by John Rinaldo
Philadelphia Rock Music Examiner
For over fifteen years, he has established himself as a familiar face within the Philadelphia folk scene as an accomplished musician and member of bands such as Still Willis, Hezekiah Jones, Cowmuddy and Hunter's Cannon. Yet a few months ago, Chris Grunwald, 35, took a considerable step toward advancing his career as an independent artist. Under the name Griz, which his family and friends commonly refer to him as, he entered himself in the annual songwriting competition hosted by the Philadelphia Songwriters Project.
"I decided if I was going to enter, I was going to try and win," he says leaning back in his chair and setting a glass of iced tea down beside him.
The PSP's competition invites local musicians to submit one song as an audition for the contest. With a grand prize totaling $5,000 in recording time at Turtle Studios in Philadelphia , entrants focus their writing on a predetermined topic. This year's subject matter, revolution, correlated with the turbulent overthrows of political regimes in North Africa and the Middle East.
For the competition, Griz crafted a rustic finger-picking tune entitled "Already Been Down This Road Before." Fleshing out the song with drums, bass and mandolin, he submitted his demo a mere five minutes before the contest closed. Soon after, he was contacted by Dena Marchiony, executive director of the PSP, and informed of his advancement in the competition.
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His first year as a participant, Griz says he was "nervous as hell." "I don't usually look at music in terms of competition, so I was a little nervous," he says reflecting back on being chosen for the competition.
On Sunday, May 22, Griz joined 11 other finalists for a judged performance at the Blockley Pourhouse on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. Accompanied by Dean Gorfti on drums and Steve Ciannavei on bass, Griz took the stage with his worn acoustic guitar and performed two songs that would ultimately secure for him the Producer's Choice Award.
Winning the contest has been a major step toward releasing the first studio album under his solo name says Griz. The songs on his debut album, The Secret in the Garden, span the length of his writing career over the past ten years. On June 25, Griz will unveil his album with a CD release party at J.D. Mcgillicuddy's Pub in Roxborough. Joining him will be the Spinning Leaves, Cowmuddy and Ryan Tennis.
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