Greetings from Pawleys Island, SC. Enjoying our extended family beach week after a busy August playing gigs on the East End of Long Island. Wanted to let you know about some exciting shows coming up this fall.
THE CONNELLS W/ DILLON FENCE & SURRENDER HUMAN
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 – CATS CRADLE BACKYARD
These young bloods will be performing in Chapel Hill, NC at Cat's Cradle Back Yard on Saturday, September 16, supporting our friends The Connells along with our buds Surrender Human! It’s currently our only public Dillon Fence show on the books this fall and I'm told that as of Friday August 25 there are less than 100 tickets left, so don’t miss it. Advance tickets here.
We’ve been listening to Ryan Pickett’s mixes from our Lincoln Theater show recorded by Mike Westbrook in April, and we’re digging the sounds. Looking forward to releasing this official Dillon Fence live recording… more soon on that end as it develops. We appreciate your support.
GREG HUMPHREYS ELECTRIC TRIO @ 11TH STREET BAR
EAST VILLAGE NYC – FIRST WEDNESDAYS RESIDENCY
The trio picks up our first-Wednesday-of-the-month residency at 11th Street Bar on Wednesday, September 6! I'll be joined by longtime trio drummer Keith Robinson and bass guitarist Brett Bass. We'll be doing these through the fall... this is the seventh year GHET has done a monthly gig at 11th Street Bar in the heart of NYC's East Village.
I'll also be doing monthly gigs on the North Fork of Long Island this fall at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company's Peconic, NY location. The first one is this Sunday, August 27... I've had a revolving cast of excellent musicians backing me out east on my rock gigs and it's been a lot of fun. See below for specific dates!
LONDON SHOW RECAP
As they say in London, absolutely crackin’ time at The Betsey Trotwood! Played a special in-the-round show there on July 29 at the end of a family trip. Thank you to my mates Danny Champ & Mick Terry for their wonderful songs and generous spirit. As their friend Gary put it: so nourishing. Hope to do it again before too long. Thank you to Jacqui Dove for these pics.
GREG HUMPHREYS
FALL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE 2023
AUG 27 SUN Greenport Harbor Brewery Peconic, NY
SEP 6 WED 11th Street Bar New York, NY
SEP 16 SAT Cats Cradle Back Yard Carrboro, NC
The Connells w/ Dillon Fence and Surrender Human
SEP 23 SAT Greenport Harbor Brewery Peconic, NY
OCT 4 WED 11th Street Bar New York, NY
OCT 29 SUN Greenport Harbor Brewery Peconic, NY
NOV 1 WED 11th Street Bar New York, NY
NOV 18 SAT Greenport Harbor Brewery Peconic, NY
DEC 6 WED 11th Street Bar New York, NY, United States
DEC 17 SUN Greenport Harbor Brewery Peconic, NY
The subject of this obsession was an early ‘50s George Shearing tune called “Lullaby of Birdland” - especially the way the vibes, guitar, and piano play the head/melody together. A tried-and-true jazz device, played exquisitely by great musicians before burning down their solos. One so effective and beautiful in this case that I was inspired to try it with one of my own melodies.
I built the song around a fave go-go-inspired beat / groove that I programmed on an iOS app called Funkbox, which features vintage drum machine samples. The song came to me quickly. I developed it further when I’d play the tune live – first, in pandemic-era solo performance using my looping rig, and later, on the bandstand with fellow musicians.
The lyric emerged from an ennui, and an intuition that a proper getaway might provide a needed reset. It's a kind of lyrical expression that I’m drawn to. Personal, yet universal. Broad strokes. Romantic.
I crafted this version of the tune in my home studio, from tracking to mixing. I had tried a few different approaches to instrumentation; with this one, I landed on spare and guitar-centric, using my trusty Telecaster Thinline for swells and guitar solos and Jaguar Bass for the low end.
I’m interested in a live band recording at some point, but with this recording—as with my 2021 LP Spanish Steps—I wanted to see my original vision through in true auteur fashion, a la Prince, Brian Wilson or Shuggie Otis.
I do believe in a collaborative approach to making music the way you might make a movie, where everyone involved contributes to the creative process and the end result is something you couldn’t have created alone. I also believe that music creation can be approached like a painting or a work of art, where your musicality, your truth and your inspiration can be expressed in total by the art / music that you alone create. My mom is a visual artist, so I come by this honestly. I don’t believe that either approach is intrinsically better, nor do I feel that there is a right or wrong method to make art or music.
