{"id":6838,"date":"2016-03-23T09:15:29","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T13:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=6838"},"modified":"2016-03-23T09:18:58","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T13:18:58","slug":"unionvilles-grassie-charts-her-own-path-with-new-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=6838","title":{"rendered":"Unionville’s Grassie charts her own path with new EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vocalist, harpist comes home for release events in area<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Denny Dyroff<\/span>,<\/strong><\/span> Staff Writer, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Gillian<\/a>

Unionville’s Gillian Grassie debuts her new EP this week.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gillian Grassie likes to forge her own trails — as a person and as a musician.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie graduated from Unionville High a decade ago. Then, a few years later, she graduated cum laude from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Comparative Literature.<\/span><\/p>\n

She is a vocalist and harpist who traveled over 25,000 miles back in 2009 as she trekked around the globe on a musical exploration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now living in Berlin, Germany — and occasionally back in the Delaware Valley — Grassie is an accomplished musician with several highly-acclaimed albums to her credit. She also seems to have a lot of gypsy running through her DNA.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lived in Berlin on and off for the last three years,\u201d said Grassie, during a phone interview Tuesday morning. \u201cSince I graduated from Bryn Mawr, I lived in 16 countries — and never in one place for more than three months. For now, I really love the nomadic life. Maybe I\u2019ll be looking for more stability when I\u2019m in my late 30s and 40s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBerlin is my creative home and America is more my business home. Berlin is where I go for the creative nurturing. People gravitate there because it\u2019s so affordable. And, there is a different pace out there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie recently returned from Europe so that she can perform two \u201cCD Release Shows\u201d for her new EP \u201cThe Woodlands Sessions.\u201d The first show is March 23 at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com<\/span><\/a>) and the second show is March 24at Gramercy House in New York City.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe EP just dropped today,\u201d said Grassie, who grew up in Southern Chester County. \u201cI already got my first blurb — and they called it \u2018ravishing.\u2019 I\u2019ll be here until April 10 and then I\u2019ll be back in June. I\u2019m playing some shows in Scotland and then I\u2019ll get the EP launched in Berlin in April.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The EP is more than ravishing. It is a spellbinding combination of warm, engaging songs, brilliant harp playing, soothing vocals, standout musicianship from all the players and smart, insightful lyrics about one of songwriters\u2019 favorite subjects — love.<\/span><\/p>\n

