Biography

The Grascals bring their signature, driving bluegrass energy to “Pull The Trigger,” a song that puts a twist on the idea of Cupid and unrequited love. Says the group’s Danny Roberts, “When Jamie (guitarist) sent ‘Pull The Trigger’ for us to listen to, it hit me immediately that it would be a really good song for us to record. It has a completely different feel from anything that we’ve done before yet not straying too far from our sound. The lyrics and music are a lot of fun and we are ‘aiming’ for this to be a new crowd favorite!”
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After a moody meditation on addiction (“I Go”) and a sweetly hopeful ode to lifelong love (“Just Let Me Know”), bluegrass stalwarts The Grascals are back with an energetic portrait of a lovelorn man who just can’t get the woman he’s wooing to reciprocate his feelings.


“I had the idea a few years back to write a song about Cupid,” recalls singer, guitarist and songwriter Jamie Johnson. “Except instead of using arrows, this time he would use a love gun. I took this thought to a writing session with the great Shawn Camp and we sat down and tossed ideas back and forth until we had penned ‘Pull The Trigger.’ We put The Grascals’ sauce on it in the studio, and voila!”


Starting off with a taut rhythm, “Pull The Trigger” dishes up three verses depicting its protagonist’s increasing frustration over beds of ensemble downbeats that release into a driving bluegrass feel as each ends. Accompanied by guitarist John Bryan’s soaring harmonies, Johnson delivers the chorus:


I keep praying you’ll fall for me before too long, hun
but if Cupid don’t shoot you down here pretty soon
I guess I’ll have to load up my old love gun
and I’m gonna pull the trigger on you


with a wry tone that’s simultaneously desperate and self-aware, culminating in the final verse’s confession:


I ain’t worth nothing in this whole wide world
If I can’t be your heart’s desire


“When Jamie sent ‘Pull The Trigger’ for us to listen to when we were picking songs for the new album, it hit me immediately that it would be a really good song for us to record,” says Grascals mandolinist and fellow founding member, Danny Roberts. “It has a completely different feel from anything that we’ve done before yet not straying too far from our sound. The lyrics and music are a lot of fun and we are ‘aiming’ for this to be a new crowd favorite!”

About The Grascals
Great musicians will always find a way to make good music, but for great musicians to make great music, they must form a bond – one that, more often than not, goes beyond the purely musical to the personal. For The Grascals, that bond has been forged at the intersection of personal friendships, shared professional resumes and an appreciation for the innovative mingling of bluegrass and country music that has been a hallmark of the Nashville scene for more than forty years.

Their cutting-edge modern bluegrass is delivered with a deep knowledge of, and admiration for, the work of the music’s founding fathers. Timely yet timeless, The Grascals make music that is entirely relevant to the here and now yet immersed in traditional values of soul and musicianship. It’s a unique sound that has earned three Grammy® nominations and two Entertainer of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association, as well as national media attention that seems to perpetually elude acts entrenched in niche genres. Such appearances include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Fox & Friends, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and CBS’ The Talk. Honors also include performing twice for President George W. Bush and at President Barack Obama’s inaugural ball at the Smithsonian.

The Grascals have over 200 guest appearances on the Grand Ole Opry to their credit and have also performed on the revered stages of Radio City Music Hall, the Ryman Auditorium and the Kennedy Center as well as music festivals such as MerleFest, Stagecoach, and the CMA Music Festival. In addition to performing across the United States and Canada, the awarding-winning band has traveled the world to take bluegrass music to Japan, Greece, France, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, and Belgium.

The Grascals have also had the opportunity to record and share the stage with several country music legends including Dolly Parton, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, Hank Williams, Jr., George Jones, Kenny Rogers, Brooks & Dunn, Patty Loveless, The Oak Ridge Boys, Steve Wariner, Tom T. Hall, The Jordanaires, and more.

As their recordings prove, The Grascals’ rare musical empathy gives them an unerring ear for just the right touch to illuminate each offering’s deepest spirit – whether they’re digging into one of their original songs or reworking a bluegrass classic or a pop standard. Take for instance, fan favorite, “Last Train to Clarksville.” Non-bluegrass listeners enjoy a new take on a familiar song, while diehard bluegrass audiences who may have never heard the Monkees classic, respond in-kind, not even realizing that the song has been Grascalized.

As they look toward their 20th anniversary, The Grascals can truthfully say they have the best of both worlds — the steadiness of a veteran group that knows who they are and where they’re going, and the excitement and energy of an ensemble that knows it still has something to prove. With a renewed spirit and zeal to continue create and blazing new music trails, be on the lookout for much more to come from The Grascals!