Six Mile Grove

It all started in the small town of Lyle, MN (pop. 500) with a skid loader and a fence post. . . Six Mile Grove front man Brandon Sampson was 7 years old. He injured his hand while helping his dad on the family farm. The physician recommended guitar playing for rehabilitation, and a few weeks later Sampson came home from the music store with a new guitar. His younger brother Brian threw a fit and was appeased with a shiny drum set. And so the seeds of Six Mile Grove were planted. The brothers spent years pounding away on their instruments in the kitchen of their great grandmother's old house as well as singing in church with their mom, an organist and devoted music lover. Soon Brian's friend Barry from across the woods wanted to join the noise, and thus, his years of piano lessons began paying off. The boys realized they needed a bass player, put an ad in the paper, and dug up Dezi Wallace from the "big city" of Austin, MN, who arrived courtesy of his mom, as he did not yet have a driver's license. Fast forward fifteen years, and Six Mile Grove has a lot to be proud of. They have weathered the ever-changing music scene as a primarily self-managed, self-produced, and self-recorded band. Their music has evolved accordingly, as an organic, honest voice that has not been tinkered with nor tainted by the lure of record labels or flashy music producers. In Six Mile Grove's sound you're sure to find influences of Minnesota music's founding fathers from Bob Dylan to the Jayhawks. Six Mile Grove honors its roots but has also managed to forge its own sound and space on a stage without compromise. They hearken most to the genre of Americana, which recognizes the value of songwriting and musicianship over radio charts and record sales. In addition, their friendship, touring and recording with legendary Johnny Cash guitarist Bob Wootton lends even more distinctly to their "good, all-American boy" sound and style. "Secret Life in a Quiet Town" is Six Mile Grove's sixth release. In this album Sampson muses on the responsibilities of providing for a family, keeping love alive, and fighting for what's right in the world. These themes resonate with all the members of the band, who are guys with day jobs, wives, and kids. You'll hear the whines and growls in Nelson's piano and lead guitar licks, the take-it-easy pace of Wallace's bass, and the simple to furious tempos in Brian Sampson's drums. As Wootton states, "There's nothing fancy about them, and they don't try to be something they're not. And that's what I like about them."