Grüt formed in Atlanta in 2015. Its specific birthplace is Elliott St. Pub, a small but essential venue for original and experimental music. Daniel Wytanis (trombone), Patrick Arthur (guitar), Brandon Boone (bass) and Morgan Guerin (drums) did a few improvised sessions at Elliott St., and soon realized there was more to explore together. They met regularly in Morgan’s home studio, a large side room off the lower level of his house, and began to develop some composed/arranged material as well as their own frameworks for improvising.

The members of Grüt each draw from a wide spectrum of genres and influences, an openness that is reflected in all four’s activity as leaders or members of many other types of groups. This unique confluence of disciplines and backgrounds is introducing new sounds to the Atlanta music scene, but their approach is also rooted in the legacy of one of the city’s most beloved musicians, the recently deceased Col. Bruce Hampton. Col. Bruce’s influence is ubiquitous across Southeastern musical communities, and both Brandon Boone and Daniel Wytanis are veterans of his touring band. In the tradition of The Colonel, Grüt blends the predetermined with the spontaneous, is always open to the spirit of the moment, and above all, wants the effect of their music to be a joyful one.

In two short years together, Grüt has performed extensively around Atlanta venues including Elliot St. Pub, Aisle 5, The Buckhead Theatre, and 529, as well as Shapeshifter Lab in New York. They released their first recording, a self-produced, self-titled EP in 2016 and added saxophonist Avys Burroughs to the lineup in 2017. They have opened for Col. Bruce Hampton, Dynamo, and Bill Laurence (of Snarky Puppy). In 2018, they are set to release their first full-length record Side Room Stories, which was recorded in the same studio where the band first began to develop. Upon its release, Grüt plans to tour domestically and internationally in support of it.