New Bluegrass Album Mixes Hot Picking and Inspired Songwriting

Tyler Grant is one hard-driving musician. If he's not teaching guitar lessons online through his ArtistWorks academy or guiding a bluegrass-themed rafting trip in Colorado or Utah, he's probably on stage with one of his various rootsy musical projects. The low-key yet supremely talented Grant, who has called Colorado home since 2009, will release his seventh solo-album, Flatpicker, on March 28, marking the occasion with a performance under his name at Swallow Hill this Saturday, March 22.

"I'm in a bit of a transitional space right now," Grant says. "The band Grant Farm was my main focus for a while, but since the pandemic, I've been doing different projects. I've been playing solo a bunch and I've got some special trios that I put together, including the group I play in for RiverWonderGrass events. And the Pickin' On the Dead group has been regular. With this album release, I'm rebranding a bit. [The project] is just called Tyler Grant for now, but soon I'm planning to unveil Tyler Grant's Bluegrass Farm, which has an association with Grant Farm and will have room to grow. "

Like his music, Grant's approach to existence is pure and unfettered. For the past few years, the fleet-fingered songwriter has been living a nomadic lifestyle that takes him from gig to gig with no settled address.

"I'm a resident of the Front Range, but I haven't had a fixed home for a while," explains Grant. "I move around for my gigs. I sold my Subaru and bought a truck and a camper, which I live in. I figured I'd save some rent for a bit. I'm looking to settle into a house again soon, maybe in Longmont or somewhere Boulder County-ish, but I'm usually at a festival or at a workshop. During the summers, I'm in Dinosaur National Monument around the boathouse or on the river for the [rafting] gigs I do. I love being out there in the canyon. It doesn't get any more gorgeous than that."

Grant is definitely at home in the outdoors, including open-air winter events such as WinterWonderGrass, where he recently spent three days wowing audiences with his performances with the bluegrass-meets-jam-band outfit Pickin' On the Dead. While the guitarist enjoys strapping on a Telecaster and adding some electrified twang to Grateful Dead songs, he's also a carefully trained acoustic musical force, with his playing standing firmly in the bluegrass style.

"Bluegrass and the [Grateful Dead] are bridged by the Dead's music, which is partially rooted in the bluegrass genre," says Grant. "The same way that Bill Monroe created bluegrass, the Dead created their own genre of music, and the Dead's music pulls some of its formula from bluegrass. The two worlds are complementary. When I'm playing Dead material, I hear the same sounds and I navigate the same kinds of changes as bluegrass. The flatpicking style of guitar that I play allows me to pick up an acoustic or an electric guitar and perform Dead material with greater ease. It's a style that transcends bluegrass and overlaps with old-time Appalachian music. Doc Watson helped introduce the flatpicking style to the public. He demonstrated how to take the old fiddle tunes and arrange them for the guitar."

Grant's new release comprises thirteen roots-steeped acoustic cuts that evoke a mythical time of riding the rails, beautiful natural settings and Americana dreams. Listeners can expect hot picking mixed with inspired songwriting.

"I'm all about the songs,"  he says. "I've been writing tunes for a long time and I'm taking my songwriting to the next level with this new release. In the last ten years, I've worked on my singing as much as my guitar. I'm feeling good about it and I'm excited about this album. My dad was a great singer and I never thought I could sing as well as he did, but I've really worked on it. I always loved singing harmony and now, I'm putting myself forward as a band leader and a lead vocalist. This album takes people out to the wilderness a bit and then brings them back with songs about longing for home. "

Grant says audience members will likely appreciate the band he's assembled for the Swallow Hill show. The group includes some of the musicians who play on the album, including mandolin picker Dylan McCarthy and bassist Ace Engfer.

"You can expect a really exciting bluegrass show," Grant concludes. "These are some high-level musicians playing music from my new album, as well as other songs that people will recognize."

Tyler Grant plays Swallow Hill Music, 71 East Yale Avenue, 7 p.m. Saturday, March 22. Tickets are $16.96.