I’m not saying that I don’t need any help along the way. I’ve recieved (and continue to receive) crucial support from family, friends and collaborators over the years, including with this recording. In fact, heavily featured on this track is my one-of-a-kind guitar “leslie” speaker cabinet, originally re-built by My Morning Jacket sound engineer Ryan Pickett from the guts of a Fender Vibratone and later re-cabineted by my Hobex bandmate, Andy Ware. One of my all-time choice pieces of gear.
Mastering Engineer Dave McNair put the final touch on the recording with a mastering pass. There is no plan for physical media at present, so your support can best be expressed by streaming, playlisting, and saving the song at your preferred streaming service and following me there. Also, sharing on social media helps. Hope to follow this one up soon with a few more that are on deck. Thank you for listening.
As far as any musical touchstones you might hear, these are some artists that have crossed my mind when I’ve considered where the song might have drawn inspiration (be it conscious or unconscious.)
George Shearing
Bobby Caldwell
D’Angelo
John Schofield
Marvin Gaye
Paul McCartney
The music video is a piece of eye candy that I came up with using Stable Diffusion. I’ve come across some incredible visuals recently that were created that way. I went down a wormhole to figure out how to create one for this song. A lot of searching, then a learning curve, then an experimental process to come up with something that I felt worked. And yes, I did use the art of Vincent Van Gogh as one of my prompts. I'm worried the exponential power and growth of A.I., but I am also fascinated. In this instance, I am taking Gary Kasparov’s advice: “Don’t fear the intelligent machines, work with them.”
DILLON FENCE AT LINCOLN THEATER
We had such a great time playing at Lincoln Theater in April! Fantastic turnout. Incredible energy from the audience. We got it on tape! Our friend Mike Westbrook recorded the show and is mixing the recording. Hopefully we'll have a new live release for you before too long. More on that soon. A heartfelt thank you from Chris, Kent, Scott and myself to all of you that attended. You made it a special night for us.
SUMMER SHOWS
Have some shows booked in the coming months! I'll be at Green Hill Kitchen in Greenport, NY this Sunday, May 28 with Nick Sferlazza on bass and Jake Schott on drums, At 11th Street Bar next Wednesday with Keith Robinson on drums and Brett Bass on bass for the June installment of Greg Humphreys Electric Trio's ongoing first-Wednesday-of-the-month residency there. Trio is taking a break from 11th St. for July and August, but we'll be back on September 6. More show details at greghumphreys.net.
MAY 28 Greenport, NY Green Hill Kitchen
JUN 03 Shelter Island, NY White Oak Wine Garden
JUN 07 New York, NY 11th Street Bar
JUN 17 Shelter Island, NY Shelter Island 10K Race
AUG 05 Shelter Island, NY White Oak Wine Garden
AUG 11 Greenport, NY Greenport Harbor Brewing Company
AUG 12 Greenport, NY Green Hill Kitchen
AUG 13 Shelter Island, NY White Oak Wine Garden
AUG 27 Peconic, NY Greenport Harbor Brewery
SEP 06 New York, NY 11th Street Bar
Spring! New music in the pipeline for you, along with shows in NYC, NC and MA.
Playing a GH set tonight Tuesday April 18 at NYC's legendary Bitter End with an all-star band: Ben Stivers (Lyle Lovett, Barry Gibb, Gloria Y Emilio Estefan) on the B3 organ, Mark Greenberg (Dicky Betts & Great Southern, Roy Hargrove) on the drums, and Tony Tino (Southside Johnny & Asbury Dukes, Gavin DeGraw) on the bass guitar. The show is at 9:30 PM and you can get advance tickets here!
DILLON FENCE LINCOLN THEATRE
RALEIGH, NC
FRIDAY, APRIL 28
Dillon Fence at Lincoln Theatre on Friday, April 28 is almost here! Most of the tickets are already sold, so get yours before it's too late. This show is part of 95.7 FM That Station’s "Live at the Lincoln" concert series and our bud Mike Westbrook will be recording the show for a live release. Please join Kent Alphin, Chris Goode, Scott Carle and I and celebrate the anniversary of our second LP, Outside In, released 30 years ago this year. Advance tickets here. Get there early for openers Cosmic Superheroes and Wonderwhys!
