Grampa’s Chili is certainly an odd name for a band, and the members of said local psychedelic jam outfit have multiple explanations for it.
The actual story behind it: The group, which started in the early ’90s, was originally known as Soup, but needed a new name because there was another band with the same name. A friend of theirs—whose nickname was “Grampa”—made some chili, and they thought, “that’s it!”
Of course, that doesn’t really explain why the name is right for them.
“When you think about chili, it can be anything, it can be everything. There are all kinds of chilis. That’s kind of how we approach music,” says vocalist Mike Boston. “Anybody can bring any idea into the band and throw it in the chili pot. All ideas are good ideas—until they’re bad.”
The elements include hard rock, country, folk, psych, literally anything. The only real consistent thread is that the group stays a jam band, with the emphasis on shaping and molding the tunes into loose, laid back tunes for each show.
“We love playing live. We love playing a three-hour show. We love the energy,” Boston says. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that everything’s unwritten. Everything is written; it’s just not scripted.”
Currently, they have upwards of 75 original songs ready to go at any upcoming show.
“We try to make every show totally original, so that you can go to three shows in a row and see something different,” Boston says.
INFO: 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20. Don Quixote’s, 6275 State Route 9, Felton. $10/adv, $12/door. 603-2294.
