Draft:Lespecial (band)

lespecial is an American power trio from Northwestern Connecticut. The band members include guitarist/keys/vocalist Jonathan "Jonny G" Grusauskas, bassist Luke Bemand, and drummer/vocalist Rory Dolan. lespecial has been carving their sonic path through the jam-band community. It has been considered that they are the rebels of the Jam scene and bring a fresh signature blend of "heavy future grove"

"The band’s signature blend of “heavy future groove” combines headbanging metal riffage and surgical rhythmic precision with bone shaking 808s, sub synths and ethereal vocal stylings for a dance floor that welcomes moshing, dancing and hip swaying alike. Listeners are taken on a journey to the musical netherworld through esoteric soundscapes punctuated by raw, primal power."

Early Years
lespecial was formed in Northwest CT in 2005 by 3 high school friends Jonathan Grusauskas "Jonny G" (Guitar/Vocals), Luke Bemand (Bass/Vocals) and Rory Dolan (Drums/Vocals). Bemand and Dolan grew up together since childhood. They have always been influenced by Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde and Tim Alexander of Primus. Grusauskas attended and graduated from Bennington College 2005-2010. He studied under Milford Graves. Bemand and Dolan both attended and graduated from Berkley College Of Music 2005-2010.

Touring
From 2005-2010 lespecial would play weekend shows in the Northeastern region. After graduating college the band went to tour throughout the United States. Other dates-present include opening for Umphrey's McGee, Lotus, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, The Motet. On June 17th, 2022 lespecial performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO as direct support for Umphrey's Mcgee.

lespecial has attended and performed at music festivals including Summer Camp Music Festival, Jam Cruise, Sonic Bloom , Northlands Must & Arts , Camp Bisco.

Le Getaway
In October 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, lespecial hosted a socially-distanced event at Club Getaway resort in the Bekshire Moutains in Kent, CT. . The event is described as an intimate cabin event. It has been re-occurring every year since then.

Le Getaway is headlined by two sets of lespecial and has featured TAUK, Eggy, Honeycomb, West End Blend, Club d'Elf ft. Rob Compa of Dopapod , and Sunsquabi.

Recordings
lespecial has 5 studio recorded albums and 5 recorded singles.

December 31st, 2020 lespecial streamed their "Ancient Homies NYE Blast Off" video. The video was sponsored by Cannabrush which featured highly immersive audio and visual experience powered by Audio Spectrum. It is considered one of the most marketed and viewed lespecial videos during the pandemic.

March 12th, 2021 lespecial streamed and performed Primus's debut album Frizzle Fry. As Primus is a HUGE influence on the band, they viewed it as a great honor to challenge themselves by learning and performing the album in its entirety during the pandemic.

September 29th, 2023 lespecial released their fan favorite live song, "Lungs of the Planet" complimented with a music video filmed at Catalyst Stage at ESPN headquarters in Connecticut.

Studio Albums

 * Ceremony (2015)
 * Omnisquid (2015)
 * Cheen (2017)
 * Ancient Homies (2020)
 * Odd Times (2023)

Live Albums

 * 11/15/19 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO
 * 12/31/19 - Rams Head Live! - Baltimore, MD
 * 10/19/19 - lespectacle IX - Lincoln, RI
 * 2/26/20 - The Filmore - Philadelphia, PA
 * 6/25/20 - lespecial LIVE: Cheen Stream II
 * 10/9/20 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari LIVE
 * 6/17/20 - Live at Red Rocks

Singles

 * "Machine Elf" Ft. Chuck Morris of Lotus (2020)
 * "The Vessel" (2020)
 * "Enter the Homieverse" (2022)
 * "Lungs of the Planet" (2023)
 * "Rays" (2023)

Other appearances
In December 2022, lespecial and Mike Dillon announced a new collaboration titled "Fackin' A". Dillon is a percussionist has been referred to as the mallet master. He is a member of Critters Buggin, Les Claypool's Fancy Band and Garage A Trois.