I think one of the most perplexing things to deal with right now, is the absolute inability for anyone on the planet to possibly keep up with all the music that is being put out. Recorded music is veritably exploding. Mind you, some people do it because it is self satisfying. Others have stars in their eyes, and will do anything it takes to get there. Still others crave the chase of artistry that they would want to define them at the end of the day. So it amazes me, when I read up on particular bands, that they have been at it for a long time, and have multiple albums out. Such is the case with Six Mile Grove.
They call Lyle, Minnesota home...for generations. They revere the land, family, and love and creation. The band was founded in 1997 by brothers Brandon and Brian Sampson, along with Barry Nelson and Dezi Wallace. Steel Mule, their latest, is their sixth album. The band has spent the last three years honing the crafts of storytelling and songwriting as members of the Americana Music Association, and attending the annual Americana Music Festival & Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Not long after their first AMA conference, SMG began hosting "Americana Showcases" in southeastern Minnesota, which attracts musicians from across the state and even the rest of the country into smaller communities that aren’t usually on the radar of larger musical acts.
Videographer David Dennison, from Delano, Minnesota, spent two days in Lyle during the harvest, and created this marvelous portrait of life there. It includes Brandon Sampson's 87-year old grandfather who is still an active farmer, and waves of golden grain from the heartland.
- Jessie Scott
