Prinz Grizzley

Tilda

Independent

In his journey, Prinz Grizzley has delivered a remarkable body of work, including the 2018 EP Wide Open Country and the celebrated albums 2018’s Come On In, 2020’s In My Green Mountain Home, and 2024’s Dear Leftovers. His live performances have carved a solid presence in the music scene, enchanting festival crowds and audiences across Ireland, England, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Italy. In 2018, Grizzley made a significant mark on US stages, performing at SXSW in Austin and AmericanaFest in Nashville, followed by 2024’s Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. An international milestone came with Seasick Steve’s “Can U Cook” tour, which featured Grizzley as the permanent support act through the most renowned venues across Europe and the U.K. In 2025 he played at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival, a crowning achievement as a world-class live performer.

The new album Tilda, released October 2, 2026, sees Grizzley leave the wide Americana trails to step closer to the listener. With these songs, the alpine storyteller takes a drastically stripped-back sonic path: he leaves behind the driving sound of a full Americana band and turns toward a dark, more intimate folk style.

Tilda traces autobiographical threads from the lives of his grandparents — of war, loss, and new beginnings in a time when securities were and remained fragile. The tracks connect these historical experiences with a present day that is once again shaped by uncertainty, upheaval, and a latent sense of catastrophe. In this tension between the past and the here and now, a work emerges that reflects vulnerability and resilience side by side, without romanticizing them.

The album opens with “Put Me Down (A Foreign Man),” as Grizzley sings, “I was traveling with a lonesome heart, too many miles away from home. Some man’s wife fell for my charm, by morning I was dead and gone. Put me down, put me down, put me down, put me down, put me down. Won’t you carry my body home, back to where I was born, watch for mountains above the road, there you bury my lonesome soul…and if you’re standing at my grave, remember the ones who have failed, no chance for me to be saved, darkness, dirt, wood and nails,” with Grizzley on banjo and vocals.

“A Rose on Garbage Hill (The Daughter)” features Grizzley as he chimes, “They’ll never learn to treat her right, all her life a constant fight. The pain she faced made her grow strong. She prays for dark days to be gone. This place feels like hell on earth, she never knew if she’s blessed or cursed. In a place like this, dreams won’t fulfill, for a lonely rose on a garbage hill. She has never been dumb and realized real quick, don’t throw pearls, instead use bricks. Stick to what and to who you are. Cause you’re the one who’ll lead you far. With bags and dreams right out the door, she never felt that good before. Now she sings her tune and the world stands still, for the lonely rose from garbage hill,” with Grizzley on acoustic and electric guitars and vocals; Johannes Bischof, pedal steel and mandolin; Andreas Tschofen, organ and keys; Claude Meier, bass; Andreas Wettstein, drums and background vocals; and Heidi Caviezel, background vocals.

Unfortunately, I can’t find the lyrics for “Dance of the Shovel (The Foreign Son),” although Grizzley plays acoustic guitar and banjo and sings the vocal, while Johannes Bischof plays mandolin; Claude Meier, bass; Martin Grabherr, percussion; and Lukas Morre, horns.

On “Reign On, Queen of Mountains (A Price to Pay),” Grizzley chants, “Reign on, reign on, queen of mountains don’t be blue. They strip you naked, bare to the bones, your sons your daughters. Blow up and burn their green home. Your sons and your daughters, where did they go wrong. Reign on, reign on, queen of mountains don’t be blue, they tear your heart out, not knowing what they do…It ain’t all lost, a glimpse of hope to see. Queen of mountains. Let’s teach our children to leave you be, queen of mountains, let’s take your chains off and set you free.” Written by C.H. Comper, the song was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Anton Loitsch at Nautilus Studios in Dornbirn, Austria. Grizzley plays acoustic guitar and banjo and sings the vocal, with Johannes Bischof, mandolin; Claude Meier, bass; and Andreas Wettstein, drums.

“A Mountain to Be Tamed (The Struggling)” features Grizzley as he cries out, “Look up yonder, there I’ll go again. Leaving this mean town, I failed to make a stand. I came here to start anew with big plans for myself, but again I stumbled over the bottle on the shelf. Everywhere I go there’s a mountaind to be tamed, there’s a fire to be stolen, there’s a sinner, there’s a saint. Everywhere I go there’s trouble finding me, there’s a devil waiting, waiting in me. I wish I had the blue eyes, I could dream myself into, but mostly I get lonesome, cause love never comes true. All the goodness inside of me is seldom to be found, cause meanness made money and then it got me down.”

On “Moon Over Green Mountains (Falling in Love),” Grizzley wails, “Moon over green mountains guide me through the night. Moon over green mountains lead your silv’ry light. While the hers is lowin’, you’re so near it seems, light the lonely prairie, while the cowboy dreams, while the cowboy dreams,” with Grizzley on acoustic guitar and vocals; Johannes Bischof, pedal steel guitar; Andreas Tschofen, organ and keys; bassist Claude Meier; drummer Andreas Wettstein; backing vocalist Heidi Caviezel; and horn players Jodok Lingg, Cenk Dogan, and Lukas Morre.

