ABOUT REED (ON STAGE)
Reed started his musical journey in a way that very few people do. His parents, Steve Grimm and Colleen Raye, were the male and female lead singers of a traveling variety act that entertained people in resorts, casinos, state fairs, and lounges from coast to coast. As the couple had children, they added them to the show…and at the age of 2, Reed took the stage. His primary instrument continued to be the voice until his 12th birthday where he received his first drum set. Everyday after school his garage became his arena. Headphones on he played along with music he had heard throughout his life, gaining him the skills to join the middle school jazz band where he started playing with others for the first time. This sparked a love of jazz music that would land him as one of two drummers to play in the Wisconsin State Honors Jazz Band his senior year of high school. After high school he chose to attend college at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he was recruited to play in the top jazz band while persuing a degree in Percussion Performance. While in La Crosse he was scouted by regionally known horn band “Three Beers til’ Dubuque” to be their lead singer, giving him his first sense of professional performance outside of his family’s band. He went on to cofound other groups, most notably the band in which he started writing original music, Shoeless Revolution. Not only did Shoeless bring a first in writing music for Reed, it was also where he began lead singing from the drum set. Shoeless Revolution went on to release two original albums “Speak Up” and “From the Inside Out” touring until 2011 when an unsuspecting call from his older sister Jennifer changed the course of his life. On the phone she told him that she won a singing contest to get her to the front of the line for an American Idol audition, but she had missed the age requirements for the show. She was able to transfer the ticket to one person and chose Reed. After graciously accepting, he went to an audition which got him onto the show and propelled him to Live Television where he ended #14 on season 11 in 2012. The aftermath of his American Idol experience brought Reed many opportunities to travel and perform for concertgoers around the world including multiple trips overseas to entertain members of the US Military. His desire to continue to write music grew, and with the help of a successful Kickstarter he released his debut solo album “Reminders” in April of 2018.
ABOUT REED (OFF STAGE)
Reed’s earliest memories of charitable work are singing for the residents at the local nursing home in Ellsworth, WI with his family. Several times a year they would rally in the activity room where an upright piano sat in the corner to entertain those in attendance, bringing levity to what can be a somewhat heavy atmosphere. The reality that music can change someone’s day, and potentially their life was not wasted on Reed. This has been a driving factor of his creative journey, and a major purpose in why he continues to follow the inspiration of music. In a time where the world is becoming more obsessed with screens, where our attention can be highjacked by any number of things, inside and out, it seems that music has the ability to bring us into a present, shared experience in which we can release our mental baggage, even if just for a moment. With great power comes great responsibility, so Reed decided to focus his musical ability in collaborating with several non-profit organizations to help their missions flourish. In 2013 Reed joined a new Twin Cities based non-profit called Massive Amounts of Good (MAOG). This organization’s mission is to gather creatives and utilize the creative process itself to help other non-profits achieve their next goals, mainly in the area of food insecurity. To date, MAOG has connected dots which have raised thousands of dollars, and literally hundreds of tons of food for those in need. One of Reed’s favorite creative ventures is writing theme songs for non-profits to help get their good word to the masses. Working intimately with the organization’s leaders, Reed gets to know their mission in a way that allows him to write music that captures the energy of the group as well as the message they want to share. Another one of Reed’s favorite creative collaborations is working with children. He has gone to schools, homes, festivals, and hospitals performing and teaching music lessons as well as speaking to students about being kind, creative, and inclusive. Reed has seen the importance of positive reinforcement of these characteristics in the youth and is inspired to continue empowering students to empower themselves, and each other.
Click to hear/watch the songs in action!
Another one of Reed’s favorite creative collaborations is working with children. He has gone to schools, homes, festivals, and hospitals performing and teaching music lessons as well as speaking to students about being kind, creative, and inclusive. Reed has seen the importance of positive reinforcement of these characteristics in the youth and is inspired to continue empowering students to empower themselves, and each other.
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