The Gruff | Biogruffies | Recent Fun | Music | Come See Us!  | Contact Us | Pics
Links | Art and Stuff | Tour Journal | FAQ

Have any questions regarding your friendly neighbourhood Gruffians? Maybe we can answer a few for you. This list was compiled of questions we've been asked at shows.

gruff - refers to unpolished, unceremonious manner but usually implies hearty good nature

Where did you get your band name?
One snowy March on our way home from our yearly St Patty's gig in Fernie BC we hit a little snow storm on the highway and slid into a lost mountain goat on the snowy highway. We carefully wrapped the little guy in blankets, put him in the back seat, named him "Gruff" and rushed him to an animal doctor in Castlegar. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done for poor little Gruff and he passed away later that night. We named our band "The Gruff" in honour of him.
Kidding!

How did you meet?
Jenny and Phaedra met in the jazz program at Esquimalt High in Victoria BC. Jenny was in the grade above Phaedra and she was intimidated by her so they didn't hang out much in high school. After Jenny graduated she toured the States with a band called 'nicely nicely' in a big school bus while Phaedra was busy getting out of high school herself. It was when the guitarist in Phaedra's band left and Jenny returned to Victoria that they teamed up and eventually became NSLPs (non-sexual life partners). Terri and Jenny met in elementary school. Cute! They didn't talk much after that until 2004 when Jenny and Phaedra were looking for a bassist to go on a tour with them. Jenny remembered that Terri had grown up to leave the ukulele behind and take up the big ol' bass, asked her along and the rest was history.

What kind of van do you have?
We drive a 1987 Dodge Ram Wagon. She's grey and we call her The Midnight Goose because when you turn on the windshield wipers she honks like a goose. Especially at midnight.

What's the band drink of choice?
Jagermeister!
Except for Adam who goes for Bailey's

Who are your influences?
Oh gosh... brace yourselves. Hawksley Workman, Rheostatics, David Francey, Corb Lund, Shiftless Rounders, Gillian Welch, The Deep Dark Woods, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Great Lake Swimmers, Regina Spektor, Fish and Bird, Cake, Dyad, Eliza Gilkyson, Feist, The Flaming Lips, Headwater, Ridley Bent, Kent McAlister and the Iron Choir, Jeremy Fisher, Joanna Newsom, The John Henrys, Kelly Joe Phelps, Dirk Powell, Old Man Luedecke, Leonard Cohen, Martha Scanlan, Lucinda Williams, Luke Doucet, Mason Jennings, Nathan, Old Crow Medicine Show, Paul Simon, Stripmall Ballads, Decemberists, Postal Service, Sarah Harmer, Sufjan Stevens, The Barenaked Ladies but only Gordon.

What are your favourite places to play?
The Times Changed in Winnipeg
The Railway Club in Vancouver
The Arts Station in Fernie

What kind of beer do you drink?
Jenny - a classy lager
Phaedra - the hoppiest IPAs
Terri - stouts and bitters
Adam - something dark and sweet

What's it like to be on the road with a bunch of babes (for Adam)?
We're still waiting for the answer...

What's your most wanted gig?
A headlining spot at the Vancouver Folk Festival.

Is that a cello?
No.

Are you even old enough to be in here?
Why yes! In fact we're all in our twenties.

Are you sisters?
No. We're non-sexual life partners and we like boys.

Do you drink whiskey or gin?
Jenny - whiskey
Phaedra - whiskey
Adam - whiskey
Terri - gin

Is it hard to play and sing at the same time?
That depends... it was hard at one point but it's easier now. It takes a bit of practice to get past only being able to play the rhythm you're singing... But don't worry, we're professionals.

Tea or coffee?
Jenny - coffeecoffeecoffee!
Terri - tea with no milk but sometimes coffee
Adam - in what context?
Phaedra - tea. coffee makes me crazy....

How many tours have you been on?
11 or so. We have done most of our touring so far in Nova Scotia and Ontario. In the summer of 2007 we crossed the country by van for the first time. It took us seven weeks.

Is it like a vacation?
 Staying up late at the bar every night inspires late mornings which we usually fill with breakfast. Then it's loading into the van and driving to the next town so it's not much of a vacation but we sure wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Do they pay you to play music?
Believe it or not, they do!

How many CDs do you have?
Three that we will admit to. "A Goat on Every Floor" 2003, "The Gruff" 2006, "A Trail of Missing Thoughts" 2008.

Has Adam turned twenty yet?
Yes! But he's still younger than our van.

Where did you get your band name?
Seven and a half years ago when we were an Irish drinking band a friend of ours named us "Billy Goats Gruff". Just before our second CD "A Goat on Every Floor" was slated for release, we received an email from a lawyer in New York representing a band there called "Billy Goats Gruff" asking us to "cease operations immediately" because they had the name registered under trademark law that protects all American citizens from what they can see on the world wide web. At this point in time people often would think we were either children's entertainers or children ourselves so we thought a change in name was appropriate and told them they could have the name. We didn't want it anyway! We didn't want to change our name too much and felt that neither "The Goats" or "The Billies" were quite up our alley. "The Gruff" seemed just about right and since then we've grown into it quite nicely.

We've been invited to showcase at Alberta Contact and the WCMAs (Oct 17-19), the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils annual conference
(Oct 30 - Nov 1) and Arts Northwest in Eugene Oregon (Oct 13 - 16)!

New album!
February 2008 brings "A Trail of Missing Thoughts" which is now available from CD Baby! (So is "The Gruff") (www.cdbaby.com)
Click here to order!

You can now collect your favourite tunes off of our latest albums from iTunes! Download and be merry.

Pick up the Spring 2007 issue of Penguin Eggs magazine to read our new article!

Yay us! We're happy to announce we were presented "Artist of the Year" at the 2007 Vancouver Island Music Awards.