Makin Waves with The Grip Weeds: 'Extended Musical Family'
By Bob Makin
originally published: 06/10/2025
Highland Park-based The Grip Weeds will release their ninth studio album, “Soul Bender” on June 27 on JEM Records, but fans can get early copies at an album release party on June 14 at Randy’s Man Cave in Hightstown. ALBUM COVER ART BY PYGNOSIS (AKA KURT REIL)
Has your soul been hacked by the modern world?
If so, the new Grip Weeds album, ‘Soul Bender,’ is just the salve you need.
Emerging from their subterranean recording studio, House of Vibes, The Grip Weeds have delivered a tour-de-force with ‘Soul Bender,’ their ninth full-length studio album and their first newly-recorded original tracks since 2018’s ‘Trip Around the Sun.’
The previously released ‘Early Clues’ EP provided a three-song taste of what was to come from this 12-song collection, which is out on June 27 from JEM Records, but it's now available for pre-order direct at The Grip Weeds Online Store across multiple format and configurations on GripWeeds.com.
‘Soul Bender Standard Edition’ (CD/LP/download) limited edition “Coke bottle-clear” vinyl. Two-disc ‘Soul Bender Deluxe Edition’ (two-CD/LP + CD/download) features the standard album with a full-length bonus disc, which includes one new unreleased track, live-in-the-studio performances, original demos, alternate versions and the physical release of 2024's four-song ‘Strange Bird’ EP, plus an extensive PDF booklet download with band interviews and complete track-by-track analysis. ‘Deluxe Edition’ is exclusively available artist-direct from www.gripweeds.com. Soul Bender Super Deluxe Edition* (2-CD + LP + Poster) includes the LP and CD versions of the album, bonus CD and downloadable pdf booklet, along with an 18" x 24" poster. * Super Deluxe Edition is exclusively available artist-direct from GripWeeds.com.
The astonishing record finds the band pushing their recording, arranging and songwriting skills into new and evocative territory. On ‘Soul Bender,’ The Grip Weeds continue to expand. Musical and sonic experimentation abounds, resulting in a record that is bigger and more dramatic than ever; melodically inventive, yet accessible with lyrical imagery and hooks firing at you from all directions. Most impressive of all is that The Grip Weeds are entirely self-contained: from production, engineering, mixing and artwork, ‘Soul Bender’ represents a complete and total vision of intent.
If you like the fearless bold intensity of rock from the classic era yet reimagined for the 21st Century, ‘Soul Bender’ is for you. Filled to the brim with uplifting choruses, playful melodies, and Olympic levels of kick-ass with one foot in the rock ‘n’ roll glory days of yore and another hanging over the cliff of new possibilities, ‘Soul Bender’ is the perfect umbrella for the unending storms of life.
The Makin Waves Artist of the Month for June, The Grip Weeds are Kurt Reil (vocals, drums), Rick Reil (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Kristin Pinell Reil (lead guitar, vocals) and Dave DeSantis (bass, vocals). Rick and Kurt are brothers, and Kristin is married to Kurt. Dave is a very good friend and an excellent bassist! They will band together for June 14 ‘Soul Bender’ release party on June 14 at Randy’s Man Cave in Hightstown.
Kurt chatted about ‘Soul Bender,’ and the band’s near 40-year history.
‘Soul Bender’ is The Grip Weeds’ ninth studio LP since 1994. What are you most proud about this album and why?
I’m proud of all of it – the songwriting, the performances – but I think I’m most proud of our production on this one – we pushed ourselves to unlock the essence of each song and present it in its own way. Each song is its own world within the album.
What is the album’s vinyl and CD bonus material, and why should folks tap into that rather than just stream ‘Soul Bender?’
The ‘Soul Bender Deluxe Edition’ provides the context and illustrates the journey of the making of the album through demos recorded as the songs were written, instrumental mixes of several songs, which allows the listener to hear things that might be overshadowed by the vocals, and, finally, live in-the-studio versions of the songs. We also include one song that didn’t make the album. The demo versions of some songs show the path a song can take from initial conception to final album recording.