From track to track, \u201cThe Woodland Sessions\u201d chronicles a relationship from giddy inception to quiet breakdown to final acceptance. One subject of Gillian’s writing is her former boyfriend, comedian Zach Anner, with whom she maintains a robust friendship and artistic collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie worked closely with Anner on his first memoir,\u00a0\u201cIf At Birth You Don\u2019t Succeed,\u201d which also debuted this year\u00a0to rave reviews from Lena Dunham, Patton Oswalt, and others. Gillian has several tracks featured on the audiobook, including \u201cQuiet Kinda\u201d from\u00a0\u201cThe Woodland Sessions,\u201d\u00a0— a pensive pop number which is specifically about the former couple\u2019s long-distance relationship at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs sort of chart the course of falling in love, angst, and dealing with travel,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cThe last song is a slightly meditative piece \u2018Quiet Kind\u2019 is a song I wrote about Zach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The songs on \u201cThe Woodland Sessions\u201d are different from Grassie\u2019s previous compositions. One reason is a new harp she purchased in Scotland.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI still have the harp I learned to play on,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cThe new harp comes with a flight case and that makes a big difference if you travel as much as I do. The songs that I\u2019m writing on the new harp are different. The instrument\u2019s voice is different with the tones and timbres it has.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another reason the songs have a new vibe is the mindset Grassie had when composing them.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Grassie, \u201cHarpists are often solitary creatures and it can, at times, be a lonely instrument to partner yourself with. My harp\u2019s been my travel companion through 16 countries and counting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut over the years I\u2019ve become increasingly interested in figuring out how it fits into the context of a band and a lot of this material was written with a band in mind — to the extent that some of the songs don\u2019t even function as a solo harp and vocal performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known these guys for years and we\u2019ve worked together in various formats before, but this was the first time I really took a firm grip on the wheel as a true band leader. I came to them with a confidence and clarity of vision that was new to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie recorded the new EP with an all-star band of Philadelphia legends. Guitarist Ross Bellenoit has toured with Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello. Drummer Matt Scarano plays with Chris Brubeck, Time For Three and Johnny Neel. Bassist Ryan Kuhns teaches bass at the University of the Arts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trombone player Ernest Stuart tours with Red Baraat and founded the Center City Jazz Festival in Philadelphia. Saxophonist Korey Riker is the recipient of the 2016 Kimmel Center Jazz Composer Residency Grant and has performed with The Roots, John Legend and Mary J. Blige.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis new batch of songs I wrote specifically for a band,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cIt meant creating more space in the arrangements and that\u2019s been really exciting. And, I wrote them for this band which includes some of my oldest collaborators in Philly — some whom I\u2019ve worked with since 2009.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting to re-connect with them — and to come to them with so much more clarity of vision. I\u2019ve gained more experience with band leadership over the last five years. This time, I was writing with these musicians in mind. Ross has a tone on guitar that I adore.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat sets these guys apart is that they are so accomplished with their instruments. And, what is so harder to find, they are players who know when enough is enough — just enough. They appreciate the value of sparseness — right notes and fewer notes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to recording the EP, we had minimal rehearsals. I wanted the recordings to be live. There is a different energy that comes out when you\u2019re all in the same room together. I wanted a live organic feeling. We did it in two sessions and that kept it really fresh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The EP was recorded live at the historic Woodlands Mansion in West Philadelphia. It was engineered and mixed by Sam Nuttle in Philadelphia, and mastered by Al Creedon in Philadelphia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Woodlands is a National Historic Landmark District on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It includes a Federal-style mansion, a matching carriage house and stable, and a garden landscape that in 1840 was transformed into a Victorian rural cemetery with an arboretum of over 1,000 trees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI also wanted to film all these sessions,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cI wanted to share with people how amazing this is so I wanted a visual component. The Woodlands Mansion is a very historical site. It is a place with atmosphere and vibes — and a place with a lot of natural light.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe room we used also has a lot of atmosphere. There is history in the walls. We recorded two tracks there in February 2015 and three more tracks in January 2016.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie\u2019s international travels began just under seven years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI left on my trip on July 30, 2009 and returned home on July 30, 2010,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cWhen I was finishing my degree at Bryn Mawr College, I applied for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. I got it and that\u2019s what made the trip possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship offers college graduates of \u201cunusual promise\u201d a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel — in international settings new to them — to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community. The stipend for the fellowship year is $25,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere were very few rules,\u201d said Grassie, who holds a dual citizenship (United States and Switzerland). \u201cIt\u2019s completely independent. The main rule is that you can\u2019t return to your home country so I couldn\u2019t come back here or go to Switzerland.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie started in France and spent time in Paris and Normandy. In Germany, she lived for awhile in Berlin, visited Freiburg and did a concert tour with Joseph Parsons. Then, it was off to Mumbai, India where she did musical collaborations with a number of top Indian musicians including Mithavan and Ranjit Barot.<\/span><\/p>\n

A variety of adventures greeted Grassie when she was in Djakarta, Indonesia including having to deal with a broken harp, performing at a jazz festival, being exposed to gamelan music and recovering from rabies shots after being bitten by a stray cat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Indonesia, I went to Hong Kong,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cThen, I traveled to China and spent time in Shanghai and Beijing. When I crossed the border into Russia, I had my bag confiscated in Krasnoyarsk. Finally, I just got on the Trans-Siberian Express and traveled on without it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie travelled around Russia teaching kids English through traditional American folk music as a part of the ESL Folk Project. At the tail end of her trip, her wallet and passport were stolen in St. Petersburg. She finally got an exit visa, took a bus to Helsinki (Finland) and a two-day ferry ride to Rostock (Germany). Then, she headed back to Berlin.<\/span><\/p>\n

