UPDATE 2—While I’m still happy to play a truck concert for you, this booking mechanism is no longer in use. Please check out the House Concerts page.
UPDATE—The Pickup Truck Concerts are making the press! Check out the features in the Lodi News Sentinel and the Calaveras Enterprise.
As Murphys singer-songwriter Grover Anderson weathered the cancellation of 33 house concerts, festivals, and summer gigs in five different states in 2020, he knew creative measures were necessary to keep music the live, shared human experience it is meant to be. He initially kept busy with livestreams, sharing technical strategies with other Calaveras musicians and promoting a different local business each week. While those community-driven approaches served a purpose, Grover quickly realized that playing to a camera can never replace the magic of the true audience experience. Grover’s wife Katie suggested he find a way to safely bring music to people using their family pickup truck.
Grover initially offered bookings to his supporters on Patreon, and soon after posted a form on his website for the public to express interest in a personal “Pickup Truck Concert.” After coordinating a date and time, Grover drove to the host’s home and backed into their driveway, where they and a few invited guests sat in lawn chairs with food and drinks (six feet apart, of course.) The cozy and relaxed audience enjoyed a thirty- or sixty-minute acoustic show featuring Grover’s original music, often requesting fan favorites like “Evergreen” and “Little Spoon.” When the show ended, hosts used Venmo to contribute a suggested donation while Grover and his makeshift stage drove away, often to another music-lover’s driveway. Everyone missed the typical post-show mingling, of course, but enjoying safe, social live music with family and friends in the midst of a global pandemic mitigated much of the disappointment.
Grover played thirty-seven private concerts between April and December of 2020, and, given the continued uncertainty regarding live music, he is excited to plan more Pickup Truck Concerts in Spring and Summer 2021. Last year’s Pickup Truck Concerts took place in Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Alpine Counties, but this year Grover would love to extend the range to the Central Valley, Bay Area, and more. If you, like most music-lover right now, are craving the live show experience, you can set up a Pickup Truck Concert for your family and friends.
Fill out the form below to schedule the concert. Grover is touring out of state a bit during the summer, so it might help to check the (unofficial) availability calendar first.
NOTE—The form is no longer active; to book a truck or house concert, please email Grover.