Almighty Grind, The

The Almighty Grind is a musical plethora of styles fusing together elements of rock, rap, hip-hop and pop into a melodically fluid sound. Boasting a diverse array of musicians and ethnic backgrounds, their line-up features two guitarists, a bass player, a drummer and a lead vocalist, all of whom now call Southern California their home. Though, the members of the group are in their late twenties to early thirties, and all hold steady jobs, they consider the band to be the main focus of their lives. They contribute anywhere from 20-25 hours per week each promoting, writing, and rehearsing with one other in addition to the long hours they put in at their respective jobs. Their goal is to turn their music into a full time career where songwriting, touring, and performing are the substance of their survival. For seven years, The Almighty Grind has been building momentum, both as a performing and a recording group. Their performance itinerary has spanned such world renown venues as The Roxy, The Whisky, The House of Blues, The Viper Room, and The Key Club in Hollywood, as well as various other prestigious nightclubs throughout the Southern California area, where they have capitalized on opportunities to perform with, and learn from, bands like (hed)PE, Burning Star, Zebrahead, The Guano Apes, Pensativa, Powder and Shuvel. T.A.G., as they are affectionately called by their fans, has also continued to play shows on the outskirts of Los Angeles with a number of well-known local bands, and has even had the opportunity to venture outside of its ‘comfort zone’ to play cities both north and south of their stomping grounds in L.A. Since their live performance has been labeled as an, all out spastic attack of energy and hype, its no wonder why so many of Californias finest are lining up to take notice of this go-for-the-gold quintet. The bands recording career is equally impressive having produced three demo CD’s within two years which were released from 1999 through 2001. Thanks to the sales and promotional efforts of their longtime friend and supporter, Rick Flanagan, the band was fortunate enough to record two of the demos at the famous Westlake Studios in Hollywood, where such legends as Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Korn, Mariah Carey, and Billy Idol have graced the halls at one time or another, and whos gold and platinum albums adorn the walls of that hallowed place. Excerpts of the songs from these EPs can be heard in a number of independent film productions including former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Reardons movie Climb On: Bishop, released late in 2001 to widespread critical acclaim. In October of 2003, the band released its first full-length album, aptly titled Look at Yourself, which was recorded at Newcastle Studios in Studio City, California, and has become as successful as their previous recording ventures. Most of their compilations were engineered and co-produced by their close friend and confidant, senior Village Studios engineer Jeff Robinette, who boasts such past clientele as Perry Ferrell (Jane’s Addiction), Nellie Furtado, Jonathan Davis (Korn), and Axel Rose (Guns ‘n Roses). Jeffs expertise in recording and producing has always had a positive effect on the outcome of the bands albums, so it was no wonder why they, once again, relied on his production and arrangement skills to bolster the bands song structure and overall sound. His efforts on this album contributed to the bands nomination in late 2003 as the Best Independent Rock Album of the year, an honor bestowed upon them by Al Bowman and the Los Angeles Music Awards, wherein the band won by a landslide of votes and public support. In fact, the success of this album can readily be seen or heard on hit television shows such as The Real World and The Road Rules Challenge on MTV, two classics created and produced by Bunim and Murray Productions in Burbank, California, and that helped to launch the 24-hour music television giant many years ago. Thanks to the creative foresight of music supervisor Louis Clark at B&M, who recognized the bands potential and unique style, songs from this recent album were utilized on over a dozen episodes of the shows, as well as periodic episodes of The Gauntlet, another long-running MTV hit. Songs from the album continue to be used by Bunim and Murray to this day and are actively being shopped to other producers who frequently air shows on MTV. Other producers who have lined up to take advantage of the T.A.G. sound include Mike Latronic in Hawaii, who produces a successful weekly amateur surf show called Board Stories, and extreme sports videographer Chris Tronolone of Tronolone Productions, who has used TAG material in an extreme sports DVD video he produced late in 2004. Additionally, venerable ski-enthusiast-turned-director Warren Miller, who has produced over 55 films on skiing and extreme sport snow events over the years, borrowed one of the bands songs for the climactic end to his theatrical release in 2004 aptly titled IMPACT, which received rave reviews from fans for its incredible soundtrack and mind numbing videography. And, finally, in 2005, the band broke through the commercial motion picture barrier when they were approached by Tom Zuber and Kenny Morrison of Legaci Pictures in Hollywood, and were asked to contribute songs to the underground hit Little Athens which they humbly did. But, performing and recording arent the only two aspects of their career that the band has mastered over the past seven years. Realizing the advantage of the internet and online promotion early on, TAG seized opportunities to promote their music via the Internet while other bands relied on more traditional, outdated modes of promotion: handing out flyers on the streets. With the creation of many websites catering to independent bands, TAG has enjoyed continued success as their music has become available to the world. Songs on their albums have climbed the charts on sites like Garageband, MP3.Com, MySpace.Com and Soundclick, and continue to be favorite downloads on each of these sites to this day. The band maintains an active internet presence at www.thealmightygrind.com where visitors can see and hear firsthand why the band is such a sought after performer. Finally, TAG’s sponsor, SMP International, is a key player in the global extreme sports and clothing marketplace, and actively supports the band in its promotion and performance efforts. For more information about the band, or to arrange a performance or press interview, please visit our website at www.thealmightygrind.com. The Almighty Grind is currently reviewing potential recording agreements, and is actively involved in distributing and promoting its most recent record release. target=»_blank»>http://THEALMIGHTYGRIND.com