Indie Mixtape 20: Great Grandpa Get A Little Country On ‘Patience, Moonbeam’

Rachel Bennett Great Grandpa talks Hilary Duff, vegan BLTs, sleeping on a commune in Oregon, and more in our latest Q&A.

Mar 26, 2025 - 17:24

Indie Mixtape 20: Great Grandpa Get A Little Country On ‘Patience, Moonbeam’

Great Grandpa Band Photos — Rachel Bennett

In an indie-rock landscape where everyone’s getting twangier and twangier, seldom does a band come along that subtly nods to alt-country rather than diving in headfirst. Great Grandpa’s third album, Patience, Moonbeam, dishes up flourishes like the plucky banjo in “Ladybug” and the stomping cadence in “Kiss The Dice,” but augments those details with thick guitar distortion and crashing choruses.

It’s fitting that this album marks the band’s move from the folk-inclined Double Double Whammy to hardcore bastion Run For Cover. Similar to how Alex G put songs like “Bobby” and “Brick” on the same album, Great Grandpa apply that interdisciplinary stylization to their first album in over five years.

Ahead of the album’s release on Friday, the group sat down with Uproxx to talk about Hilary Duff, vegan BLTs, sleeping at a commune in Oregon, and more in our latest Q&A.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Cam: It’s kind of wild to think that our music might still be listened to 25+ years from now. Maybe it will be new music from us in 2050! In any case, I hope it would mean that people formed their own lasting connections to the songs, whether because of a fun show we played or discovering our music at a time when it meant something to them. We put music out there and then it becomes what it becomes, I think. Hopefully some elements of our music that might be present and/or persist would be: melodically compelling, thoughtful arrangements, emotionally evocative, and an openness toward growth and experimentation.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Cam: The last thing I Googled was “Port Townsend cafe” because my girlfriend and I took a weekend trip there.

If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?

Cam: I would donate one million dollars to support trans rights because trans people deserve to be safe, valued, and loved. Trans rights are human rights. I would direct the funds to trans-led organizations and mutual aid groups working to build power, strengthen legal protections, health care, housing, end gender-based violence, provide resources, and cultivate joy and liberation.

What is your pre-show ritual?

Cam: Nothing particularly elaborate. Ideally: eat a couple hours before our set. Take a walk if I can for a bit of time to myself. Stay hydrated. Do a bit of visualization of the songs. Set up my snare, cymbals, and get the drums just right. Take a moment off stage before we walk out to form a circle with my bandmates and get excited for our set. Then go!

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Pat: Technically not “a” person, but The Beatles as a group have always been a north star for me in terms of marrying melodic sensibility with constant evolution and experimentation.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

Pat: A commune/hot springs in Oregon. We unfortunately became witnesses to some NSFW activities in the pools and then were awoken in the middle of the night to a man screaming while wandering amongst the tents.

What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?

Pat: My hope is that it will never be capable of capturing the idiosyncrasies of truly great musicians and that listeners will continue to prioritize human creators. That said, there is something really impressive about its ability to mimic more formulaic genres.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Pat: Hilary Duff. The Disney Channel was always on at our house as kids, and I liked how clumsy she was.

Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.

Al: I have a bad long-term memory for these types of things, but I got to see Angelo De Augustine this last year at Barnsdall Gallery (put on by Sid The Cat). I was so enamored; it was one of those experiences that felt like a time warp. Angelo’s music has been something of a tool for soothing, so I think I naturally felt at ease, something that’s not always easy to come by for me in large crowds.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Al: This is going to sound cliché, but for good reason: listen to your inner voice. I spent so much of my life brushing off my internal monologue and dismissing myself, and so I spent so much of my life in discomfort and confusion.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?

Al: I’m not sure any part of social media brings me joy, but my favorite person to follow is probably Caleb Hearon. I think he may be the funniest person I’ve ever heard speak in my life.

What is your biggest fear?

Al: To be so unfortunately real with you, my biggest fear right now is what is happening in the US, I fear for the safety of trans people everywhere and especially trans children. I fear for migrants and anyone living under the threat of I.C.E. I am terrified for what is to come.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Dylan: Petrichor, gamboge, eburnean, granite.

What song never fails to make you emotional?

Dylan: “715 – CRΣΣKS” by Bon Iver.

What’s one of your hidden talents?

Dylan: I can do a pretty good Marge Simpson impression.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

Dylan: I got to meet one of my favorite comic artists, KC Green (of “This Is Fine” dog fame) at a convention and asked him to draw me a tattoo. He seemed kind of frazzled by it but drew me a little caterpillar drinking a soda pop, and I love it quite a bit.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?

Carrie: I have a lasting obsession with a cafe in Milwaukee called Beerline Cafe and specifically their vegan BLT (on sourdough add smoked gouda).

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?

Carrie: I always love our shows in Chicago. I would love to perform in Tokyo!

You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.

Carrie: I would love to host an acoustic festival in the Hoh Rain Forest. This is my magical chance to meet some greats so let’s go ahead and bring out The Beatles, Billie Holiday, Brandi Carlile, Stevie Wonder, and The Chicks.

You have a month off and the l resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?

Carrie: I’ve been dreaming of a trip to South America, especially exploring Patagonia. I would love to take my family when the kids are old enough to hike.

Patience, Moonbeam is out 3/28 via Run For Cover. Find more information here.