Spire Lobby Series: Grain Thief

Presented by The Antonia and Vladimir Kulaev Cultural Heritage Fund.
This series showcases local and regional musicians in a relaxed and intimate setting. The lobby is transformed into a 70-seat showcase lounge!

GRAIN THIEF

While near about anyone can spend money on a great studio and hotshot producer and walk out with something decent sounding, doing it live is a whole new ballgame. Patrick Mulroy (guitar, vocals), Zach Meyer (mandolin, vocals), Michael Harmon (bass, vocals), Tom Farrell (resonator guitar), and Alex Barstow (fiddle) know there’s no room to fake it when it’s just the band, acoustic instruments, and an audience. As Grain Thief, these fellas have worn the chrome off their frets doing it the hard way. Ain’t Hungover Yet is a melodic snapshot of a crew of top-flight musicians locked in the groovy; lifted on the energy of a raucous audience, a bunch of barbeque, and a some sweet summer sunshine.

While the Boston, MA quintet’s prior releases Animal (EP, 2015), Stardust Lodge (2018), Gasoline (2020) and Something Sour, Something Sweet (2021) are all imbued with a tangible internal cohesion from playing together often, Ain’t Hungover Yet captures the energy born of the interconnection between band and audience. “Live music is fun” laughs Farrell. “Our last record was about creating an album that sounded like we were playing in the room with no overdubs.  Releasing a live record is the next logical step. It’s a great opportunity to show our listeners what a Grain Thief show is like; the energy, the communication, and even the flubs.”

Of course, the performance to feature had to have immaculate sonics. The stars aligned when the band was asked to perform at a festival sponsored by iconic microphone manufacturer Telefunken, the Ain’t Hungover Yet Bluegrass Music Festival. “Using microphones instead of plugging in really makes things sound much more organic and helps us to play dynamically on stage together” explains Mulroy. “In fact, the record was recorded & mixed by Alan Venitosh, the director of operations at Telefunken.”

While the band is known for late-night campground jam sessions at festivals, Ain’t Hungover Yet features the band’s full daytime set, cut live on a sweltering August afternoon. “It was a hot day but spirits were high,” says Harmon. “There was a great sense of comradery at the festival in general. We taught our first workshop, and hosted a rowdy “official” night jam with Beg, Steal, or Borrow from VT.”

As the sun sets on the festival session, Grain Thief is hunkering down to write their next slew of original material. So, when the days shorten and the windows start to frost, crank up Ain’t Hungover Yet and savor some deep-summer melodic sunshine. It’s guaranteed to shake the chill from your bones.

Grain Thief has toured the north, south, east, and west of the U.S., playing stages large and small. They have graced the stages at the Greyfox Bluegrass Festival, Hempfest, Ain’t Hungover Yet Bluegrass Festival, Thomas Point Bluegrass Festival, Ossipee Valley Music Festival, UMS Music Festival, and Rockygrass, among others. Stardust Lodge reached #17 on the Folk DJ Radio Album Chart, #4 on the Roots Music Report Folk Album Chart, and #1 on the Roots Music Report Traditional Folk Album Chart.