Hold Tight Together

Grover Anderson made his bones penning story songs about love and disappointment and death, like a modern-day Sherwood Anderson (no relation). But after years of telling strangers’ stories, on 2024’s Hold Tight Together he decided to look inward. “This album doesn’t have anyone who dies in it, which is rare for me,” he says with a laugh. “Every song is about my life and my family.”

Anderson’s life begins and continues in the small town of Murphys, California, where he grew up on 90s country while teaching himself guitar via spotty dial-up Internet. After a stint studying theater at UCSB, Anderson found his voice on a European adventure, writing a song in every city he visited and marveling at the laughably simple notion that all these people and places he encountered would go on existing with no memory or care for his time spent with them.

He wouldn’t fully pin down his sound until 2014’s The Optimist, and formed The Lampoliers with drummer Josh Certo, guitar player Marshall Henry, and bassist Dave Duggan. Inspiration for that album, in some respects, came from Anderson’s obsession with the legend surrounding Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther. Goethe was depressed, and as his character plumbed the depths of despair Goethe found the clarity to put things in perspective and turn his life around. Anderson, who’d been working through personal struggles of much lower stakes, completed the album and went on to tour extensively and to meet his now-wife.

Married and working as an English teacher, Anderson entered a new phase of his maturation with The Frontman, his first country effort. His ode to small towns, All the Lies That I Have Told, followed in 2021 as Anderson continued to grind, achieving small victories through sheer grit. “If you work hard and make good stuff, people may notice,” he says. “But if you aren’t afraid of being told ‘no,’ you never know what will come of asking.” That mindset led to Ty Bentli premiering the band’s single “Willie Nelson” on his Apple Radio show in 2021, a slot at 2022’s Salmonfest in Alaska, and even a cameo in Matt Battaglia’s 2023 graphic novel House on Fire. And he’s far from done. His next album, Hold Tight Together, is yet another evolution.

Anderson sought outside production for the first time on this effort — collaborator Kiel Williams — and decided to look inward instead of at strangers on the train. His daughter inspired the gorgeously sentimental song “Sticker,” about a heart-shaped sticker that was torn in two, and his daughter’s sweet request for him to fix it. And then there’s the rich, resonant album opener, “Dreams,” which deals with having bad dreams about someone you love — and realizing that those phantasmagorias are merely reflections of your own insecurities.

“Well” is Anderson’s favorite track on the EP, a bittersweet song about “having faith that things will work out in spite of ample evidence that it might not,” he says. “Part of it is in appreciation to my wife and family that there’s always support. Yeah, this is hard, and I don’t have any answers, but we’ve got each other and thank God you believe in this silly dream I have.” That theme continues with “Gleam,” which is about getting older. “I’m almost 40 and I’m in a small town,” Anderson says. “I love my life, but some of the dreams are starting to drift away — and that’s okay.” Love is the central theme of the album, though — love for family, for music, for life. That’s encapsulated in “Blanket,” a “silly love song” about Anderson’s wife that he wrote while he and the dog tried to figure out how to pass the time while she and the kids were out of state for a couple of weeks.

Anderson kicks off 2024 with the nostalgic single “The Guy Who Brings The Yo-Yos To Your Elementary School,” which harks back to the story songs that established Anderson’s identity as a musician. In it, he recalls the professional yo-yoers who visited school assemblies, selling toys under the guise of teaching kids about perseverance. “It started off being about how much I hated this guy, but ended up being a thinly veiled metaphor about me,” Anderson says, then adds, “I should clarify that, despite what a commenter on YouTube believed, I am not actually the yo-yo guy.” The gig might not always be glamorous, and, yes, being an entertainer has its ups and downs — but, in the end, once you find something you love that keeps you dreaming, you don’t let it go.

Music and Lyrics by Grover Anderson
Except Yo-Yo (Music by Grover Anderson & Marshall Henry)

Performed by Grover Anderson (Vocals & Acoustic Guitar), Kiel Williams (Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel, Cello, Mandolin, & Keys), Dave Duggan (Bass), Josh Certo (Drums), Owen Ragland (Fiddle on Blanket, Well, Gleam, & Yo-Yo), Austin Broder (Fiddle on Dreams & Sticker), Marshall Henry (Guitar & Keys on Yo-Yo), Nathan Semprebon (Vocals on Dreams & Gleam), Jimbo Scott (Vocals on Gleam), and Graham Richards (Keys on Live Tracks)

