Griz

We absolutely love GRiZ and we're not even a little bit sorry about it. Grant Kwiecinski took a saxophone, a laptop, and the entire history of Detroit funk and soul, threw them all in a blender, and created something that makes you dance and smile and occasionally get emotional all at the same time. Nobody else on the planet sounds like this. Nobody has even come close to replicating what he does.

Coming up out of the Detroit music scene, GRiZ has built his whole career around the idea that electronic music should make you feel good. Not just head-nodding good - full-body, jumping-around, hugging-strangers-in-the-crowd, calling-your-mom-after-the-show good. His albums blend live saxophone (he absolutely rips on sax, by the way) with bass-heavy electronic production, funk grooves, and the occasional hip-hop feature, creating this genre-defying sound that works equally well at both intimate venues and massive festival main stages.

The live show is where GRiZ reaches another level entirely that the recordings can only hint at. He'll play sax solos that go on for minutes and give you chills, bring out surprise guests nobody expected, drop unreleased tracks, and generally treat every single show like it's a celebration of being alive. His fans (the GRiZfam) are some of the warmest, most welcoming people in the entire festival community, and the energy at every show reflects that openness and joy. It's less a concert and more a family reunion with really, really good music. The annual GRiZMAS shows in Detroit are legendary charity events that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the community, which tells you everything about who this guy really is.

If you want to see an artist who genuinely embodies joy and channeled it into a genre-bending live experience that changes people, GRiZ is essential. Find shows on Evil Tickets and get ready to dance. And cry happy tears. Always happy tears with GRiZ.