Nashville-based musician Jarod Grubb hails from Kalispell

Kalispell native Jarod Grubb released his new EP and music video “Tiki Bar on the Beach” earlier this month. The 1998 Flathead High School grad and rising singer/songwriter is based in Nashville where he’s played regularly for the Tootsies circuit, named for Music City’s most famous honky-tonk where such country superstars as Charlie Pride, Loretta Lynn and Willy Nelson have played and where today’s upcoming stars are groomed for fame. He’s also played at the posh Margaritaville Hotel in downtown Nashville.

Before moving to Nashville in 2016, Grubb had an eye on building a professional career in baseball. Along with running track, he’d played baseball during high school with the Kalispell Lakers and then at the University of Portland where he graduated with a degree in international business. After college he played semi-pro baseball for a year and then came home and coached the Glacier Twins in 2006-2007. While baseball was a potential career path, Grubb said he wanted music to be fun. He’d enjoyed taking piano lessons since second grade in Kalispell.

“I picked up a guitar and started writing music when I was in college,” Grubb said. “Then I moved to Boise in 2015 and started the JGrubb Band. We played three to five nights every week.

In 2016 Grubb played for a Songwriter Showcase organized by Gary Tackett, country singer/songwriter Billy Currington’s lead guitar player.

“Tackett urged me to go to Nashville,” he said. “Three weeks later I quit my job and moved to Nashville.”

Tackett introduced him to producer Ron Cornelius who is well known for playing guitar on most of all of Bob Dylan’s records and touring with Leonard Cohen years back. Cornelius produced Grubb’s freshman album titled “Tonights Like That.”

“‘Tiki Bar on the Beach’ was actually the very first song I wrote after moving to Nashville,” Grubb said. I had just got a new house and I asked myself the question, ‘ What would I do if money wasn’t an issue? If I had a million dollars?’

“Well, I’d have a beach house or, kind of like in Chris Janson’s song, “Buy Me a Boat.”

“Tiki Bar on the Beach” definitely has that carefree, toes in the sand, drink in the hand beach vibe sound.

“I’ve always loved the beach and the water,” Grubb said. “Perhaps it was all those endless Montana winters. “I love the sea. I even love the humidity.”

Grubb still comes home for extended visits with family and friends. His dad owns O’Neil Printers in Kalispell. His mom also lives here, along with one of his brothers. He has two other siblings. An avid fly fisherman, in March he floated the Smith River with one his brothers. Local musician John Dunnigan and his son Andy Dunnigan who plays with the Missoula-based band The Lil Smokies are good friends.

But Grubb’s happy in Nashville.

“Nashville’s been so great, it’s been the best,” he said. “I feel quite lucky.”

Grubb is currently working on his next single, “What She’s Drinking On,” with plans for its release at the end of August.

You can listen to “Tiki Bar on the Beach” on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.