Produced, Engineered, and Mixed by Kiel Williams
Mastered by Richard Dodd

Artwork by Jessica Jewel

“‘Dreams’ is not merely a chronicle of fear and anxiety – it’s also a powerful testament to the transformative power of vulnerability and trust.”
—B-Side Guys

Dreams

We were standing on the highway
Cars raced by on either side
No one stopped or yelled it felt a little strange
In the heavy metal hurricane
I took your hand in mine
Held you close, we watched the world change
To a desert, to an ocean, to a valley, still we knew
If we let go, we’d be struck there in the road
So when you pulled away and disappeared into the traffic
I was screaming out your name when I awoke

I don’t sleep, you give me bad dreams
And I’m losing track of what they mean
I know a version of you with the keys
To my every insecurity
And you’ve no responsibility

I was thrust upon the stage
But I’d forgotten every word
So I improvised and nobody could tell
As I accepted praise
My stomach twisted and it churned
This pretender felt worse than if he’d failed

And I finally picked you out amongst the blurry-faced crowd
You smiled, but you wouldn’t say a thing
I begged you to be honest; you just cast your eyes down
It took me half the day to shake that sting

I don’t sleep, you give me bad dreams
And I’m losing track of what they mean
I know a version of you with the keys
To my every insecurity
And you’ve no responsibility

I don’t sleep, you give me bad dreams
And I’m losing track of what they mean
I know a version of you with the keys
To my every insecurity

I don’t sleep, but can you blame me?
I can hold you in reality
There’s a version of you that believes
In me even when I don’t believe
That I’m worth the love you’ve given me
Tell me who could ever fall asleep?

Blanket

Take the fastest route home, honey; I’ll be here waiting up
The fire might be weak, but I’ll keep it going with a little luck
On a night so cold you can almost see your prayers
I spent ten nights without you; eleven’s one I can’t bear

The dog’s been running circles round the house each afternoon since you’ve been gone
Sometimes when I’m dreaming I pretend that I can feel you in my arms
But tonight I’ll hear the tumblers turn and thank the Lord for answering my prayers
If we never leave this bedroom, honey babe I don’t care

Hangin on to my phone, like a puppy to her toy
When you’re gone, there’s a blanket over the speakers playing my favorite song
My favorite song
My favorite song: My darlin’s coming home

So heater high and windows down, honey; taste that cool night air
Crank up your speakers, let that country music drive you here
If you sing it out and mean it, it almost counts as prayer
When I hear the front door creaking I can wake up from this nightmare

Hangin on to each record here reminding me of you
When you’re gone, there’s a blanket over the speakers playin my favorite song
My favorite song
My favorite song: my darlin’s coming home

Waking up I tell myself “Come on, you’re gonna make it”
Then I count the hours until you’re home
Something ’bout a bond this strong, it’s difficult to break it
Thought I’d done with going to bed alone

But I’m hangin on to this pillow like a talisman of you
When you’re gone, there’s a blanket over the speakers playin my favorite song
My favorite song
My favorite song: my darlin’s coming home
Oh there’s a blanket over the speaker playin my favorite song
My darlin’s coming home

Well

Corey left town in December
He couldn’t move the grapes that he’d grown
I guess he held onto his land in the hope
That the county would let him build homes
Since he’s been gone there’s been rumbling
The neighborhood’s empty inside
No one will say it aloud, but we all have been
Wondering if the well’s gone dry

Buying this place felt like building
The backdrop for life’s in-between
We knew it wasn’t worth nothing
Four walls and a roof and a dream
But we’ve outgrown our young machinations
Three babies will open your eyes
What good’s a dream if you can’t get to sleep? Stay up
Wondering if the well’s gone dry

Now you don’t blame the others for leaving
It’s scarcer than ever for faith
If the fires don’t take us and the mortgage don’t break us
Lord knows we’ve learned how to wait
But I never learned how to fail gracefully
And I don’t think I could if I tried
So we’ll give it our best as our spirits grow restless
Wondering if the well’s gone dry

It’s hard to value investments
In passion and patience and time
They’ve got their pressures that they gotta measure
And we sure as hell got yours and mine
The mouths that need feeding are hungry
So our dreams take their place on the side
But we don’t ignore them; so long we’ve lived for them
Wondering if the well’s gone dry

Now you don’t blame the others for leaving
It’s scarcer than ever for faith
If the fires don’t take us and the mortgage don’t break us
Lord knows we’ve learned how to wait
But I never learned how to fail gracefully
And I don’t think I could if I tried
So we’ll give it our best as our spirits grow restless
Wondering if the well’s gone dry