Show details at http://greghumphreys.net – hope to see you this spring.
More soon,
Greg
DILLON FENCE LINCOLN THEATRE
RALEIGH, NC
FRIDAY, APRIL 28
Just added: Dillon Fence is playing Lincoln Theatre on Friday, April 28 as part of 95.7 FM That Station’s "Live at the Lincoln" concert series. Our bud Mike Westbrook will be recording the show for a live release. Please join Kent Alphin, Chris Goode, Scott Carle and I, and help us make it a good one! Advance tickets are available here. Get ‘em early! Our last show at the Lincoln sold out.
GH⚡️ET continues our first-Wednesday-of-the-month residency at 11th Street Bar in the East Village through 2023! Keith Robinson, Brett Bass and I play at 9 PM for the next installment on Wednesday, March 1st. Our bud Jamie Block opens the show at 8 PM... join us for what has been a happening get-together as of late.
Heading back to the North Fork of Long Island to play at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company in Peconic on Saturday, March 25 from 3 to 6 PM. I'll be joined by Nick Sferlazza and Jake Schott on the rhythm section.
I've been working on some new home recordings, hope to share them with you soon. I'd also like to share an essay that I posted recently on my socials to mark my 10-year anniversary of living in NYC. Hope you enjoy.
10 Years In New York
Ten years ago this month I made the drive from Durham, NC to NYC, my station wagon packed to the brim. That night, I moved into Rubina’s Bank Street apartment during a snowstorm – the start of an adventure.
Ruby says that anything anyone says about New York is probably true on some level, and I agree. The city is all things. The best city in the world, the worst place you can imagine.
Above all, the city is dynamic. Living here through the pandemic showed me just how much. New York forces you to face harsh realities and at the same time encourages you to create your own reality.
Ultimately, NYC has given me a beautiful family—a wife, two children, and a home—something I missed while hurtling through life in a smoke-filled Ford Econoline over the first 25 years of my adult life.
Performing has taken a back seat to family. I still love writing songs, but I do so less often. When I do, they seem to be keepers… songs I need to write. I still play gigs, some are memorable, but these days I’m just as likely to be asleep by 11 and up by 6 AM, cooking eggs-in-a-nest for my kids.
My days of driving hours to play break-even gigs are over, I’m afraid. I’m just glad I have enough sweat equity built up in the Carolinas that music brings me down south to play and visit with friends.
And yet—surrounded by friends old and new at our recent 11th Street Bar trio show in the East Village—I was reminded that as a performer, I‘m still chasing those moments when it all feels right and you know you’re doing what you were meant to do. I still have those moments and so I still believe.
And the talent here… whew. It really forces you to up your game. I have enjoyed this community of professionals who are absolutely in it to PLAY, musicians who can do it all and make it look easy. Being able to do THAT is anything but easy. It takes years of focus and dedication.
Ultimately I don’t know how long our New York adventure will be. As with many who have chosen to live here, we’re taking it day by day, doing our best to make it work unless it doesn’t anymore. But I know I am a New Yorker because I know it’s changed me, challenged me. Beaten me down and lifted me up.
More soon,
Greg
Spanish Steps
*Thank you* for streaming and enjoying my 2021 solo LP release, Spanish Steps. Find the LP at your favorite music service here!
Playing a few trio shows in December... GH⚡️ET is in the East Village tonight (Wednesday, December 7) at 11th St. Bar for our last first-Wednesday-of-the-month of 2022! August Wells starts the show at 7:45 and drummer Keith Robinson, bassist Brett Bass and I hit at 9 PM. Join us and help thank 11th Street for hosting the trio this year.
GH⚡️ET – NEW YEARS EVE SOIREE – RED LION INN, STOCKBRIDGE, MA
Speaking of wrapping up 2022, the electric trio wraps the year with a December 31st performance at the historic Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA for their ROARING INTO 2023 – NEW YEAR’S SOIREE AT THE LION’S DEN. Keith, Brett and I will go heavy on classic funk n’ soul music for the celebration. Our bud Johnny Irion is now curating the music schedule for the Red Lion and he’ll join us for some tunes as well.
