Grant-Lee Phillips, Paul Kimble and Joey Peters started as a rock music formation called Shiva Burlesque. The band was active in the late 1980s. It released two studio albums, the self-titled Shiva Burlesque in 1987 on Fundamental Records. The follow upalbum, the band's second and last album was Mercury Blues and was released in 1990 on Ripple Effect record label. Shiva Burlesque was reformed in 1991 as Grant Lee Buffalo.
Career
Grant Lee Buffalo released four albums: Fuzzy, Mighty Joe Moon, Copperopolis and Jubilee. They toured with major bands including R.E.M., Pearl Jam, the Smashing Pumpkins, and The Cranberries. In the United States, the band's 1998 single, "Truly, Truly", received extensive airplay. Paul Kimble departed the band in 1997, but Grant Lee Buffalo's next album Jubilee met with more success than the prior releases thanks to "Truly, Truly." But, as Phillips describes, a number of changes led to the dissolution of the band's time at their label and their time together. In 2001, a compilation of singles, album tracks and rarities called Storm Hymnal was released. Grant Lee Buffalo's sound is comparable to Neil Young and an electrified version of Americana songwriter John Stewart. Phillips writes that their first album "would galvanize the sound of Grant Lee Buffalo, i.e., the acoustic feedback howl of overdriven 12-string guitars, melodic distorto-bass, tribal drum bombast, the old world churn of pump organs and parlor pianos." Lyrically, they reference American history as well as contemporary events. For instance, “Lone Star Song” from Mighty Joe Moon references the Waco siege and “Crackdown” from Copperopolis references the murder of Yoshihiro Hattori as well as the Oklahoma City bombing. In May 2011 the band returned on a limited tour, making stops in Los Angeles, Dublin, London, Brussels, Copenhagen and Oslo. On August 8, 2011 the band performed at Dranouter festival in Belgium, and on August 9 in Copenhagen. The band also played at the German Haldern Pop Festival in August 2012. In October 2017, Chrysalis Records acquired Grant Lee Buffalo’s back catalog from Slash Records. Chrysalis/Blue Raincoat CEO Jeremy Lascelles had previously signed the band to the label’s publisher in the 1990s.
Solo careers
Lead singer Phillips has had his own solo career as well. He explains: He was signed to the Boston-based indie labelRounder Records and launched a solo career, issuing Ladies' Love Oracle online in 2000. The recording was later more widely released. His first full-length album, Mobilize, was released in 2001. Phillips has released eight albums between 2000 and 2012.
