On a sunny, but finger-numbingly cold afternoon in Kingston, four costumed city residents stood within the shell of a towering ruin overlooking the Hudson River.

Each brandished musical instruments as iced-crusted snow crunched beneath their shoes. Another man readied a video camera, patiently directing the subjects before him.

Through the camera lens, Andrew Blott stood clinging to an acoustic guitar. He was wrapped in a blue, fuzzy robe and wore sandals, wrapped over a pair of black socks, beneath it. Dressed in a Patrick Bateman-esque outfit, with his hair slicked back and black-leather gloves hugging his hands and those hands gripping a large bass guitar, was Jake Offerman. Tony Dimauro sat on a small stool, sporting a yellow safety vest and hard-hat, with a snare drum between his knees.

The leader of the crew, Kingston resident James Kwapisz, stood off to the side, surveying the scene with inquisitive eyes. The site would serve as the backdrop for a music video to accompany the new album produced by his “eclectic rock” band, Grampfather, that dropped last week. Kwapisz coined the term “eclectic rock” to describe the wide range of sounds and styles that his music embodies’ it can’t be placed into any definitive musical sub-genre, he said. He called it Gramppappies. You can listen to it online, right now.

“[Gramppappies] is about coming out of [the anger and frustration of the pandemic] and [learning] how to be hopeful,” Kwapisz said. “You can’t be angry and frustrated all the time and really be constructive.”

This is the fifth full album that Kwapisz’s produced with his ever-changing collection of Grampfather bandmates. The album captured the current lineup’s appreciation of music, as well as how their art enriched their personal lives and helped them persevere through tough times.

“Our previous release was written pretty much entirely by [Kwapisz] and also recorded almost completely remotely because of the pandemic,” Blot explained. “This album feels more collaborative since we all saw the songs come to life as we gigged and practiced. It's always great when you can see the entire progression of a song go from just an idea to being completely finished.”

The tone of their latest album veers in the opposite direction of their September 2020 LP, Magnus Grampus, where Kwapisz and his crew channeled the anguish they felt throughout the pandemic. Kwapisz said Magnum Grampus was a defining album for the band in terms of its current sound. It was where they curated their “thrashy” tone — short, loud and often abrasive — with tracks like “Eat Sh*t and Die.” As folks slowly are now looking to move past the trauma of the pandemic, Kwapisz wanted the new album to reflect this emotional shift.

Before Gramppappies went live, Kwapisz released two tracks from it, “Murder Hornets” and “Poppies,” on the Grampfather website to give folks a taste of what to expect. The tone of the two songs directly contrasted each other: “Murder Hornets” embodied the band's feelings while producing Magnum Grampus. “Poppies” represented the band’s new, subdued timbre. The pairing symbolized the mixed emotions the band felt as the world crept back towards normalcy.

“Murder Hornet” was the first song to drop. On it, Kwapisz offers twangy, Western-esque vocals that were sung with a megaphone voice effect, alongside slow, steady folk tunes. You might remember when National Geographic reported on the first sighting of an active hive of “murder hornets” (an invasive species from Asia which attacks native bees) in the U.S. Folks already had to worry about a virus that could kill them and now they had to face bugs with the word “murder” in their name, Kwapisz said.

“The news about murder hornets just seemed like such a cartoonish cherry-on-top of the sh*tstorm of the year,” Kwapisz added with a chuckle. The song comments on the constant, and often alarming, news shoved down the public’s throat throughout the ever-chaotic times of Covid-19.

When “Poppies” was released, a few music publications immediately associated the song with poppy seeds, insinuating that the title was a nod to opioids. The media got this totally wrong, Kwapisz said, especially since he, like many in the region, lost friends to heroin. Instead, the beginning of the track consisted of tongue-in-cheek jabs at what Kwapisz called “business types,” who don't understand or appreciate music culture. He sarcastically sings about disliking music and dancing, preferring to pursue “hopeless romancing” instead. Towards the end of this catchy pop tune, Kwapisz’s lyrics focus on the joy that music brought the band and spoke to their passion for it.

“I can’t hide, it just feels right, when my mind finds a time to write. To set it in stone and let it go, when the time is right, and watch your babies grow and flourish, free and easy, just like the poppies flutter in the breeze with no sign of stopping.” Kwapisz sings. “‘Til the chill of winter wilts your flowers, but not the memories, they’re ours.”

Grampfather: Origins

Kwapisz was inspired by local bands like Nelson Villains and Godchilla to bring more energy to his music, compared to the instrumental and “chill” tunes he churned out with his inaugural music project called Cat People. Kwapisz decided to call his new band Grampfather because his friends say he has “old man” mannerisms. Indeed, Kwapisz said, you can often find him sitting in a rocking chair reading or “riffing some lame dad-joke.”

With no way to connect with fans in person during the pandemic, Kwapisz used his various social media platforms to engage with listeners and post teasers of their upcoming work. The band spent over a year perfecting Gramppappies at the same time. In January 2021, when Grampfather could perform live again, Kwapisz said he was morally conflicted about participating in large gatherings during the pandemic. But since the gigs were outdoors and everyone was masked, he felt that they were as responsible as possible. With fresh music and more opportunities to perform, Grampfather is excited to share their hard work with their fans — live and in person.

Kwapisz feels strongly that his bandmates are willing to dedicate themselves towards thrusting Grampfather into the limelight. For personal and other reasons, many faces have come and gone from the band; that can make it hard to create something sustainable, he said. But this current crew was different, he said, and Gramppappies became an ode to their commitment.

“I feel like that's why I wanted to make [the new album] self-titled. It’s the first time [I] have a good crew,” he explained. “That’s why I have them featured on the album [cover] and dedicated it to them.”

You can learn more about Grampfather on their website (Grampfather.com) and buy Gramppappies on Bandcamp here. Folks can also follow the band on Instagram and Facebook as well.