Thinking back a year ago to when I first saw Grovel at Gee Coffee in Olathe puts me lost in thought. Emotional, melodic, sincere... I thought for sure those five dischorded boys rocking out on that little stage would be playing Hurricane shows twice a month with the big bands someday, but here I sit, a year later, just anxiously awaiting their next gig. Even Jeff Brown at the Pitch Weekly who reviewed their 8-song demo tape, "Here" states, "They just never lose sight of the song while they're busy raising the roof. In fact, the dynamic range Grovel explores is rather broad. If they keep it up, they may soon find many a fan prostrated at their extra-large feet." So what gives?

I may not know much, but it doesn't take a genious to figure out that trying to make an impact around this town with melodic vocals and noisy guitars, just doesn't seem to do any good. Everyone wants pop or pop-rock. They could book Exit 159 every day at the Hurricane and the people wouldn't get tired of it (and I love Exit 159), but it leaves me asking, "what's wrong with change?" You've got the crowd that likes metal, the crowd that likes ska, the crowd that likes punk, and the crowd that likes pop. So where is a band like Grovel supposed to fit in?

Grovel members Keanon Liggatt, Mark Johnson, Brian Frisbie, John Ferguson, and Brad Hodgson have been beating that very same question into the ground for over 5 years. What gives, indeed? Short, but sweet, I now give you a little insight from Mark and Keanon, two of the boys that know all too well the politics involved with getting a simple gig. Note that they answered these questions on their own, without talking to each other first!!!

Q: Six years, two releases, countless demos, and thousands of Gee Coffee shows later, you're still lusting over those big gigs. What gives?
Keanon: Well honestly, it's very easy to want to blame it on a lack of interest in this area for the kind of music we play... we're very emotional and very unconventional...I think there's definitely a "market" for us...just look at shiner, panel donor, shallow, and so on...they leave our area to play out and become big rock stars. I know there are people who identify with the feelings in our songs, but I honestly believe it's got a lot more to do with a lack of notoriety than lack of interest...there are kids who come to every one of our shows and send me email telling me that "they feel the same way", and that our music had them "crying buckets"...maybe if more people knew who we were and took that "live music gamble" and came to shows, things would be different today.

Mark: We've discussed this many a time. Our lack of a booking agent would be one obvious answer, but moreover, it seems that we can't break into the Lawrence rotation of bands that usually get the best gigs. Maybe it is because we aren't from Lawrence, the people that book for clubs haven't heard of us, or simply don't think we'll draw a crowd. As you said before, where does Grovel's style of music fit in? We are still trying to find that out ourselves. I could also get really cynical and say that we don't shmooze enough, don't kiss the right ass, but we all know that is part and parcel of it, don't we?

Q: Why do you feel things are done the way that they are?
Keanon: Big clubs want big bands to bring in big money...Gee Coffee, for all its negative aspects, gave us a chance when we'd never played a note outside of a garage before when Brad and I were about 14...I'm not saying that all clubs should have an "open door" policy about booking, but a fairly respectable band with a CD out shouldn't have to worry so much about whether club owners will give them the time of day, but sadly, that's how it's done, and I think that money has a lot to do with it. Until we can draw "big crowds" we're not going to get "big shows". It's a catch 22. We do a lot in the way of talking to clubs about booking shows, and some of the great friends we've made in other bands have opened a couple of previously locked doors...a majority of the area is still off limits to us though. I think like anyone else trying to make a living playing music, we're trying to figure out why things are done the way they are and change them. We've done a lot of free shows with other great bands in shawnee mission park over the past 2 summers.

Mark: Good question. Money, and egos. I agree with some things another fantastic band said about the Lawrence-K.C. scene: that club owners and managers are so preoccupied with creating the myth that the Lawrence/KC scene is amazing that they've retarded its growth. Club owners barely let any new bands play anywhere, only the bands with connections, regardless of inward talent, will get the big gigs. This attitude will not create a scene to rival Seattle or Austin, but rather a hyped scene with no real content. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but then again, maybe I do. Few clubs help up and coming bands do anything or get anywhere; one place deserves an award for its lets-setup-a-gig-regardless-of-your-lack-of-experience-anywhere attitude: Gee Coffee. Gee Coffee was a haven for all new and upcoming bands. Gigs were practically guaranteed, and while crowds may not have been huge, at least you were playing. Gee allowed Grovel to grow, gain a few listeners, and get that live playing experience which is vital to a band's existence.