Visit redlioninn.com or call (413) 282-5545 for reservations and book a NYE package to attend. We’re told their cozy Lion’s Den will be hosting the best party for miles: hors d’oeuvres and desserts from Chef Jon Sterrett, an open bar from 8 PM to 1 AM, a bottle of prosecco & truffles upon arrival, party favors, and a champagne toast at midnight. .
If you're out east this weekend, I'll be in Peconic on Sunday, December 11 at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company from 3 - 6 PM. I'll be playing a trio show with bassist Nick Sferlazza and drummer Joe Campisi.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Thank you all for coming out this year! Thank you to my agent Brad Madison at Mongrel Music for booking the shows and thank you to Rolly Grady Music for repping my music catalog for licensing. Glad to have played some memorable Dillon Fence shows this year with my bandmates Chris Goode, Scott Carle, and Kent Alphin, including the inaugural That Music Festival. Thank you to our good friends Mark Bryan and Johnny Irion for doing a fantastic job playing with us on some of this year's DF dates! If you're looking for a quality holiday gift, please peruse our our Dillon Fence store over at Port Merchandise.
Greg Humphreys Electric Trio got a great live recording of our fall Shakori Festival performance featuring Keith and bassist Matt Brandau from taper Terry Killebrew – check it here on archive.org. Live mix by Ed Griffin. Brett Bass delivered on bass guitar this year for most of our trio dates, now that Matt Brandau is a full-time resident of France. My Hobex bandmate Andy Ware played with the trio on some gigs down south this fall and killed it... Andy and I played our first Hobex show in a few years with Rhett Huffman on keys and Eddie Walker on drums in Greensboro, NC this spring.
Played a lot of solo gigs out east this past summer. I've enjoyed working it out live with my new Cordoba acoustic guitar on new tunes and songs from the catalog. I did write a few songs this year that I'm excited about and I have posted a couple over on my instagram page. Trying to figure out the best path to release new music in the current environment. Hopefully it will come into focus in 2023. Hope you have a happy holiday season and a happy new year!
2022 SHOWS
Wed, DEC 31 Stockbridge, MA GHET at NYE Soirée, Red Lion Inn
Sun, DEC 11 Peconic, NY Greenport Harbor Brewing Company
Wed, DEC 7 New York, NY GHET at 11th Street Bar
Sat, DEC 3 Shelter Island, NY Isola
Sat, NOV 12 Shelter Island, NY Isola
Wed, NOV 2 New York, NY GHET at 11th Street Bar
Fri, OCT 7 Pittsboro, NC GHET at Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival
Wed, OCT 5 New York, NY GHET at 11th Street Bar
Thu, SEP 29 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge supporting Kay Hanley
Sun, SEP 25 Shelter Island, NY White Oak Wine Garden
Sat, SEP 10 Troutdale, VA Dillon Fence at Troutdale City Limits
Wed, SEP 7 New York, NY 11th Street Bar
Sun, SEP 4 Shelter Island, NY White Oak Wine Garden
Sat, SEP 3 Shelter Island, NY The Chequit
Fri, SEP 2 Hickory, NC GHET at Sails Original Music Series
Thu, SEP 1 Abingdon, VA GHET at Bonefire Smokehouse BBQ
Sat, AUG 27 Shelter Island, NY Isola
Sat, AUG 13 Shelter Island, NY Isola
Fri, AUG 12 Greenport, NY Greenport Harbor Brewing Company
Sat, AUG 6 Shelter Island, NY SALT
Sat, AUG 6 Shelter Island, NY White Oak Wine Garden
Wed, AUG 3 New York, NY GHET at 11th Street Bar
Sat, JUL 30 Shelter Island, NY Isola
Fri, JUL 29 Shelter Island, NY Isola
Sat, JUL 23 Shelter Island, NY Isola
Fri, JUN 24 Durham, NC Dillon Fence at That Music Festival
Thu, JUN 14 Brooklyn, NY GHET at Willoughby Plaza
Thu, JUN 9 Brooklyn, NY GHET at Albee Square Happy Hour
Sat, JUN 4 Shelter Island, NY White Oak Wine Garden
Wed, JUN 1 New York, NY GHET at 11th Street Bar
Sat, MAY 14 Isle Of Palms, SC Mark Bryan and Dillon Fence at The Windjammer
Sat, MAY 7 Columbia, SC Dillon Fence at Rosewood Crawfish Festival
Fri, MAY 6 Greensboro, NC Hobex at First Friday Night Live
Wed, MAY 4 New York, NY GHET at 11th Street Bar
Wed, APR 27 Brooklyn, NY Noé Socha and Greg Humphreys at Wild Birds
Fri, APR 15 Shelter Island, NY Isola
Wed, APR 6 New York, NY GHET at 11th Street Bar
Fri, MAR 25 Raleigh, NC Dillon Fence at Smoky Hollow
Wed, MAR 2 New York, NY GHET at 11th Street Bar
More soon,
Greg
Spanish Steps
*Thank you* for streaming and enjoying my 2021 solo LP release, Spanish Steps. Find the LP at your favorite music service here!