The oldest demo on here is ‘Your Love,’ which was the first song I ever wrote. It was demoed way back when the band was just starting, but we could never get it right live or in the studio, so it just faded away as other songs were coming in. During the pandemic, I picked it up again, revised the lyrics and arrangement, and it’s now called ‘Someone in Love.’
We recorded the live in-the-studio versions of seven songs as we were rehearsing for upcoming shows after the album was done, and it really helped us to quickly prep these songs for the stage. Some are full-on electric, while others are more stripped-down acoustic versions, like we do in vocal rehearsals to tighten up our harmonies. Both configurations strip away the production and present the songs as we play them to a live audience – just two guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and our voices.
We also include a digital booklet on the making of Soul Bender, which goes into each song – how it was written, who played what, guitars and amps used, all the details you’d ever want to know about how we made the album. The only place to get the ‘Soul Bender Deluxe Edition’ is from our artist-direct Online Store at www.gripweeds.com.
Which of your songs have been named ‘Coolest Song in the World’ by Little Steven’s Underground Garage and what albums were they on?
We’ve had at least a dozen Coolest Songs over the last 20 years. ‘Every Minute’ was our first one, which was on ‘The Sound Is in You.’ ‘Salad Days’ from ‘House of Vibes,’ ‘Astral Man’ from ‘Giant On The Beach,’ ‘Speed Of Life’ from ‘Strange Change Machine,’ ‘Rainbow Quartz’ from ‘How I Won The War,’ ‘Vibrations’ from ‘Trip Around The Sun’ are some. The last one I believe was ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties,’ which was on ‘DiG.’
A few of your JEM Records label mates also have been named ‘Coolest Song.’ Why do you think Little Steven’s Underground Garage likes Jem Records so much?
Why wouldn’t they? Many of the bands on JEM are perfect for the format and sound of LSUG. That station really showcases the wide variety of sounds and styles that are ‘garage rock.’ It just so happens that’s pretty much what we like to listen to and create.
What do The Grip Weeds like most about JEM Records and why?
JEM has become like an extended musical family to all of us. Marty and his wife, Toni, are good nurturing people, and they allow the bands to create the music they want to make, while stepping here and there to help guide the process.
What does it mean to The Grip Weeds to be a self-contained band and why?
It means we have total control over our music, from writing to final product. It means we are engineering, performing and producing our albums, all at once. I’m usually running around setting up mics and getting sounds, and then I have to quickly become the musician and perform. That can be hard, and you have to be of two minds to make it work. But it’s our statement from start to finish with no filter of an outside producer or engineer. That can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, and it can lead to a record that could’ve been better had someone from the outside intervened. We made our mistakes over the years and are still learning how to do all this, but it’s our artistic statement, and it’s very pure. It has helped to be a producer-engineer for other artists, as I have a perspective to their music that I might not have on mine. But you can gain that perspective by casual listening with friends or even playing a rough mix after not hearing it or a while. Also, the other band members provide some perspective on songs they didn’t write – you just have to be open to discover what their reactions are and if you can make improvements to the track.
Your debut album, ‘House of Vibes,’ inspired the name of your studio. What have you enjoyed most about producing and/or recording other bands there?
Well, it’s home. I can go from my living room right down to the studio without having to leave the house. It’s two worlds under one roof. Keith Richards has said he likes ‘living above the factory.’ Me too!
Where did you and Rick grow up, did that town influence you musically and how?
We grew up in Bridgewater, which is a really nice place to live. Life was uncomplicated. School was kind of storybook normal, with the usual assortment of jocks, freaks and geeks. We kind of were geeks, I suppose, but we always had this music thing. We both left there and went to college at Rutgers in New Brunswick, which was a huge change and really had an impact on our music. For one, we ran into The Smithereens, who became our mentors and friends. New Brunswick had a great music scene that we could fit into. We were always a bit on the outside because we were more retro than current, but as we started writing our own songs and discovering our identity, we began to catch on.
At what age did you and Rick start playing together?