The versatile musician\/world traveler began playing Celtic harp when she was 12 and started as a singer-songwriter a few years later.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was in high school, I spent a semester in Switzerland,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cI had all this free time so I decided to start writing songs. Once I started, I knew that was the way I wanted to go. I found it much more fulfilling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie released an EP titled \u201cTo an Unwitting Muse\u201d in 2005 and followed two years later with her first album — \u201cSerpentine\u201d. Her song \u201cSilken String\u201d took second place in the 2008 New York Songwriters Circle Competition. Her third release was an album titled \u201cThe Hinterhaus,\u201d which came out in 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded \u2018The Hinterhaus\u2019in Oakland (California),\u201d said Grassie, who in recent years has toured South American and done two U.S. State Department tours in Russia. \u201cI did a Kickstarter campaign that overfunded. I had planned on D.I.Y. but with the extra money. I looked at who I wanted to work with.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really liked the work Todd Sickafoose did as a producer — especially the \u2018Hadestown\u2019 album by Ana\u00efs Mitchell and the albums he made with Ani DiFranco. I asked him if he would produce my record and he agreed. So, I went to Oakland to work with him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie explained why she has released just two LPs and two EPs over the course of 10 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing about making an album is that it\u2019s expensive,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cIt takes some funding. Making the record is only half the job. Getting the word out is a Herculean task. I don\u2019t think I did a good job with letting people know about \u2018The Hinterhaus.\u2019 It takes a lot of planning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grassie\u2019s energy is directed more to being an artist than being a manager, promoter or publicist. She is happiest when she is performing for people.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been touring a lot in Europe — especially all over Italy,\u201d said Grassie. \u201cItalian audiences really respond to what I\u2019m doing. I also play a lot in Scotland — the country where I got my new harp. In Berlin, sometimes I just play on the street. I\u2019m a perfectionist and busking is a great way to test drive new songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the show at Milkboy, I\u2019ll be playing all the songs from the new EP and a lot from \u2018The Hinterhaus\u2019 and \u2018Serpentine.\u2019 The doors open at 7 p.m. The opening band goes on at 8 p.m. and I\u2019ll play with my band at 9 p.m. The Dove and the Wolf are a super cool duo –and fellow Trans-Atlantic musicians — who are opening the show.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Dove\u00a0& the\u00a0Wolf\u00a0consists of Paloma\u00a0and\u00a0Lou, two girls raised on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean — one in Paris\u00a0and\u00a0the other\u00a0on the French Caribbean island of Martinique. They started playing together in 2004\u00a0and\u00a0formed The\u00a0Dove\u00a0& the\u00a0Wolf\u00a0 in 2012. Six months after creating the band, they released their self-produced\u00a0and\u00a0self-distributed debut album.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for The Dove and the Wolf — https:\/\/youtu.be\/PK2xcIm4TeY<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Gillain Grassie — https:\/\/youtu.be\/yUa6DbWoUiY<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Link for \u201cThe Woodland Sessions\u201d — https:\/\/gilliangrassie.bandcamp.com\/album\/the-woodlands-sessions<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets for the show at Milkboy are $10 and it is a 21-and-older show.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vocalist, harpist comes home for release events in area By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Gillian Grassie likes to forge her own trails — as a person and as a musician. Grassie graduated from Unionville High a decade ago. Then, a few years later, she graduated cum laude from Bryn Mawr College with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8],"tags":[2317,4087,206,4088,250],"class_list":["post-6838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-featured","tag-gillian-grassie","tag-harpist","tag-music","tag-singer","tag-unionville"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6838"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6839,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6838\/revisions\/6839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}