A tremendous vocalist, compelling songwriter and dynamic performer, Jenn Grinels is shockingly talented and unexpectedly sincere. 

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Nearly a decade ago, Jenn Grinels gave up her apartment, put her things in storage, and hit the road, armed with little more than her soulful voice and an acoustic guitar. 

 

For years, she supported herself selling her albums at open mics, bars and coffee shops, touring from city to city, and honing her skills until she was able to have just about any audience eating out of the palm of her hand. Grinels’ live shows are explosive and unapologetically human; you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you will get sucked in. Her innate ability to connect with listeners activates their deepest emotions pertaining to love, resilience, and hope. 

 

The singer/songwriter recently relocated from Nashville to Portland after years spent on “perma-tour”, headlining hundreds of concerts across the country and abroad, as well as supporting artists like 10,000 Maniacs, Marc Broussard, Edwin McCain, Christopher Cross, Marc Cohn and many more. 

 

Her concerts are explosive, intimate and unapologetically human; she’s an artist who deeply values and excels in connecting with her audience. San Francisco Examiner writer Kenneth Fish described this quality in his review of her performance: “I found myself utterly captivated. Whether Grinels was quietly purring into the microphone or seriously belting out a tune, the audience was hanging on her every note and every well crafted phrase… Grinels’ performance was nothing short of amazing.” 

 

Her latest studio album, Go Mine, released in November 2020, features elements of soul, jazz, folk, blues, pop, Americana, and rock. Grinels’ music has a poised delivery and balanced power reminiscent of long-established rock icons like Bonnie Raitt, and the loose, expectation-defying variety of artists like Martin Sexton. From the straightforward beauty and sweet vocal harmonies of love song “Hands Down” to the 5-part, live jam session energy of the title track “Go Mine,” the songs on the album showcase Grinels’ varied influences, remarkable songwriting abilities and vast vocal range. Her voice can go from Fiona Apple’s intricate, visceral vulnerability to Eva Cassidy’s haunting clarity, hitting every timbre in between. She can belt like a powerhouse, coo like a baby bird, punch like a raw rocker, or deliver a pure, innocuous soprano warble, all with “an unfailing sense of the dynamics called for in each moment,” as Southeast Missourian writer Sam Blackwell reported after seeing Grinels’ performance at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Café. “Grinels began to sing and the room stopped breathing, words fell from her mouth like gems.”

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In February 2021, Grinels released her third album in a year: Live Volume 1. "Raw, goofy, and VERY personal," this collection was recorded over three nights at three different venues in Maryland and Ohio. As Big League Music notes, "Live Volume 1 gives you the whole package: incredible vocals, strong musicianship, masterclass type songwriting... Grinels connects with her audience on such an amazing level that just can't be faked."

 

Grinels is as grassroots as it gets, having created a groundswell of die-hard fans in small towns and cities across the U.S. who consistently buy her records and offer direct support though Patreon. The result is a blossoming career, built with literal blood, sweat, and tears.