Rick started on the drums, and I would play them when he wasn’t around, just for fun. It was more fun for me than playing sports. I was just drawn to them. I was about 13 when I realized I had taught myself how to play, behind Rick’s back! He’d been in a few school bands and was able to play guitar and make demo recordings on a cassette recorder. I learned piano and guitar but wasn’t that good and was more into the drums. We were both in college when we realized we should play in a band together so we could have control over the music we wanted to make. We drew straws and Rick picked up guitar while I played drums. It took a bit longer for us to start singing together. I was too shy to open my mouth until one of our singers took off to New Mexico during an early recording session. I did a vocal, and Rick said, ‘Oh, so we’re a joke band now.’ But I got better!
What was the band or style of music that made you want to play together and why?
Sixties Rock is primarily what bonded us and what we wanted to play and/or sound like. We got into some really obscure ‘garage’ bands that you really had to ‘dig’ to find any of their records. Even The Byrds catalog was hard to find in a store – it was all out of print. That’s why we called our last album ‘DiG’ – it was our tribute to the garage rock music we moved growing up, and what made us want to BE a band.
Did the two of you form any bands that preceded The Grip Weeds?
I took us a while to form what became The Grip Weeds, and we tried the singer-with-backing-band format until we decided to sing too. We had maybe one or two original songs that Rick had written and were doing mostly obscure Zombies and Byrds covers. We eventually got to The Grip Weeds through that process.
When and how were The Grip Weeds formed?
So out of those early bands, we morphed into The Grip Weeds right as I graduated from Rutgers in the late ’80s. We found our first lead guitarist at the New Brunswick record store of Jim Babjak of The Smithereens. It was the point where it started to happen, but we really didn’t become The Grip Weeds until Kristin joined in the early ’90s. Our first goal was to play clubs and do these ’60s rock covers and some of our own songs and, gradually, become an original band. It happened!
What was the original lineup of The Grip Weeds?
The first lineup was myself, Rick, Erik Wendt, our high school friend from Bridgewater, on bass and Tim Mesko on guitar. Erik left a few months after we became The Grip Weeds in late ’87, and Tim left in ’93.
How did you connect with Dave?
We had the ‘Spinal Tap’ ‘exploding drummer’ problem, except it was our bass players! We had seven before finding Dave DeSantis, who we affectionately call Number Eight. He came into the studio with another band, and I instantly thought he was one of us. I said to myself, ‘If we ever need another bassist, he’ll be the first call.’
That happened a couple of months later in January 2012. He was the only audition we did, and it was obvious from the first note he was a perfect musical fit for The Grip Weeds.
The Grip Weeds from left to right bassist-vocalist Dave DeSantis, guitarist-keyboardist-vocalist Rick Reil, drummer-vocalist Kurt Reil, and guitarist-vocalist Kristin Pernell Reil. PHOTO BY MITCH GUROWITZ
Was Kristin first Kurt’s band mate or girlfriend?
Kristin joined in 1993. Kristin was first a fan of The Grip Weeds, then our friend, then my girlfriend, then our lead guitarist, and, finally, my wife. She was on the NYC music scene with another band we were friendly with, and that’s how we met. We had already started playing together and making demos when our first guitarist left the band, so it was natural for her to join. One of the best things I ever did was to let go of my sexist ‘four young guys’ band image – here we are 30 years later!
What television and film projects have featured Grip Weeds songs?
I know we had a song on the show ‘Criminal Minds,’ and there have been a bunch of films we got into.
When have you played The Cavern Club in Liverpool, what did you enjoy most about playing there and why?
We did a tour of Europe in the mid ‘oughts and one stop was Liverpool. It was so exciting to be there, let alone to play The Cavern! I think knowing that the very stage we played on was recently used by Paul McCartney was cool. We played the main stage, not the replica stage. I also remember walking to the show and seeing all the Liverpool girls walking around with not much on even though it was cold! One said to me, ‘You think you’re a rock star or something?’ And Kristin shouted back, ‘Well, he is!’ Not really, but at the time it felt like it!
Is there anything I didn’t ask on which you would like to comment?
Thank you, Bob, for all your support for all these years!
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at makinwaves64@yahoo.com.
New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.
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