Q: With excellent reviews by the PitchWeekly, New Music Central, Signal Drench, the Zone, and the Kansas City Star, you would think booking agents and clubs would catch on. What gives?
Keanon: I ponder the same thought daily. We've sent press kits to nearly ever club in the Kansas/Missouri region, and a few great clubs have given us a chance, but if you, as a bar owner, were trying to get people to come out to your establishment and drop down cash to come watch music, you're probably reluctant to give a band a chance that no one's heard of...or is maybe a little off the map musically. A couple of people have referred to us as "a critic's band" which I wouldn't mind at all, but what we're trying to accomplish has everything to do with connecting with people and exorcising our own little dark places, and very little to do with critics. Of course we want to make good recordings, but in my eye, recording is just another way to get people to come experience a live show.

Mark: Yeah, I've wondered that too. And we got onto Keanon for all that, since he's told us that he sent our press kits to people, but we didn't believe him because for all the great reviews we have received, nothing was happening. Well, Keanon has sent people our press kits, and whatnot, but we've yet to have any favorable responses from booking agents. We HAVE had some interests from two indie labels, and we are talking to them right now. I think as a band we are pretty wary of the 'management;' if we were ever to subject ourselves to being managed, we'd all have to agree 100% to whom, how, etc.

Q: What is the most common misinterpretation about Grovel?
Keanon: I'll list a couple:
1. The fact that our music is noisy and unconventional makes it weird or not as good because it's not catchy pop.
2. Our name: Normally construed as "to beg", it can sound a little macho and scary...that's not what we have in mind at all, and we're definitely not macho or scary....it's a relationship thing.

Mark: This will cover another of your questions, D., but a common misinterpretation is that we are totally and completely 'love rock.' We are very emotional, and we have some songs that have titles that may refer to love, or some lyrics that may portent the same, but all in all, we like to throw down and rock. A band's image comes from an amalgam (sp) of what the members think it is all about. I personally think we are somewhat emotional, and yet we aren't. We've matured to where we can deal with our emotions outside the release that is our music. I'm not saying that this music of ours ISN'T a release for some of us; but I dont' think all of us lean on it like the emotive crutch it used to be. We get into it on stage....but I don't think that our music is all about love, all the time....that you should just sit and listen and be moody and ponder life....that is all well and good, but you need to have fun!!! We get into it because we enjoy the songs and love to get into the music.

Q: With the new release of your first full-length CD, "Statically Yours", what do you expect to accomplish in the future? amalgam
Keanon: Well, like I mentioned before, recording, for us, was a way to put down our sound onto media that we could ship to clubs, labels, radio stations, and sell to people who liked to see us live so they could take us home with them. Also, of course, to maybe turn someone on to us who wouldn't normally come see us live. We realized one day that people don't just "show up" at your shows...someone, who by word of mouth or maybe from the radio, that hears our record and digs it is really like to come out to a show. It was our first attempt at thwarting the infamous "catch 22", and it's done us an amazing amount of good Ed Rose (of Red House Recording) did a great job capturing our live sound for the record...it was like playing a show or practicing when we recorded; very loose and emotional.

Mark: Well, having a cd, especially one that sounds as cleanly produced as ours (muchos gracias to Senor Ed Rose) can open alot of doors. It looks very professional to club mangers, agents, etc. However, just because you have one doesn't mean that you are necessarily going to get anywhere. With the cd, we'd like to get on an indie label, or hell, somewhere on smaller label that is managed by a major label. We'd like to tour, get out, play for everyone, and put them under the sway of Grovel!

Q: With slogans like "Grovel = Love + Noise" and "Sonic Love Letters", and song titles like "Broken Amber Fire" and "Valentine", your "vision" behind your music seems to be love. Is that what drives your passion for noise?
Keanon: It's what drives our passion as a band. Our good and bad experiences with love and life. Noise is such a great metaphor for the things your heart and head go through when you're in, or out, of love. Chaos, bliss, disappointment, joy, sadness....all those feelings bouncing off of each other like a little traffic jam in your soul...but we all seem to go back to it again and again...I can't speak for all of us, but I'd say yes, love is what drives my passion for noise.

