Grover Anderson: The Frontman

Date:May 17, 2019 3:08 pm

Grover Anderson - Frontman

THE FRONTMAN


Singer-songwriter Grover Anderson talks with Big Blend Radio about his brand new and fourth album “The Frontman.” Hear some of the new tunes and a fun few rounds of him playing the radio version of Spontuneous ‘The Song Game’ with radio hosts Nancy & Lisa!

One October, a man and a woman cashed in their savings, packed up their apartment in Oakland, and drove to their new home 100 miles east, 2800’ higher, and twenty minutes out a decrepit one-and-a-half lane road into the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Through it all, he played his songs.

They spent autumn nights drinking wine on the back deck, staring up at the pine trees that stood in the yard and willing their nascent marriage to grow with the same permanence. As they swayed, he wrote “Evergreen” and looked to the future.

The nights got cold. They hiked through the snow, discovered how unreliable “rural internet” can be, and learned the secrets of their finicky wood stove. They brought in logs overnight and placed them on the hearth, then woke to find strange, stinging, red insects buzzing around the living room. He wrote “Wasps” and fancied himself an amateur entomologist.

Snow turned to rain, and flooding made him ford a creek on his daily drive to town. The skies were stormy and the news was dark; he considered how the world was changing, as was what he wanted from it. He learned, he grew, and he wrote “The Good” for the person he had been.

The rains cleared, and he walked Forest Service roads with his dog. He saw the way ruts had filled with murky, muddy pools, and fear of stagnancy began to fill him. Remembering that they met while he travelled the nation playing his songs, he wrote “Standing Water” to fend off doubt.

They gathered with old friends, one in particular who’d sought a love like the one they shared and come up short. He wrote “Parallel” as his heart broke, reminded how fortunate they were.

Their daughter was born, and as he contemplated the father he wanted to be he encountered parents overwhelmed by struggle. He wrote “The Archives” for them and for himself.

The skies cleared but the news remained dark, and one particular day brought fire to the north, evil to the south, death to both. A dear friend wrote a powerful song calling people to rise together, yet he wrote “On Comfort” admitting that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Through it all, he played his songs. She supported him as he travelled when he could and played at home when he couldn’t. People listened, danced, and sang along, and when he went home to his family he knew he was exactly where he wanted to be. One day, a world-famous band came to town, and he was asked to open. Not just any band, but the band who wrote the first song he’d ever learned to play. Sure, their lead singer-songwriter had long since departed with acrimony, but that didn’t matter. He stood on the biggest stage in his hometown and had the best gig of his life.

A few weeks later, he drove twenty minutes down a decrepit one-and-a-half lane road out of the wilderness, then 100 miles west, descending 2800’ to play a small stage in a small bar on the bay. Before he loaded in his gear, he wrote “Frontman” in the parking lot. He swore that he had not yet reached his peak.

Grover Anderson lives outside of Murphys, CA with his wife and daughter. Keep up with him at www.GroverAnderson.com

Song Game -Spontuneous National Parks Arts Foundation

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