THE GRIP WEEDS

Alongside Lord John, The Grip Weeds anchored Central Jersey's neo-psychedelia contingent. Without even hearing them you knew they were retro because of the "The" before their name, but mostly because said name was a Lennon reference (John's character in the 1967 film How I Won The War was Musketeer Gripweed); having "weed" in there was just icing on the cake. Unlike their garage-inspired contemporaries, the Grip Weeds' sound was closer to the Smithereens (or to choose a more indie reference, The Shoes), combining the polished and layered guitars and harmonies intrinsic to power pop. With its founding brothers, Rick and Kurt Reil, still at the helm, The Grip Weeds today are one of the last 1980s-era Central Jersey bands standing, and could be considered that era's biggest indie success (international acclaim, numerous releases). But in terms of the 80s scene they're more of a footnote, with their success taking place in the coming decades.

I have no Grip Weeds promotions in my collection (though a flyer is identifiable in a circa 1988 photo of the Targum Productions "wall collection"). So instead here's a collage of flyers ripped from their Facebook page, which will suffice. And note the musketeers in the Cook Campus Student Center promo.

[CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE]