The Grant Farm: Grant Farm @ The Lariat

Grant Farm first performed at the Lariat for their grand-reopening in 2016 (in conjunction with Paddlefest), ushering in the current era of this Buena Vista landmark as a premiere music venue for the people of Chaffee County. The band became a local favorite, and the Lariat became the band’s favorite venue. Grant Farm even filmed a music video for their 2019 single, “Morning Train”, on-site. The last time that the band played the Lariat was in 2022. This upcoming show is a special Grant Farm reunion for guitarist Tyler Grant’s 50th birthday.

Boulder, Colorado-based Cosmic Americana band Grant Farm has entertained a growing fan base on the nation’s club and festival scene since its founding in 2009 by vocalist and National Flatpicking Guitar Champion Tyler Grant.

Built on the fundamentals of love, family, and music, the band is a sure bet for fans of high-energy, authentic artists as diverse as Sturgill Simpson, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Phish. Comprised of zany, creative and highly musical comrades, Grant Farm members include Grant (aka “The Champ”), Adrian “Ace” Engfer (bass and vocals), Sean “Magic” Macaulay (drums) and Kevin “Money” McHugh (keyboards and vocals).
Daniel Mescher of Colorado Public Radio dubbed Grant Farm “some of the ablest musicians not only in the state of Colorado, but in the nation.” Members’ prior experience includes playing with groups like The Emmitt-Nershi Band, Donovan Frankenreiter and Hot Soup. Collectively, they had also shared stages with notable artists Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Tony Rice, Keller Williams, Jon Oates and the like and with notable groups The String Cheese Incident, Greensky Bluegrass, Yonder Mountain String Band and The Infamous Stringdusters.

The band’s latest release, Kiss the Ground (Summer 2016), represents its first full-length concept album and its third album of original music. Speaking to the struggles we all face as working people, Kiss the Ground sends a positive message while acknowledging real hardship in a society that expects far too much. “We think of this as our ode to the working people,” says Grant, whose song, “Get in Line,” discusses the high price we pay for things we want in life. Kiss the Ground explores real and mythological connections to the human struggle and pays homage to the "Working Class Hero," an archetype famously described by John Lennon.
Previous Grant Farm albums include a 2012 self-titled debut and a 2014 follow up, Plowin' Time, which reached #2 on JamBand Radio Charts and charted on Americana Radio. In 2014, the band also released the Meeting on the Mountain EP, an inspired collaboration with the group Fruition.

The band has also created the acclaimed Meeting on the Mountain LIVE, a collaborative, live webcast concert experience featuring Grant Farm as the house band and Tyler Grant as host. To date, episodes have featured Dave Bruzza of Greensky Bluegrass, Bill Nershi of String Cheese Incident, Todd Sheaffer of Railroad Earth, The Dead Winter Carpenters and other guests.

Like a “traveling Gypsy family,” Grant Farm enjoys their life of touring, writing and adventuring together as they share their music up and down the North American roots music line.