Friday, March 6: Great Grandpa

Deadbeat Olympia

By Rev. Adam McKinney on March 4, 2015

Seattle quintet Great Grandpa exudes an effortless cool. The grungy pop recalls bands like the Breeders and Garbage, with their sly melodies and crunchy guitars. Lead singer Alex Menne brings a detached swagger that is offset by unobtrusive harmonies from her bandmates. A band like Great Grandpa, with lyrics about things like mountains of Cheetos, wouldn't seem obviously like the kind of group that might tackle sad subject matter, but they dip their toes into the waters of melancholy with an unexpected ease. "Mostly Here," with its lumbering guitars, establishes its fatalistic worldview with words like, "If life's a dream, then I'm not sleeping in," while the journaling of "Waterfront Trail" is stubbornly opposed to releasing the tension created by its naval-gazing lyrics, which document a broken relationship and the fight to reinvent yourself at your lowest moment.

GREAT GRANDPA, w/ Jupiter Sprites, Trashlord, Redrumsey, 8 p.m., Deadbeat Olympia, 226 N. Division St., Olympia, $5, 360.943.0662