Photograph by Matt Marcinkowski
Jack Grelle’s newest record, Got Dressed Up to Be Let Down, is just a few months old, but it was the result of a painstaking yearlong process.
Recorded at Mound Sound and released by Big Muddy Records, Got Dressed Up features a host of St. Louis players in a timeframe that “was on and off,” Grelle says. “We brought in the South City Three, John Horton, all kinds of the Big Muddy regulars—a big old cast of characters. There’s not as much honky-tonk on this record. There is a bit of Cajun, some Tex-Mex, and more rock ’n’ roll.”
Though Grelle imagines that his next record will have a more direct, rehearsed execution, Got Dressed Up was created in short stints, in part because of Grelle’s habit of taking his show on the road. At times solo, other times in a duo, and most often with a band, Grelle’s played just about every type of venue that books authentic country music. “I’ve had a couple of DJs find me through the last record,” says Grelle. “People into country music are really knowledgeable, total nerds. We’ve played every type of show: house shows, taverns, the biggest rodeo in Europe, which was crazy… I come from a background of doing DIY shows, playing basements, and I still do some of those.”
Grelle also boasts a growing audience in Europe, where, he says, there “are a lot of loyal country fans” scattered across the continent. Closer to home, he’s found a share of goodwill in Austin, Louisville, New Orleans and, yes, Nashville, though almost everything written about Grelle notes that he’s not cut from the usual contemporary country cloth. With politics that lean progressive, he’s faced some tough moments onstage. “I’ve had a guy, front row center, give me the middle finger in front of a couple hundred people,” he recalls, adding, “It’s a folk tradition to sing these types of songs. Woody Guthrie came from these types of songs. Folk music has always been about people’s struggles.”
In the meantime, he has plenty of opportunities to keep one foot in town and one on the road. “We’re taking things one song, one tour, one record at a time,” he says. “We’re working to get to that next level. For me, that level is the idea of sustainability. We’ll put out records, they’ll sell, some people will buy them—and then I get to come home to relax.”
Hear tracks from Got Dressed Up and keep tabs on Grelle’s tour dates at jackgrelle.com.
Other releases from Grelle’s label, Big Muddy Records:
Pokey LaFarge, Beat, Move & Shake: Around the time that LaFarge resettled in St. Louis, Big Muddy released one of his early works—just as the spotlight of national attention was trained on him.
Bob Reuter’s Alley Ghost, Born There: With several projects in his immediate rearview mirror, Reuter found the right collaborators and label with this full-length LP, his last and arguably his best.
Sidney Street Shakers, Laugh My Weary Blues Away: A love letter to the blues of St. Louis, circa a century ago. These young players have dusted off the bones of songs that had long since been relegated to the history section.
