NEDERLAND -- Samson “Sam” Grisman has been surrounded by music his entire life. From a young age, he fell in love with the music played around him by family, friends, and especially his father, David.
David, a multi-instrumentalist, has performed for decades with and/or alongside Peter Rowan, Red Allen, Maria Muldaur, Darol Anger, Doc Watson, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, and Andy Statman.
David has called his particular stylings “Dawg music,” embracing his nickname, “Dawg.” That nickname was first given to him by close friend and frequent collaborator Jerry Garcia.
Music has been so prevalent in Sam’s life that from a young age, he assumed everyone played music. He saw people’s instruments as part of their personality, and he thought everyone was born with a proclivity towards their instruments.
Though he has since realized that learning an instrument comes with time and practice, he has never lost what he considers a sense of duty to perform, and he wholeheartedly embraces the music he grew up around.
David always encouraged his children to learn instruments, practice playing other people’s songs, and work on original compositions to build their musical experience.
Sam’s siblings have also continued to pursue the arts – his sister, Gillian, has directed documentaries such as Grateful Dawg and Village Music: Last of the Great Record Stores, while his brother, Monroe, plays in Petty Theft, a Tom Petty tribute band.
In middle school, Sam started writing tunes and instrumental music on the fiddle. Internally, he remembers feeling daunted early on. The first composition that David ever wrote was called “Cedar Hill,” first performed during his time with Peter Rowan in the band Old & In The Way and released in multiple capacities since.
Sam still considers early “Dawg tunes” as some of his favorites, with the complex melodies and compelling harmonies catching his ears.
With more time and practice, Sam gained more confidence in his composing and performing, and he considers himself lucky to have surrounded himself with great friends who also happen to be great musicians.
The closest Sam came to building a cemented project before his current project, simply titled The Sam Grisman Project, was a quartet with himself on bass, Dominick Leslie on mandolin, Alex Hargreaves on fiddle, and Nathaniel “Nat” Smith on cello. The group semi-jokingly called themselves (and released an EP titled) The Brotet.
In 2023, Sam cemented The Sam Grisman Project, formed as a tribute to David and the music he’s made and played over his life. Sam and David still often perform together, as recently as March 25th, 2025, in Seattle’s Moore Theater to celebrate David’s 80th birthday (actually on March 23rd).
In the end, through all of his performances, Sam hopes that audiences come to his shows, enjoy their time there, and connect over the breadth of music they play.
The Sam Grisman Project will perform at The Caribou Room, at 55 Indian Peaks Drive in Nederland, on Saturday, April 12, 2025, with opening act Benny “Burle” Galloway. Doors open and dinner starts at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. To reserve tickets now, head to thecaribouroom.com.
To learn more about the project, visit their website at samgrismanproject.net. You can find their debut release, Temple Cabin Sessions Volume 1, wherever you get your music.