Mark: As a band, I think we are driven by our love for playing our kind of music, writing and playing songs that have meaning to us. What else could bring a dischord/math rocker, a noise rocker, a blues guitarist, a punk drummer, and a slap bassist together in one group? I mean, Brian doesn't get to play fast, John is just now playing any kind of blues solos at all, Keanon plays noise sometimes but we tone him down when he gets too loud, Brad sometimes doesn't play at all, and I hardly ever slap! Whether or not love has anything to do with it is purely one way to look at it; we are all in this band because we love what we are doing. And we hope some people out there make a connection and like it too.

Q: What is, exactly, your "vision" behind your music?
Keanon: Another one of our little slogans "straight from our hearts to your ears..." We make music, first and foremost, for us...catharsis for the past pains, and a great way to hold on to good memories...but we choose to make it "public", our music, to connect with the listener...to maybe see if someone else out there feels the same way. As much as I like to "rock out", it means 10 times more to me for someone to say that they felt a certain way when they heard our music, or that they've associated a special moment with a song or seeing us live. Knowing that you mean something to someone because of something you've created with your bare hands is an amazing feeling...and we put EVERYTHING into our performances...Brad has become famous for losing control of his instrument in fits of emotion, and our show is non-stop from start to finish. It can get really hard sometimes to play these songs that mean so much to us and are as personal as they are not to get worn out emotionally, but knowing that a single person felt something because of us can keep me going for weeks at a time...we've jokingly referred to this syndrome as the "emotional gas tank".

Mark: Hmmm......emotion, meaningful words, love (to an extent,) flat out rock. We like to try and be different than what is happening in the musical world around us. We like to try and ensnare the listener with our songs.

Q: What other bands, locally, do you feel share a common thread with you?
Keanon: The blackwater, nasa's little secret, reflector, proudentall...all GREAT bands with integrity coming out of their ears. I think we're all in the same boat, trying to do something different in a place that isn't very open to it...and putting all of our heart into doing so...as much as anything, I love the friends I've made in meeting people from bands who think like we do.

Mark: Definitely the Blackwater. Nasa's Little Secret. Two bands that don't sound much like us at all. But we all share the same love for making OUR music, music that means something to us. Music that isn't designed for teeny- bopper dancing or instant one week stardom. Music designed to be different, and to hopefully be appreciated for its innovations, ideas, and conveyed emotions.

Q: Do you feel that you will be touring soon? Any future gigs?
Keanon: We'd LOVE to play some out of town shows but we can't financially handle a full fledged tour at this stage in the game, but we've been working on getting shows in places like Chicago, St. Louis, Champaign, IL...all places with great wide open arms for music like ours...or so I'm told. There are so many great KC bands who packed up and left here and are now staples in other areas...shiner, shallow, and the get up kids are perfect examples. As far as future shows go, we've got 3 scheduled thus far for July: July 16th at the Jazzhaus in Lawrence, July 18th at Gee Coffee w/ proudentall and everest, and Gee's closing show on July 25th. There are two or three other places, including the Replay Lounge and the Hurricane where we're trying to stir something up, and the Spirit Fest Lazer stage as well...but nothing definite yet.

Mark: Hopefully we will be able to put together a tour of some sorts, there are some possibilities....as for gigs, we will be playing the JazzHaus, hopefully the Hurricane, our self produced shows at Shawnee Mission Park, and possibly the Grand Emporium. I don't really know, I'm just the bass player. :-)

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Keanon: There is an amazing thing happening here locally, right under the surface, in the way of good music. Maybe something you haven't heard before and something that may move you...give it a chance...just because you don't see a band's names in headlines doesn't mean that they don't have something to offer.

Mark: Sure. I love what Danielle and Joe are doing for local bands with the Zone webpage, and I think that they are greatly underappreciated. I also think Danielle is attractive and sweet, and Joe is a helluva guitarist, so they've both got things going for themselves!!! ;)

June 08, 1998