Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy
- FaceOff - עימות חזיתי
- Feb 23
- 3 min read
Written By: Moti Kupfer
Release date - 23.02.1993
“I think a lot of songwriters would agree with me that it’s much easier to find inspiration in misery.”
Grant Lee Phillips knew exactly what he was talking about. The singer and primary songwriter of "Grant Lee Buffalo" often indulged in songs wrapped in melancholy, and some of the finest examples appear on the band’s debut album “Fuzzy”, released on February 23, 1993.
There is hardly anyone unfamiliar with the album’s title track. Although it never became a massive chart hit, Grant Lee Phillips’ high, aching vocal delivery, combined with guitars that seem to sink into the same emotional fog, helped the song gain respectable airplay on MTV. In fact, 1993 turned out to be a surprisingly strong year for a relatively unknown band at the time, especially considering they were not part of the grunge explosion dominating the scene.
I have previously shared the story of Grant Lee Phillips, born into a family of preachers. Blues and rock were part of his DNA from an early age, thanks to his grandmother and artists such as Kiss and David Bowie.
By the age of 13, he was already writing songs with a band called "Bloody Holly". Later, he continued composing in the psychedelic rock outfit "Shiva Burlesque", where he met drummer Joey Peters. The two connected creatively, forming a partnership that would continue fruitfully in the years ahead.
In 1990, the band’s bassist James Brenner announced he was leaving. Just before "Shiva Burlesque" disbanded, they recruited a new bassist, Paul Kimble, and released a second album. Shortly afterward, vocalist Jeff Clark also departed. Kimble, Peters, and Phillips carried on, with Phillips stepping into the spotlight as frontman.
During 1991, they settled on the name “Grant Lee Buffalo”, a title combining Grant Lee Phillips’ name with historical American imagery such as Buffalo Bill and Harry Houdini.
After sending demos to the label Singles Only, one particular demo, “Fuzzy”, began to gain traction. Over time, it would become what was arguably their closest brush with a major hit.
Meanwhile, Grant Lee Phillips kept writing relentlessly, building both a growing catalog of songs and increasing confidence in his craft. This momentum had already begun in the twilight days of Shiva Burlesque, and by the time the trio signed with Slash Records, they had accumulated not only a respectable following but also a substantial body of material ready to be recorded. What remained was to enter the studio and shape those songs into a cohesive statement. Production duties were handled by bassist Paul Kimble, who would go on to produce all of the band’s albums until his departure before their fourth and final release.
The debut album by "Grant Lee Buffalo" presents Phillips as a storyteller, delivering his narratives in a rich baritone that occasionally soars to heights reminiscent of Prince’s vocal virtuosity. At times, his phrasing evokes Jim Morrison and Lee Hazlewood, all while strumming an acoustic guitar that erupts with surprising intensity.
The songs of “Grant Lee Buffalo” merge American iconography with the alternative country movement that was beginning to take shape at the time, wrapped in a distinctly Californian gothic atmosphere that envelops the listener.
Phillips sings and narrates the story of two lovers whose romance is interrupted by legal troubles in “Jupiter and Teardrop”, while also confronting darker subjects such as sexual offenders and the exploitation of Native Americans in “Grace”. There is even a modern, gothic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood in “Soft Wolf Tread”, alongside a tongue in cheek jab at the indifference and rising globalization of early 1990s America.
One defining performance by the Buffalo in the summer of 1993 on Later... with Jools Holland prompted Michael Stipe to declare that “Fuzzy” was the best album released in 1993. Well of course, let’s see him make that same statement had the album come out in 1992.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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