Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades is a bluegrass band with a spark of energy that keeps fans returning for more. Described as “modern day cowboys on some kind of strange journey,” the band met in college in 2010, and they’ve been on that strange journey ever since.

It all started when five friends met at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. “We hit it off and began playing house parties and local taverns,” says Adam Greuel, guitarist and vocalist for the band. He is joined by Davey Lynch (harmonica, accordion, vocals), Collin Mettelka (fiddle, vocals), Samual Odin (bass, vocals), and Russell Pedersen (banjo, vocals).

“For a long time, people referred to us as 'the boys' or 'the band,' but there came a point when we had to fill out a piece of paper with the band name. Since we were in college, we did what felt natural – we threw a party and asked people to come up with band names.” Horseshoes and Hand Grenades rose to the top. “It felt appropriate, likely due to the old adage by Major League baseball player, coach, and manager Frank Robinson, ‘Close don’t count in baseball. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.’”

Adam says the band focuses on having a good time with music. “We are more of a conduit to having fun – we don’t feel it’s necessary to be so serious all the time. While we do care about our performance, always doing our best to present the best show possible, we always want people at our shows to have fun.”

Until their families began growing and some band members had children, everyone in the band was a full-time musician. “For about ten years, it was everybody’s sole job. Now, most of the guys have day jobs, and we do about forty shows a year. I think that because of that, we are better than ever,” says Adam. “When you allow something to breathe a bit, as we allowed the band to breathe, it allows it to flourish. We are all so enthusiastic about every show.”

Progressive, and at the same time, old-timey, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades feeds off the collective energy of playing around a single mic. The diverse musical backgrounds of each band member bring something to the mix, giving the music a uniqueness that sets them apart. Since their first show in 2010, the band has shared the stage with bluegrass luminaries including the Travelin' McCourys, Railroad Earth, Infamous Stringdusters, Yonder Mountain String Band, Charlie Parr, .357 String Band, and many others. Their inspiration comes from good friends, good drink, and life’s never-ending adventures.

The band has recorded six studio albums, beginning with Another Round in 2012, This Old Town in 2013, followed by Middle Western in 2015. 2016 they produced a concert album, Live at 2016 Peach Music Festival. They returned to the studio in 2018 to record The Ode in 2018, followed by Miles in Blue in 2020, which included eighteen original songs recorded in Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, where Nirvana recorded In Utero. Their most recent album, For Old Time’s Sake, was released in 2022.

But wait, there’s more. A new album was recorded in September. “We recorded in Hill Country in Wisconsin, where I live now,” says Adam. “I have a home studio where we can record now, and it’s super exciting. To me, this is some of the best stuff we’ve done so far.” The album, yet to be named, will be released in 2026. In the meantime, the band continues to tour. “We do largely shows in the Midwest, and we’ll do festivals in the summer of 2026.”