We almost always perform with a guest or two to take things up a couple notches. We continue to have some great musicians sitting in with us including...
Jim Prange - Scatterdome and the Original Gruv Unit
D. Adam Estner - Black Rose and Disciples of Funk and the Original Gruv Unit
Mike Sullivan - The Lonely Jones
Mickey Mackenzie - Mystic Dub
Steve Parker - Electric Guitar
John Bergman - Trumpet / Bass Guitar / Vocals
Nate Karnes - UV Hippo and the Original Gruv Unit
The Black Rose (Serita) - Black Rose and Disciples of Funk
Andy Ogrodzinski - Space Brothers, Donald Kinsey band
Influences
From the first moment some person in a cave beat two sticks together music has made the world a better place. We are pleased to be a part of this tradition. The way we see it, music is the worlds first art.
Musical influence is an unbroken chain leading all the way back to that cave. We would like to name as our primary musical influence...
The First Cave Man
Of course, we also enjoy the music of The Grateful Dead.
AW Wesgtside
" I basically love all kinds of music and particularly strong vocal based compositions and recordings of good artists who do them. Love the Dead as always. Kudos to all who've inspired me... say hi.. I'm a nice guy and will talk to you always and aspire to inspire you before I expire too
PS.. I Love that Lisa Miller! And I'll shout and sing it to the world! "
John Wenger
"I currently listen to all kinds of good music and enjoy most of it immensely. I am into Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead and the whole jam band and newgrass scene especially String Cheese Incident, Allman Brothers, and Cornmeal. In my high school and college years I was way into a lot of progressive rock from Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, Yes, Todd Rundgren and Utopia, and Peter Gabriel's Genesis (NOT Phil Collins). I hosted a progressive rock show on WYCE in the early to mid eighties.
In grade school I had (2) brothers about 10 years older than me who exposed me to a lot of great music. I grew up with The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. I had my first Doors album when I was 6!
I also enjoy Crosby Stills and Nash, Jefferson Airplane, Donna The Buffalo, Flaming Lips, and on and on...
I must also mention all the great musicians I have had the pleasure of working with on their original material in my home studio especially Jonathon Haner, Milo T. Fish, Rich Hendrix, and David Keener. And all the great musicians in West Michigan with whom I have shared the stage over the years including John Chuchuvara and the Lighthouse Commision, Jim Prange, D. Adam Estner, Nate Karnes, Grasshoppah, Jack Hulbert, Andy Ogrodzinski and everyone from Mass Quantities, and everyone else I neglected to mention."
Lisa Miller
Indigo Girls, Susan Tedeschi, Janis Joplin, Natalie Merchant, Heart, Sarah Brightman, L7, S.E. Paige Bailey, Jack Johnson, Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Rusted Root, Stevie Nicks, and Tori Amos.
The Grüv Unit began as a bunch of friends getting together to jam out Grateful Dead songs at Billie's open mic night. As the weeks went on, the group developed a devoted following and they started playing gigs around town. Most people remember seeing them as the host band at Jam Band Tuesdays a weekly event at The Radio Tavern. In 2005, shortly after The Radio Tavern burned down, The Gruv Unit went on haitus.
In 2007, The Grüv Unit was reborn! Joining original
members Al Waldron (AW Westside) and Kevin Grant , are musicians John Wenger on bass and Lisa Miller on guitar. The Grüv Unit continues to perform in the West Michigan area and is expanding our reaches to include the further extremities of the state and beyond! Call John at 616-745-1587 or email booking@gruvunit.com to book the band for your venue or special event.
They continue to build on their Grateful Dead oriented, improvisational, psychedelic and uptempo funk jams to include original compositions and some favorite covers from the last half of the 20th century. They throw in some classic country, rock, reggae, folk, blues and sometimes they even take the bold step of playing something they have never even rehearsed!
It's all good stuff! Great music, good entertainment, and some ultra-trippy heady improv jamming that will keep you wondering "WHAT NEXT!!" It is obvioius they really enjoy performing and their growing fan base is having loads of fun. Isn't it time you Got Your Grüv On?
Date: Thursday, April 16, 2009
Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Ottawa County Sheriff's Department
Street: 12220 Filmore St
These people think that they are going out there to have a "support rally" for the "positive" side of this - the positive side being the side that actually SHOT A STUDENT IN THE CHEST FOR SUSPECTED MARIJUANA DEALING.
Please come to show your support for the VICTIM, Derek Copp, who almost lost his life due to this officers negligence. Don't let them get away with actually supporting this shooting. The officer has already received paid leave and only lost 8 days of work - plus he's only getting charged with a misdemeanor. We can not stand by and allow them to actually believe that this is OK in any way.
REMEMBER - This could have been any one of you or your friends.
Hey guys I was the photographer at the Rosebud who video taped you guys to, just letting you know I tried to put the videos on youtube and send it to you guys but for some reason it wouldn't let me upload it. Hope you all are doing good and I love your music!!
Hey all tried to get your pics from the Juke's show finished this weekend BUT...I was a bit hungover about it...I have this upcoming Friday and Sunday off (but if I'm gonna see ya'll this Saturday, it's safe to omit Sunday as an ETA) so...Hopefully Friday and I'll Tag em for ya this time...Working 50 hours so I shall end with mucho' amore, and, as always, you guys are awesome! Thanks for the sweet show!
On the darkest day of the year, I hope you are all safe and warm, through the blizzard conditions, cancellations, revisions, all due to this Michigan storm. Old Man Winter is cranky and crass, Mother nature will have the last laugh. Each day will get brighter, and a little bit lighter, after this solstice has passed. So curl underneath a warm blanket, and heat up some herbal tea, this show may have been cancelled but there are plenty more to come see!
