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Hometown: Asheville, NC
Management: Laura K Cooley
Website: www.new.facebook.com
Sounds Like: Michael Jackson
Genre: Rock
Grammer School, a trio from Asheville, NC is Bill Cooley on percussion and all things dingy; Justing Bowles on piano, synth, and vocals; and Mike Clair with guitar and vocals.
Everyone, including the band members, have a hard time pinning their sound into a genre. Some have dubbed it "Appalachian Psy-Pop" and others "Adult Contemporary on acid." Their sets have been called "genre smashing" as if you're actually flipping through radio stations. And while their passion is in Rock N' Roll, their sound takes on bouncy pop riffs, sudden tempo and chord changes, piano interludes, fuzzy synthesizers, catchy lyrics, building tensions, punk-fueled guitar, soulful melodies, and unusual subject matter. Not to mention their sometimes raucous energy can make anybody dance.
Although not a jam band, the've been known to let the song just simply take off in order for the crowd to just keep moving. After all, that's what it's all about, keeping people moving. Whether playing to a brightly lit crowd of 300 or a candle lit audience of 10, Grammer School will win you over with their unique, high energy show.
“When Grammer School (sic) took the stage at The Orange Peel back in June — the last act of four finalists to compete for the title of WNC Magazine's Last Band Standing and winner of the opening slot at this year's Bele Chere — two things happened. One, they didn't win the competition. And two, they totally won over the crowd. In fact, with an arsenal of bouncy indie-pop tunes, turn-on-dime tempo shifts and raucous energy, Grammer School seemed right at home on the Orange Peel stage. To see them a few weeks later on an over-sized Oriental carpet in the café room of Marshall's Good Stuff Grocery was nearly cause for a double-take.
Influences seem varied and far-reaching — a hint of Paul and Linda McCartney, a touch of Elvis Costello, maybe even a nod to Dimitri Tiomkin. As wildly diverse as these elements are, Grammer School effectively chorales them into pithy, concise songs.”
Alli Marshall - Mountain Express
“Grammer School plays WNC Magazine’s Last Band Standing... File under great local bands you might not have heard of yet. Or bands that know how to use a whistle. Or bands whose parents rock out at their shows (“Look, my mom is here! That’s cool,” singer/keyboardist Justin Bowles shouted at one point): Asheville indie-rock trio Grammer School is one to watch. And watch them you can, in this nine-minute video shot during the WNC Magazine-sponsored Last Band Standing finals, held at The Orange Peel last week.”
Alli Marshall - Mountian Express
“Natural Selections, Vol. 1, various artists
“On November 13, the boutique record label issued its first CD release, Natural Selections: Sounds of Asheville’s Indie Underground, a compilation of local/regional punk and alternative bands,” writes newly-formed label Umbrella Tree Records. The 15-track collection includes songs by Pallas Cats, Grammer School, Forty Furies, Solito, The Machiavillains, Balloon Wars, The Spandrels and Muckrakers. Set up kind of like a showcase, each band plays two songs (except Muckrackers who just play one) back-to-back. Consider it a sampler. Styles range from the melodic drive of Pallas Cats’ “LeBaron” and the orchestrated (and surprisingly jazzy!) discordance of Machiavillains’ “Tirades Injustice” to the darkly pretty “Fire in the Sky” by Balloon Wars and the inventive, minimalist, three-part spoken-word-meets-song of The Spandrels’ “Toms and Queens.” All worth a listen.”
Alli Marshall - Mountain Xpress (Asheville NC)
