BOHEMIA is now available on iTunes! Buy the album here. Enjoy and help support original music and the artists that create it. You can have a listen online here or here if you like.
Hard copies are also in hand; I'll have copies for sale at all of my upcoming shows, or you can purchase via PayPal here. I'm including some individual song information at the end of this email. This is my fourth solo LP, and I think it might be my best sounding yet.
MAY DATES IN THE CAROLINAS
Headed south again in May for some shows in the Carolinas. First up, I'll be playing a lil' 7pm solo show in Pawleys Island, SC at Pawleys Island Tavern (P.I.T.) on Wednesday, May 8th.
Next up, visiting my hometown of Winston-Salem, NC on Friday, May 10th. i'll be playing a few favorite Dillon Fence and HOBEX tunes with house band Vagabond Saints' Society, who will be presenting a tribute to Winston-Salem's musical history as a part of the Winston-Salem Centennial Celebration. This outdoor set will be from 7 to 10pm at 6th and Cherry St. in downtown Winston. Proud to be a part of this.
Back to South Cack on Saturday, May 11th, where I'll be playing a 3pm set with HOBEX for Columbia, SC's Rosewood Crawfish Festival. Big Head Todd and the Monsters and the Blue Dogs also perform. Bassist Andy Ware and I will be bringing an all-star cast of musicians for this set – Tim Smith on Sax, Dan Davis on Drums, Doug Largent on Organ, and Robert Cantrell on Percussion.
HOBEX convenes again for dates in early June. On Thursday, June 6th, we'll warm it up with a club date at Charlotte, NC's legendary Double Door Inn. On Friday, June 7th, we'll be playing a set at the Twin City Rib Festival in Winston-Salem, NC.
SUMMER EUROPEAN BOHEMIA TOUR
A summer EU tour to support Bohemia is starting to come together for late June and early July. I have some dates in The Netherlands and the UK booked so far. More dates to be announced soon! Also, just added the Summer Hoot to my schedule. This is a new festival organized by my friends Mike + Ruthy that will be held at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, NY from August 23rd to the 25th.
SHAKORI RECAP
Rubina and I had a wonderful time at Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in April. Got to see many friends and play a whole lot of music. Thanks to Tim Smith, Lizzy Ross, Abdias Ernesto Garcia, Will Ridenour, Jay Starling and members of Big Fat Gap (Miles Andrews, Jamie Griggs, John Garris) for sitting in on my solo set Friday evening. We had a wonderful crowd despite the rain.
Got to sit in with Cyril Lance on Thursday and Big Fat Gap on Saturday, and the Sunday morning Songwriters' Circle was a lovely collection of writers and performers. It was a real pleasure to play with Donna the Buffalo and Friends on Sunday night and close out the festival. Wish every weekend were that much fun. Here's a photo gallery from FB, if you'd like to peruse.
NEW ALBUM: BOHEMIA
Bohemia is now available here on iTunes and is also streaming here now if you'd like to have a listen.
Bohemia is a 9 song puzzle. Some tunes are newer; some were written during my last couple of summers in Prague, CZ and the EU. They fit together just so.
It's about leaving, and arriving. You could consider it a love letter (or goodbye note) to my home state of North Carolina. You could also consider this LP a musical warm-up, setting the stage for new adventures in New York City and beyond.
Bohemia features musical turns from very talented guests Matt Brandau, Phil Cook, and Lizzy Ross. There's a song co-written in Nashville, TN (and on Interstate 40) with Lizzy Ross, and a song co-written drunk on a roof in Prague with Montana singer-songwriter Jessica Kilroy.
It's of a piece with my previous three solo albums Trunk Songs, Realign Your Mind, and People You May Know; mostly acoustic. Mostly recorded at my studio in Durham NC with help from friends.
STREAM THE ALBUM HERE - GO TO THE MUSIC PLAYER AND PRESS 'PLAY ALL'.
BOHEMIA
1. Someday, I’ll Have My Due 2. Sayin’ What You Mean 3. Across The Ocean, Mama 4. While You’re Away 5. Jubble On, Jubbly 6. Shelby, I Told You 7. Hush 8. Sweet La Rue 9. Railroad Bill
Someday, I’ll Have My Due – A 6/8 ballad in the old soul style. Guess you could say it's about believing in the future, despite the odds.
Sayin’ What You Mean – Nowhere in the song am I saying what *I* mean.
Across The Ocean, Mama – About saying goodbye, forever. We all have to.
While You’re Away – An older song that Matt Brandau and I recorded at his studio here in NYC one afternoon last summer. Matt played bass, drums and keys on this version and gave it a reggae spin. I'm on guitars and vocals.
Jubble on, Jubbly – A non-sequiturrific number co-written on a roof in Prague one night with Montana Singer-songwriter Jessica Kilroy and others. Alcohol was involved. This version features the fantastic Phil Cook on Slide Dobro.
Shelby, I Told You – A chart-topper written for fictional country star 'Keith Cline' by myself and Lizzy Ross. On our way to Memphis for Folk Alliance International, we spent an evening in Nashville listening to bands play classic country in the honky-tonks of Broadway Avenue. We wrote this tune a few days later in the car on our way back to North Carolina. Lizzy sings harmony on this version.
Hush – A happy confection I whipped up one afternoon in my living room last spring. You can hear my dog Daisy shake her collar at the beginning of the tune.
Sweet La Rue – The song had been sitting on the shelf for a long time... I played it on the ukelele one day and it felt just right.
Railroad Bill – Our take on a traditional number. Phil Cook and I play guitar and sing together on this version.
Produced, engineered and mixed by Greg Humphreys. Track 4 produced by Matt Brandau and Greg Humphreys, engineered by Matt Brandau. Mastered by Colin Leonard at SING Mastering.
Greg Humphreys: Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Steel Guitar, Hand Claps, Bass Guitar, Ukelele. Matt Brandau: Track 4 Bass Guitar, Drums, Wurlitzer Piano. Lizzy Ross: Track 6 Harmony Vocals. Phil Cook: Track 5 Slide Dobro, Track 9 Vocals and Guitar. Daisy dog: Track 7 Percussion.
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 written by Greg Humphreys. © Phrex Music BMI 2013. Track 6 written by Lizzy Ross BMI and Greg Humphreys BMI. Track 5 written by Jessica Kilroy BMI, Greg Humphreys BMI, Rinnah Henderson BMI. Track 9 traditional arrangement by Phil Cook and Greg Humphreys.
Until next time,
Greg
Happy New Year! I'd like to thank everyone for making my epic four and a half hour farewell show at the Lincoln Theatre on December 22nd so special. It was a wonderful night I'll never forget. The place was packed, the audience spectacular. The room felt full of friendship. Everywhere I looked, there seemed to be someone I knew and loved. It was a real pleasure to visit songs over the course of one evening from all of my years as a songwriter and performer.
