Untethered is a collective led by Paul Giess (Ropeadope) playing what their drummer, Grant Calvin Weston (Ornette Coleman, John Modeski, Vernon Reid) calls “Spontaneous Creative Composition”. Their most recent album “Grasping for the Moon” was featured as album of the Day on Bandcamp in August 2025. Peter Margasak writes for Bandcamp Daily - "the music is in constant flux, opening up and tightening, cooling down and catching fire, riding stasis and exploding with hyperactive motion." The group plays a genre crossing style of improvisation that holds a deep pocketed funk next to intimate chamber music and the raw energy of a punk band next to a sensitive ballad. Fresh off a summer playing festivals like Turks Head Music Festival, The Chester County Restaurant Festival and Nublu NYC this group is not to be missed, they bring fire to the stage and keep listeners guessing and yearning for more. Ensemble members have included Calvin West, Brandon Ross, Kayla Childs, Lee Clarke, Max Hoenig, Timothy Ragsdale, Matthew Little and Rodrigo Pichardo.

More on Grasping for the Moon:

Alex Lester Writes for Chaotic Good Jazz“Untethered is more than the name of the band, it’s the principle behind their playing. On stage, these musicians seem to loosely orbit each other, each influenced by the other three, but maintaining their individuality and never colliding with one another to create something otherworldly.”

Twisted Soul Music"‘Late Night Group Chat at Treetop Social’ shifts toward playful funk, its bubbling synth textures and shifting rhythms conjuring the feel of a nocturnal jam session suspended between reality and imagination. The album thrives on interplay, with every note feeling both deliberate and instinctive. Grasping for the Moon isn’t just jazz; it’s a living, breathing soundscape that rewards close, repeated listening"

The Grateful Web “Jazz Roots, Jam Spirit”

On Looking Under the Lamppost :

The Grateful Web: “the release finds the quartet pushing deeper into the unexpected, the ferocious, and the beautifully free.”

Phronesis

Featured on Bandcamp’s “New and Notable” Section : “An explosive new record form Untethered boasts rock solid grooves & heavily treated trumpet on an LP that’s gripping from start to finish.”

Words On Phronesis :

Twisted Soul Music Writes - 

The trio’s chemistry is immediate. Paul Giess’s trumpet cuts and coils, sometimes lyrical, sometimes abrasive, always searching. Grant Calvin Weston’s drumming never settles into comfort, constantly nudging the music forward, while Timothy Ragsdale’s bass anchors the chaos without pinning it down.

Jeremy Shatan of AnEarful

“This time they’re operating as a trio, with Giess only joined by Weston and bass player Timothy Ragsdale. But that just means there’s more room for everyone to go mad in their own way”

Greg Burk of Metaljazz.com writes - 

 Composing this would've been impossible, but it's like they, uh, planned it that way.  Ever since moldsters began complaining about it in the late 1950s, this kind of freedom has KEPT HAPPENING all over the country -- Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Portland, San Diego, L.A. -- and all over the world. And not because it pays the bills, either. Because we need it.

Looking Under the Lamppost