“The Calling (Settling Down)” features Grizzley on acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, organ, keys, and vocals as he howls, “When you hear them bells ringing, high and low. Lay down your work, it’s time to go. Gather the children, bring the wagon, fetch the horse. Let’s all follow the calling of our Lord. Let’s all follow the calling of our Lord.”

On “Pull Me Up (Not Everything Is Perfect),” Grizzley declares, “Pull me up we reached the bottom of each other’s cup. Sip by sip was not enough, you drank it all in one go. We reached the top Now going down is all we got. Found ourselves ripped apart, by our mighty brawl. Down is where your heart is broke, and the moon won’t light the night. Up is where somebody cares. If you are still alive. We went down, down, down, down and up. Talk too much, when a single word would be enough. Too proud to play by the rules of love. Gambling with a wrecking ball. Down is where all dreams ran out, and a cool breeze hits my face. Up is where you turn around, and once more try to stay,” with Grizzley on acoustic guitar and vocals; Johannes Bischof, pedal steel guitar; and Claude Meier, bass.

“The Long March (Troubled Times Ahead)” is a second song where, unfortunately, I could not capture the lyrics. Grizzley plays acoustic guitar and takes the vocals, with Johannes Bischof, pedal steel guitar; Claude Meier, bass; and Andreas Wettstein, drums; along with the horns of Jodok Lingg, Cenk Dogan, and Lukas Morre.

On “WW II (Surviving),” Grizzley confides, “They came in the morning, took me straight out of bed. The call for duty is DeVine, that’s what they said. Dressed me in green, then made me understand. Only two ways to return, as a hero or dead man. I recognize some neighbors, some fresh from school. Panic in their faces, no need to act a fool. How could I believe freedom comes on wings and chimes? It comes with blood, guts, bullets and the smell of turpentine. Tilda, here I stand, Tilda, here I die. A witness, as the whole world losing it’s mind. I haven’t fired my weapon yet, I’m keeping it under control. It shields my body, but it’s devouring my soul. Will I have to kill, take another man’s life? I’ll do anything it takes to see you again, my wife…Made it back home in early ‘55. I walked across the French mountains guiding by moonlight. Shivering, my shoes were gone, as was my pride. My bones will recover, not sure about my mind.” Grizzley plays acoustic guitar and sings the vocal.

“Guess I Need Protection (Homecoming)” features Grizzley as he belts out, “Is it foggy here or does my mind play me tricks? There’ve been times when things were easy to fix. I could use a bit of everything. Alcohol, pills or bad medicine. Roll me in and let me sleep, in your arms in silence I’ll weep. I guess I need protection, from the world around me. The black angel of death may knock upon my door. I’ll greet him, I am ready as ready as never before. He shall do what hr thinks is best for me. Put me up on the hill and then I’ll rest in peace…Don’t deny the picture, I know you are able to see. These cold and dark thoughts coming again, they started to defreeze. So put up the heat, let me lie on my back. Let me close my eyes and shortly I’ll be back on track,” with Grizzley, acoustic guitar and vocals; Bischof, pedal steel guitar; bassist Meier; and drummer Wettstein.

“Bridge Shuffle (Death of a Boy)” is a third song where I could not obtain the lyrics. Featured are Grizzley on acoustic guitar, organ, keys, and vocals; bassist Meier; and drummer-percussionist Wettstein.

On the title track, “Tilda Lee (Processing a Loss),” Grizzley bursts, “I can still see our first-born Jack, running with the dogs down the railroad tracks. The pain of a mother don’t just roll away, She gave herself to the Lord ever since that day. Tilda Le, my wife, my queen, it’s hard but I need you back. Tilda, don’t give jup on me, there’s still some life ahead. Tilda, I know, but leave Jesus on that cross and learn to let go…No alarm went off, when we found them drugs. While fetching firewood, hidden ‘neath logs. He lied to our faces, said he three them away, but the only thing that flew was a boy from the bridge that day. Tilda Lee, oh can’t you see, no prayer will bring him back…leave Jesus on that cross and learn to let go,” with Grizzley, banjo and vocals; Bischof, pedal steel and mandolin; bassist Meier; drummer Wettstein; and percussionist Grabherr.

On the closer, “Watch Me Rising (Rest Baby My Old Heart),” Grizzley croons, “Seems I came here for nothing, awareness drew a line, pavement is gone and busted, find myself running out of time. Busted, burned out and weary. Pull the trigger and I will blast way up in the horizon. You’ll see me laughing at last. Watch me rising, watch me rising, watch me rising, to discover nothing at all when the curtain falls,” with Grizzley, acoustic guitar and vocals; Bischof, pedal steel; Tschofen, organ and keys; Meier, bass; drummer Wettstein; horn players Lingg, Dogan, and Morre; and backing vocalist Caviezel.

Americana songsmith Prinz Grizzley’s new album takes elements of dark Appalachian folk and bluegrass. It’s a concept album about the life of Tilda, his grandmother, occasionally bleak and intense with sparks of hope spread throughout. It’s an album that feels like a rainy day, where the fog parts just in time to watch the sunset behind the mountains. From his Austrian Alps forest home, Chris Comper, a.k.a. Prinz Grizzley, gives us an album vibrating with soulful edginess.

Richard Ludmerer

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