blues Women
On Crossing that River, his first solo CD, Grant has captured many of the varied musical relationships he has fostered over the last eighteen years. Grant wrote three of the tunes, three were written by friends and guest artists, and the rest are songs he has always loved. There are harmonica duets with Phil Wiggins and Joe Filisko; blues duets with John Cephas, John Miller and Orville Johnson; a jazz flavored composition with (and by) Julian Priester; and small ensemble folk, old-time, country, and blues pieces with Jim Page, Richie Stearns, Scott Law, Forrest Gibson and Dale Fanning, to name a few. Grant's soulful style ties it all together.
"Crossing That River" is available at iTunes, CDBaby or by contacting Grant.
Listen to: "Breakthrough"Listen to: "I'm Cross That River of Jordan"Listen to: "The Leeward Side"
The Improbabillies
The Improbabillies CD, featuring Grant, Forrest Gibson, Richie Stearns, June Drucker & Scott Meyer can be purchased here
"Grant has it all. Time, phrasing, great ideas, and above all a stunning tone. Totally in the tradition but with a real voice of his own. " - Wayne Horvitz.
"This is a first-rate solo album from a mature musician who really loves what he is doing, and in a world where there is a great deal of competition, this guy can certainly hold his own . " - Bob Tilling, Blues In Britain Magazine.
"Grant's harmonica playing, though virtuosic, is not the bombastic pseudo-virtuosity of the psychedelic fantasy freak-out or cold mathematical noodlerama, but an articulate poetic statement with a big evocative vocal tone the tells the song's story with a moving lyricism. " - Mark Graham.
site: Deepwood Studio