Getting ready for some Fall gigs! Hobex’ own bassman Andy Ware will be joining drummer Keith Robinson and I next week for Greg Humphreys Electric Trio shows - Thursday, September 1 in Abingdon, VA at Bone Fire Smokehouse and Friday, September 2 in Hickory, NC at 7 PM for the Sails Original Music Series.
Some North Fork and NYC solo gigs coming up as well. I’ll be at Shelter Island's White Oak Wine Garden on Sunday, September 4 at 1 PM, and I'm playing a special NYC solo show at 11th Street Bar in the East Village on Wednesday, September 7 at 8:30 PM, for this month's installment of our First Wednesdays residency there.
Recently announced: Greg Humphreys Electric Trio will be performing at Fall Shakori Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance on Friday, October 7! Longtime GHET bassist Matt Brandau will be visting from France to play this show with us... get your advance tickets here. (Brett Bass will be back on the bass for our First Wednesdays GHET shows at 11th Street Bar on October 5, November 2, and December 7.)
Recorded this version of “Dedicated To You” on the porch in Pawleys Island last week. The song was written by Sammy Cahn, Hy Zaret, Saul Chaplin... my version is inspired by the Ella Fitzgerald / Mills Brothers version that I listened to so much during the pandemic. Thank you to the cicadas for sitting in!
More soon,
Greg
Spanish Steps
*Thank you* for streaming and enjoying my 2021 solo LP release, Spanish Steps. Find the LP at your favorite music service here!
Hi, folks. Just returned from a family vacation, now back at our place in Greenport, NY until the fall. Wanted to let you know about some shows coming up this summer; I'll be playing quite a bit out here on the East End of Long Island over the next couple of months, and I'm doing a few Electric Trio shows in NYC, NC and VA. More show details at http://greghumphreys.net .
A hearty THANK YOU everyone who came out to our May / June Dillon Fence shows in Columbia, SC, Charleston, SC and Durham, NC, our Hobex show in Greensboro, NC, and our GHET shows in Brooklyn. I did some recapping over on my IG page, if you'd like to check some clips and pics from the various shows. Have posted a few acoustic tunes over there recently as well.
SUMMER SHOWS
FRI JUL 29 Shelter Island, NY
Isola 7-10 PM
solo performance
SAT JUL 30 Shelter Island, NY
Isola 7-10 PM
solo performance
WED AUG 03 New York, NY
11th Street Bar 8:30-10:30 PM
Greg Humphreys Electric Trio (w/ Keith Robinson, drums, Brett Bass, bass guitar.)
SAT AUG 06 Shelter Island, NY
White Oak Wine Garden 2-5 PM
solo performance
FRI AUG 12 Greenport, NY
Greenport Harbor Brewing Company 4-7 PM
GH and Friends (w/ Joe Campisi, percussion, Nick Sferlazza, bass guitar.)
THU SEP 01 Abingdon, VA
Thursday Jams Concert Series
Greg Humphreys Electric Trio (w/ Keith Robinson, drums, Andy Ware, bass guitar.)
FRI SEP 02 Hickory, NC
Sails Original Music Series
Greg Humphreys Electric Trio (w/ Keith Robinson, drums, Andy Ware, bass guitar.)
SUN SEP 04 Shelter Island, NY
White Oak Wine Garden 1-4 PM
solo performance
WED SEP 07 New York, NY
11th Street Bar 8:30-10:30 PM
solo performance
More soon,
Greg
Spanish Steps
*Thank you* for streaming and enjoying my 2021 solo LP release, Spanish Steps. Find the LP at your favorite music service here!
