David Grissom’s 2014 release, How It Feels to Fly, is a muscular, tone-drenched masterclass in modern Texas blues-rock, roots, and guitar-driven Americana. A legendary Austin session ace and longtime sideman for the likes of John Mellencamp, Joe Ely, and Allman Brothers’ Dickey Betts, Grissom delivers an album that functions as a master seminar in electric guitar phrasing, touch, and dynamic touch-sensitivity.
The album’s soundscape is defined by Grissom’s iconic Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitar tone—running through custom cranked tube amplifiers right on the edge of rich, blooming overdrive. His playing seamlessly bridges clean, country-style hybrid picking and twin-guitar harmonies with thick, singing blues leads and heavy, Texas-sized rhythm riffs. Supported by a rock-solid, pocket-focused rhythm section, the tracklist splits between soaring vocal tracks and gritty, virtuosic instrumentals like "Way Down Deep" and the title track.
Balancing live-in-the-studio energy with pristine, amp-in-a-room audio clarity, the production captures every subtle nuance of pick attack, volume-knob swell, and natural acoustic resonance. It stands as a warm, soulful, and relentlessly groove-heavy showcase of American guitar artistry.
David Grissom’s 2014 release, How It Feels to Fly, is a muscular, tone-drenched masterclass in modern Texas blues-rock, roots, and guitar-driven Americana. A legendary Austin session ace and longtime sideman for the likes of John Mellencamp, Joe Ely, and Allman Brothers’ Dickey Betts, Grissom delivers an album that functions as a master seminar in electric guitar phrasing, touch, and dynamic touch-sensitivity.
The album’s soundscape is defined by Grissom’s iconic Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitar tone—running through custom cranked tube amplifiers right on the edge of rich, blooming overdrive. His playing seamlessly bridges clean, country-style hybrid picking and twin-guitar harmonies with thick, singing blues leads and heavy, Texas-sized rhythm riffs. Supported by a rock-solid, pocket-focused rhythm section, the tracklist splits between soaring vocal tracks and gritty, virtuosic instrumentals like "Way Down Deep" and the title track.
Balancing live-in-the-studio energy with pristine, amp-in-a-room audio clarity, the production captures every subtle nuance of pick attack, volume-knob swell, and natural acoustic resonance. It stands as a warm, soulful, and relentlessly groove-heavy showcase of American guitar artistry.