Look out for Philly art punks, known as Grocer, returning for their second Treefort performance. This funky group consists of Danielle Lovier on bass, Cody Nelson on drums and Nicholas Rahn playing guitar. Everybody in the group does vocals together when they perform. Grocer prides themselves on being truly DIY, do it yourself. All of their songs are original and they uphold a quirky and wild reputation throughout their music and performances by being a combination of goofy, talented and colorful. Grocer amuses and perplexes live audiences nationwide and plans to do the same for a second time here in Boise this year.
The group describes themselves as “road dogs” as they will be touring the United States in March, with Treefort as part of their tour. Boise Weekly interviewed Grocer via email to get the inside scoop about their performance at Treefort and their 2023 nationwide tour. The following has been gently edited.
How did everyone meet/come together?
We met in a classically random internet manner when Cody (living in Minneapolis) responded to a Facebook post from Danielle and Nick (living in Philly) looking for a drummer to go on tour with a prior project.
How long have you all been playing together?
Almost four years!
What does the name of your band signify? How did you come up with it?
We’re a spreadsheet band and had a deeply involved ranked-choice voting system to choose our name. We mainly picked Grocer because we like the sound, but we also love food and it has a self-deprecating double meaning.
What is your favorite gig you have all played together? Where/When?
Our first shows back on tour in the summer of 2021 were incomparably special. Being on stage is where the three of us belong, and returning after what felt like a lifetime away was a deeply emotional and invigorating experience … there was a minute there when it seemed like we might never perform again. Honorable mention: our first performance @ Treefort 2022. Shout out to Lost Grove Brewing and our amazing sound person Eric!
Is all of your music original?
It is!
What is your favorite song to perform together?
We have been having a lot of fun with the new track “Smooth Operator,” which is the second single of our upcoming EP Scatter Plot. Nick just finished editing a pretty wild video. Lots of food, lots of gross, very Grocer.
What are you most excited about for Treefort this year?
We are lucky to have been to Boise enough times that we don’t super feel like tourists anymore. There’s so much to see and do in a few short days and it rocks that we can really make the most of the time we have. We have some local pals now and it’s also a blast to be able to run into our many band friends that we meet in different cities around the country. It almost feels like DIY summer camp. It’s an incredible festival in every way but we know that isn’t news to you.
Anything else you would like to add?
We don’t know when/where our sets are yet, so we’ll leave you with this: the banana is the only fruit that can be split into three equal pieces. See you soon, Boise. :)
