Tyrannasaurus Grace • You Should Be Ashamed

I am forever getting requests to give a listen to music, and I can never tell how it will work out. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised, and other times that is hardly the case. Luckily for me, listening to Much More Than A Story was much more than a pleasant surprise. In fact, it was rather wonderful. The band was brought to my attention for their song, "You Should Feel Ashamed". So I clicked on the link, and gave it a listen. I immediately had to smile, for the joyous and bold guitars emanated a wonderful energy. And lyrically, well, it starts out in your face, a rock band stepping up to confront the issues of homophobia and inequality head on, and with volume turned up to eleven...



So I was curious to discover more about Tyrannosaurus Grace, aka TGrace. The band began when friends Justin Foss (lead guitar, keys) and Tim Held (vocals, guitar, keys) began writing songs together, via the internet. Once they discovered they not only liked working together, they were also making great music, they decided to find a space in the Pacific Northwest, and make something happen. They were joined by Dave Hoffman (drums), Lakyn Bury (vocals, guitar, keys), and Jeff Gerrer (bass), and Tyrannosaurus Grace was born.



This is definitely a band full of rockers, but it is interesting to me how they draw on all kinds of rock. I definitely hear the influences of Punk and New Wave, as well as some of the strong altrock bands of the 1990s. The eleven-song album is bold and at times brash, with TGrace carving out a sound of their own. Starting with the ethereal instrumental "Overture", we hear them embracing Electronica as well as electric guitars. With "Trust Us", we understand TGrace has a voice and wants to be heard, both literally and figuratively. They are fearless in addressing issues both personal and political, from religion to marriage equality to lust to jealousy. One of my favorites off the album is "Crutch", a strong 7th track of loud introspection. I also really like the sultry nature of "Monster". Check out this clip of the band playing live, with Lakyn Bury on the vocals.



You can find Much More Than A Story on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. To learn more about TGrace, visit their official website, or check them out on Twitter or Facebook.