BG Plays Live!
The studio albums tell one side of the story. This is the other - Brian Grace on stage across decades, genres, bands, and more than one presidential appearance. Photos, footage, and the stories behind the performances.
🏅 The Army Band Years
Seven total years serving as a U.S. Army musician - the most demanding and rarely talked-about chapter of Brian's early musical life. He played in multiple incarnations: Concert Band, Marching Band, Stage Band, and Jazz Combo - from Fort Dix, New Jersey to the Presidio of San Francisco, with a six-month world tour in between. No overdubs and no undo button.
Then & Now(ish) - The 6th Army Band at the Presidio
Presidio of San Francisco Parade Field · 1993. More than a half a century later, Brian joins the tradition on saxophone, marching in Army fatigues marching and playing with the 6th Army Band for an official military ceremony, one of dozens he played there during his 3-year stint.
The 6th U.S. Army Band has stood watch at the Presidio of San Francisco since the 1930's. Pictured here is the band in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge still under construction in the background.
Brian’s unit in 1994, sitting on the steps of the Presidio of San Francisco Band Hall. 57 years after that first photo. Same institution. Same pride. Same music. The faces change, but the 6th Army band legacy endures.
Aerial view of Brian's workplace from 1992-1995. The building on the left is the 6th Army Band building. For physical training, band members would jog down and touch the Golden Gate Bridge and back for physical training.