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His colorful use of univocalic verse on “Uncontrovertible Facts” is, well, pretty goddamn hilarious. Yet Gramps’ abilities as a wordsmith are what really drive this album.

Listening to Gramps perform is like taking an interactive tour through America’s musical heritage, from the first generation of recordings in the 1920s to the folk ballads of the Great Depression to the jazz and blues-infected Southern folklore that followed. Each song is delivered to a clearly captivated live audience, whom Gramps frequently engages to sing along, repeat lines and even, on the engaging opening track “Nothin’ but a Nothin’,” offer up their best exaggerated mock laughter. James Infirmary”), ragtime (“Shake It ‘n Break It”), blues (“James Alley Blues”) and folk (“Teddy Bear’s Picnic”) standards, along with the occasional children’s song (“Medley of Heartwarming Worm Songs”), laborer’s lament (“Big Rock Candy Mountain”) or autobiographical narrative (“How I Found My Teddy Bear”) thrown in for good measure. Classifying Gramps’ style into a specific genre is completely unfeasible, but it’s fair to say that this record finds him effortlessly reinventing Deep South (“St. Gramps’ voice has been compared to Popeye, a Didgeridoo and Ned from “South Park.” Although none of these comparisons could be called inaccurate, Gramps demonstrates a varied vocal range throughout Same Ol’ Timeously, alternating between wheezing like a pack of preternatural honey bees, croaking like a human-frog amalgamation and barking in a weathered voice that makes any singer short of Tom Waits sound pubescent. One of those albums, Same Ol’ Timeously, remains one of music’s rarest endeavors: a fun, witty record that can be enjoyed by listeners of any age and from multiple musical persuasions. Despite an extensive catalog of singular approaches to traditional tunes that could constitute a Great American Songbook, Gramps has released only three official records (not including compilations), and none before 2003. What’s known about Gramps is this: For over 45 years, whether on street corners, in bars, during festivals or occasionally on the grand stage (he’s opened for Phish and Bela Fleck, among others), the musician has been transcending the realm of urban myth and proving himself as a unique artist and performer. By his own admission, he deals in exaggeration for a living (check out the Spectrum Culture interview with him for more on this), so it’s no surprise that it’s been said that Gramps was in attendance when Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads, that he regretfully leaves a pack of reindeer at home when he tours and that’s he’s never performed the same song twice. I half-expected him to disappear in a cloud of smoke before a bemused Letterman could offer his obligatory handshake.Īlthough this digital, privacy-depleted age has turned the lives of even the most enigmatic artists into open books, Gramps largely remains clouded in mystery, folklore and hyperbole.

Looking like a cross between a hastily cleaned-up pirate, a Bleeker Street hobo and an ancient soothsayer washed ashore from some distant, magical land, Gramps picked and throat-growled his way through a spirited “Cape Cod Girls,” delivering one of the more surreal moments in the history of late night television. For viewers who first witnessed Gramps that night on Letterman, it wasn’t just an eye opener it was the type of audio-visual mind fuck that sends the brain’s gray matter into a state of frenzy and tricks the mind into believing it’s entered the land of dreams long before sleep has actually arrived. Until he appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in 2006 to promote the Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys compilation, even many of the most well-versed fans of obscure musical acts (those of us outside Gramps’ habitual Pacific Northwest stomping grounds, at least) remained unaware of this bizarre and gifted performer. In the world of underground music, there are cult heroes, and then there is Baby Gramps.

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Rediscover is a series of reviews highlighting past releases that have flown under the radar and now deserve a second look.

Gramps live