Great Spirit

Bay area blues-folk trio Great Spirit bring us some easy listening this Monday with “Road Less Traveled” – the premiere track off their forthcoming EP Front Porch to Frontier (out January 13th).
The group calls their genre “cosmic mountain folk grass” – which in layman’s terms, means they sound like a Phish-lite, banjo-heavy, country-infused jam session. And while some of the tracks are full on folk-rock, like “Pretend With Me,” which is reminiscent of The Lumineers, others take us to Margaritaville and down the beach-rock trail that Jimmy Buffett blazed. It seems all great wordsmiths love the imagery associated with the metaphor ”road less traveled” (see: Robert Frost, George Strait, even Whitesnake adopted the thematic symbolisms and put to music) – and it works, because no matter who you are there has been a time you didn’t follow the herd.
So break off from the pack for a minute, or whatever it is you’re doing, and stream the track below. And be sure to check out these guys’ socials for when they hit that well-traveled road known as the tour circuit. - Earmilk

With a name like Great Spirit, it’s almost possible to hear this unique NoCal band’s sound even before you hit “play” on their new EP, Front Porch to Frontier. Easygoing, folky with olde tymey bluegrass nods, the quartet is riding the wave of bands like the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons, but also create a distinct, unique sound, particularly with shades of blues picking (“O.G. Nature Kids”) and sprinklings of country, rock, and pop.

EP opener, the aptly titled “Pow-Wow” has a relaxed, grooving backbeat and mellow vocals apropos of a day lazing by the bay with your pals. Meanwhile, “Pretend With Me” features some backwoods banjo modernized with a railroad drum beat and dreamy vibe, almost reminiscent of a John Mayer track (when Mayer was still hot, of course). The funkier “Road Less Traveled” deviates a tad from the formula, but it serves to show Great Spirit’s inherent versatility, while finisher “Danger On the Peaks” returns to the acoustic goodness and boasts a purity that’s undeniable (“you’re damned if you will and you’re damned if you won’t”). In fact, there’s something underlyinging believable about this band. Maybe it’s the organic way in which they were inspired to create this EP: at a bluegrass festival. Or maybe it’s because they set out on a handful of West Coast tour dates that suddenly turned into a full outing. Everything indicates that the authenticity is there, and one listen to their music verifies that, indeed, the Great Spirit is, too. - Popdose

Today we’re happy to give you an exclusive song premiere from Bay Area folk band, Great Spirit.

“Pretend With Me” contains all the ingredients for folk-rock greatness with an old-timey appeal.

The band calls their sound “Cosmic Mountain Folk Grass,” and after a listen to this track you can hear why.

Banjos, acoustic guitars and light percussion swirl beneath lyrics that touch on what guitarist/vocalist Tom Conneely describes as “leaving what you have always known and moving on toward the unknown.”

He continues, “The initial phrase ‘pretend with me’ shot through my head while driving down 101 south on my way toward LA to meet up with a friend. It developed from there on my bedroom floor days later. I can only hope it means many different things to the listener.”

The band’s upcoming release, Front Porch to Frontier, is out January 13, 2015. Until then, enjoy “Pretend With Me”! - Guitar World Acoustic Nation

bay area band great spirit have self-identified the genre of music they play as 'crystal grass', which is probably pretty spot on, it's some bare-foot stompin' string music, but bare-foot at a festival, not in a hay barn...tight, fast string band music with funk and psych influences. - The Modern Folk Music of America