Dennis Gruenling joins me on episode 99.
Dennis is originally from the New York area, where he began his love affair with record collecting, listening to a wide range of music, from country to rhythm and blues and beyond before it all came together when he heard his first harmonica on the great Harp Attack album.
Dennis cut his teeth with the support of local harp players before releasing his first album, Jump Time, featuring the jump swing style of his early output. On this, and subsequent albums, Dennis was a trailblazer in making extensive use of amplified low tuned harmonicas. Dennis has gone on to make some great albums across the jump and Chicago blues genres, and currently plays with the Nick Moss band.
From an early age Dennis has been renovating vintage microphones, and is now one of the leading providers of vintage mics and amps in the world, via his BadAssHarmonicas website, as well as a huge collection of webinars on all things harmonica.
Links:
Dennis Gruenling websites:
https://badassharmonica.com/
https://www.dennisgruenling.co
Nick Moss band:
https://badassharmonica.com/pages/nick-moss-band
Webinars / Membership:
https://badassharmonica.com/collections/memberships
Gear used by Dennis:
https://www.dennisgruenling.com/gear
Bands In Town page:
https://www.bandsintown.com/a/14484438-dennis-gruenling-badass-harmonica
Tip Dennis:
https://badassharmonica.com/collections/tips-thank-you
Videos:
YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@DennisGruenling
Playing Rocker with the Nick Moss band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=29&v=2EswyXuWwz
Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com
Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB
or sign-up to a monthly subscription to the podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/995536/support
Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ
Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram
Support the show
Dennis is originally from the New York / New Jersey area. Now living in Los Angeles
Parents influence on Dennis’ music tastes, from country to rhythm and blues, but blues was the common denominator
Influence of early saxophone on approach to playing harmonica
Played a little trumpet in grade school, but only wanted to make it growl
Had lessons for a year or two on trumpet, but gave it up after that, and played some saxophone
Started playing harmonica age 17 after a close family friend bought Dennis a harmonica
Friend asked for the Harp Attack album in exchange for the harmonica
Dropped out of high school to pursue his love of music and the harmonica
Started playing at jam sessions around New York, meeting some local players, including Deak Harp, Big Nancy, Trip Henderson and Steve Guyger
Dennis drew on a lot of influences beyond the classic blues players,
Realised quickly that he had to learn the fundamentals from the harmonica greats, so spent a lot of time studying them
Moved to New Orleans for a while, where he spent hours practising and learning harmonica pieces
Surprised to hear Dennis is introverted, especially with all his friends in the harmonica community
Dennis is a sharp dresser, and the importance of image, and feels like himself when on stage
Moved back to New York area after time in New Orleans and started getting gigs and doing some harmonica teaching
Importance of absorbing as many harmonica recordings (and other music) as part of your learning
Influence of George Smith, Rod Piazza and William Clarke on Dennis’s own great chromatic blues playing
Dennis now plays with Rod Piazza
Tips on playing blues on chromatic
Moved to Los Angeles around 2016-7, partly because of the great music scene there, and he loves the west coast swing style
First album released under own name was called Jump Time, released 1999, recording all but one of the songs in one day
Dennis was a forerunner in the use of amplified low tuned harmonicas
How to get the best out of the low tuned harps, including turning the bass down on them when amplified
Getting to grips with the difficulty of bending the low tuned harps, practise bending them!
Up All Night is second album where focus is on Chicago blues style
Second album was with a different band than Jump Time
That’s Right album with Jump Time, more jazzy than the first one due to presence of his friend on clarinet
Tribute To Little Walter album, released in 2008, the first official one since George Smith released one in 1968 (the year Little Walter died)
Dennis knew all the Little Walter material after learning it years prior
Picked Little Walter songs that weren’t so well known for the album
Other plays on the Little Walter tribute album are Kim Wilson, Rick Estrin and Steve Guyger, and where they recorded
Played in a band with Doug Deming for nine years
Current band is with Nick Moss, who was the guitar player in the Kim Wilson band
Released three albums with the Nick Moss band, all on Alligator records
The High Cost Of Low Living was first album with the Nick Moss band
Nick is the main singer with the band, although Dennis does some singing too
Dennis first recorded himself singing on his 2016 Ready Or Not album, after being reluctant to do so earlier in his career
Get Your Back Into It is latest album, released with Nick Moss band in 2023
Doesn’t use any effects when playing harmonica
Uses more small amps on the latest album
Recorded some albums with Peter Karp
Dennis has been performing with Road Piazza recently
Dennis is very active with his social media output
Just returned from playing on a Blues Cruise
Dennis has done a lot of 1-on-1 teaching, but focuses on releasing his webinars now, which focus on different elements of practise
Dennis had a blues radio show in New York for fifteen years
Has won SPAH Harmonica player of the year and the Blues Music Award for Best Instrumentalist - Harmonica, both in 2019
Dennis probably has the best gear in the world via his BadAssHarmonica business: where does he get it all from?
When Dennis first started playing he bought a duff mic and decided to do it himself from that point, and how his business grew from his fascination with the amplified harmonica sound
How Dennis believes in the durability of crystal mics
Crystals have higher highs, and lower lows
Dennis only sells vintage crystals
Is a Hohner endorser and his photo was used on the Hohner Crossover box
Had some harps customised from Joe Filisko and Richard Sleigh, but mainly plays them straight out the box now
Overblows: uses them as and when they fit the needs of the song
Sells a wide variety of vintage amps, but uses the HarpKing as main big amp, and smaller amps mainly for recording (Gibsons and Premiers from the 1950s)
All gear is available to buy through Dennis’s BadAssHarmonica website
Bands In Town website lists upcoming gigs
