Cultivating WinterWonderGrass: Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

12/27/2017 03:53PM ● By Alesha Damerville

Images from http://www.hhgmusic.com

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – “I once played in Steamboat Springs on a solo tour with Dave Simonette and Dave Carroll from Trampled by Turtles,” says Adam Greuel, vocalist for the band Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. “We played at the Old Town Pub and it was certainly a memorable experience. I remember the town being so beautiful and the drive in from Denver was gorgeous. We didn’t have much time with the town the last time I visited. I look forward to finding out more on what Steamboat has to offer.”

The members of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades are all Wisconsin natives. In addition to being on vocals, Greul also plays the guitar and the dobro. He is joined by his brothers in bluegrass: David C. Lynch on harmonica, accordion, spoons and vocals, Russell Pedersen on banjo, fiddle and vocals, Sam Odin on bass and vocals and Collin Mettelka on fiddle, mandolin and vocals.

“We are super influenced by the outdoors,” Greuel says. “I think a lot of bluegrass-based music has an affiliation to the environment, and that is very much the case with us. We were all born and raised fishing, backpacking and hiking. Being outside has been a huge part of our lives since we were boys and it still is. Nature is a huge contributor to our songwriting.”

The five Wisconsinites created Horseshoes and Hand Grenades while hanging in a living room in the college town of Stevens Points.

“Music has always been this great therapeutic thing in my life,” Greuel says. “Performing is something that brings me so much joy, and I think that’s the case for all of us in the band. I hope that our music brings some kind of therapy, makes [our audience’s] day better or brings joy. It’s one of the best experiences associated with music.”

“We try to allow each member of the band to bring in their own musical curiosities to the collective music,” Greuel says. “There is very little conscious decision about direction, aside from being true to ourselves. When things get weird, we have an honest assessment of our reality and the collective journey of the band both musically and socially.”

“A lot of folks have said they haven’t heard a string band sound like we do, which is hard to recognize, when you’re part of it,” Greuel says. “We have this sense of musical openness. Fans say our enthusiasm for making music together is something they really notice, that it looks like we’re having fun, which is true, personally."

"Music is a piece of life that has always brought great amounts of joy.”

“Leading a happy, sustainable life in continuation with enriching our personal and collective existences while being on the road and doing the thing that we love is the goal, I guess,” Greuel says. “We want to be able to get to the point where we can all have families and still be professional musicians. I think, like anybody, we want to be happy and grow every day and be a better person, have new experiences. Not grow old and certain, but to grow old and learned.”

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades played Avon WinterWonderGrass and they anticipate playing in Steamboat Springs this February. You can catch Horseshoes and Hand Grenades’ performance at the sold-out WinterWonderGrass Festival, Feb. 23-25.

For more information on the festival, "Grass After Dark" late night shows, lodging and ski passes, visit www.winterwondergrass.com

For more information on Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, visit http://www.hhgmusic.com