You knew what you had signed up for
You fell for the fool that I am
Held back your blame, never asked me to change
Despite the load left in your hands
I aim to reward your virtue
Cause God knows that you’ve tried
I’ll do my best to make sure that you’re never left
Wondering if the well’s gone dry
What good’s a dream if you can’t get to sleep? Stay up
Wondering if the well’s gone dry

Sticker

Daddy can you fix my heart?
It’s torn in two
Mommy just gave me this sticker and I messed it up
Can you fix my heart?
I made a mistake
I didn’t know how easy it was for things to get this rough

Sometimes it’s so simple
Get some tape, or maybe glue
And hold tight together, a few more seconds than you’d think
Sometimes it takes longer
Then it’s best to walk away
There’ll always be more strength there than it seems

Daddy can you fix my heart?
I’m only seventeen
How can I feel like my world’s about to end?
He tore me apart
I gave him everything
Need something besides his arms to put me back again

Sometimes it’s so simple
Get some tape, or maybe glue
And hold tight together, a few more seconds than you’d think
Sometimes it takes longer
Then it’s best to just walk away
There’ll always be more strength there than it seems

Daddy can you fix my heart?

Daddy can you fix my heart?
Cause I can’t let go
Where am I supposed to turn when your time is through?
I learned it all by heart
Many years ago
But one more time I need to hear it from you

Sometimes it’s so simple
Get some tape, or maybe glue
And hold tight together, a few more seconds than you’d think
Sometimes it takes longer
Then it’s best to just walk away
There’ll always be more strength there than it seems

Daddy can you fix my heart?

Gleam

Pardon me I need to see the stage
Need a place to learn to act my age
Need space to pay for all the ways I’ve misbehaved
Need a place to pray

Oh, carry us please
Bear up our dreams
When they’ve got nowhere to go
We’re losing our gleam
But still we believe
Though the world says no

I’m here to live, not populate
Not fit to settle, lookin down on all we’ve made
I’m getting bored of finding peace in all I see
Everybody’s dying,
Hell if we’re gonna go out quietly

Oh, carry us please
Bear up our dreams
When they’ve got nowhere to go
We’re losing our gleam
But still we believe
Though the world says no

And if we only break a little
If we accept that edges fray
If we’re free to reconsider every pattern that we’ve made
We can mend these threads together
Find a shine among our seams
The light’s so goddamn bright that it can shine for you and me
And everyone who’s trying to claim their piece
Everybody’s gotta claim their piece
Everybody’s dying, hell if we’re gonna go out quietly

Oh, carry us please (Oh light, shine down on me)
Bear up our dreams (I believe in seizing)
When they’ve got nowhere to go (This golden jubilee)
We’re losing our gleam (Won’t go out quietly)
But still we believe though the world says no

Yo-Yo

I am the guy who brings the yo-yos to your elementary school
You sit cross legged in the gym
Me and my headset mic will wow your friends with ball bearings and string
And you can buy one on a whim
For only 16 of your parents’ hard earned dollars
I will teach you how to walk the dog and sleep all on your own
Then at 3:15 I’ll pack the unsold Fireballs into my trunk
And Breakaway to my next hotel home

I’ve loved fourteen third grade teachers in eleven different counties
All along the I-5 corridor, and still
None of that compares to watching eyes fill up with wonder
Dreaming they can bend this plastic to their will
This can’t last forever, but it don’t get much better
Guess I have to hope that it will

When I was nineteen a recruiter showed up at my college
After my last basketball game
She said “Congrats you’re done with JuCo
“Hey I loved the way you positively motivate your team
“I bet in three months I can harness your dexterity
And teach you all the fine points of our spiel.”
She was right and by the time that I turned twenty
I spoke daily and expensed all of my meals

Now I’m 32 and I can sleepwalk through my speech
Even hungover I can hit all of my moves
But every parent hates me and nobody wants to date
The Pied Piper of public elementary schools
This can’t last forever, but it don’t get much better
I don’t know what else I can do

Like a vampire, for the kids’ attention, thriving on their stupid questions
Roll your eyes—their love’s so fucking true
Could I live a life that’s stable? Punch the clock and rock the cradle?
Is this string around me like a noose?
This can’t last forever, but it don’t get much better
I don’t know what else I can do
I don’t know what else I can do