Blasting their way out of the American central states with the intensity of a wrecking ball smashing through concrete is St. Louis, Missouri’s 13 Grit.
Since first joining forces in 2020, the band includes Sean Quidgeon (guitars), Nick Elmore (lead vocals), Brian Shifferdecker (bass), and Ryan Riggs (drums). Despite being together for relatively a short period of time, 13 Grit have already begun to assemble a loyal following across the North American continent with their unique and killer sound joined by a fierce devotion to their art. I recently chatted with Sean about the juggernaut 13 Grit is rapidly becoming.
Mark St. John: 13 Grit underwent a line-up change. What caused Jeff Di Sabato’s departure and how did you hook up with Nick?
Sean Quidgeon: Jeff did an awesome job on one track while we were recording songs for our new album, but he stalled on the others. Unfortunately, there was no other alternative for him but to leave us. I used to perform with Nick in a band called Dust and Bones. We actually began to work on 13 Grit together a few years ago but the timing wasn’t right due to other circumstances going on in our lives at that point. Lucky for us he was available to join now.

MSJ: Please tell us about your new release “Let’s Hear It for Rock & Roll”. How has the reception been towards it regarding sales and media coverage?
SQ: Honestly? this album was a nightmare to complete. Along with Jeff’s struggles in the studio and bringing Nick to replace him, I believe there were far too many people involved with it, and recording our tracks remotely from different states didn’t sit well with us. However, we are very proud of the songs and our fans really seem to like them also.
MSJ: Glad to see this band will be donating the sales of your single “13” towards supporting veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Even though I’m a Canadian, I fiercely believe that a nation should stand up and assist not only those who served and fought for it -but also their families. What inspired you to take this initiative?
SQ: Every member of this band is proud to support the Military so I thought it would be cool to write a song for their cause. Songs 4 Soldiers in St. Louis have been very helpful to us in sorting out money that “13” has raised so far and distributing funds accordingly. I would have preferred donating to these families directly, but we figured that it might end up becoming a nightmare to accomplish ourselves.
MSJ: In addition to 13 Grit, you also perform with Pink Velvet Krush. What’s new and exciting on that side of the fence?
SQ: Pink Velvet Krush is just doing select shows here and there. We talked about writing and recording more music but sadly it never seems to happen.
MSJ: What can I expect from 13 Grit in concert should I ever have an opportunity to attend one?
SQ: Tons of energy combined with an intense love for the audience.
MSJ: Before we end this interview Sean, what are 13 Grit’s goals for 2022?
SQ: Currently writing new songs for a soon-to-be-released EP and then work on a full-length album that will be available by the end of that particular year. As you can see, there is no shortage of music for us!
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