Grover Anderson and the Lampoliers

At first glance, Grover looks like the kind of guy who’ll drip with earnestness and leave you aggressively “whelmed.” But, then you’ll start listening to the stories he has to tell—the adventurers decimated by ambition, the desperate attempts by the broken to play it cool, the extended metaphors that aren’t as sweet as they initially seem. Sure, he’s got love songs—his signature one is called “Sick of You”, and there’s another that’s probably not actually about bootleg liquor. Don’t worry, he’s trying to lighten up on the murder ballads; his latest album All The Lies That I Have Told received rave reviews despite its relatively modest body count of 13. So, you’re right that Grover’s quite earnest, but try to stay on your toes. Whether you find his writing wicked or charming, there’s no denying Grover is a product of Calaveras County, following in the footsteps of Mark Twain and Bret Harte. He often performs with his band The Lampoliers, anchored by longtime collaborators Josh Certo and Marshall Henry. (A “lampolier” is a soul-devouring demon who dwells in abandoned mines and is probably not a word that Grover made up.) You might have seen Grover at Alaska’s Salmonfest, the Tucson Folk Festival, or headlining Hermitfest in the Sierra Nevadas. Perhaps you caught him opening for Birds of Chicago, The Charlie Daniels Band, or America. Or maybe you’ve been to one of his sold-out shows in Calaveras County. No? Oh, that’s right, you’ve never heard of him. Well, it’s about time to remedy that!