GHET announcement, 11th St Bar 12/6, HOBEX Gboro 12/21, 22

Hi, folks. Have a bittersweet announcement this go-round: Greg Humphreys Electric Trio is disbanding as an ongoing pursuit. Our Wednesday, December 6 show at 11th Street Bar will be the last show billed as GHET for the foreseeable future.

The group has been in a holding pattern for the last couple of years, post-pandemic; my old friend and longtime trio bassist Matt Brandau is now a newly-married French citizen, living in Paris, working on new projects. Drummer Keith Robinson, already a busy man, has been getting busier with his hard rock/heavy metal band, Tanith. Our bass man for the last year or so, Brett Bass, is also a very busy musician. As a result, I’ve been playing more often with other rhythm sections and combos.

We’ve discussed, and it’s time to make it official so that we can all focus on what’s next. I’ll continue to perform my music under my own name, but I'll exert more flexibility with the lineup of musicians taking part. The alternate moniker as of late has been Greg Humphreys & Friends. I look forward to more work with the wealth of players in the NY area as well as with my longtime musical collaborators.

Also look forward to reuniting with Matt and Keith again on stage at some point. I’m proud of the work we put into GHET and the catalog of music we built together. I truly appreciate the talent, hard work and experience they brought to the music. It’s been a challenge to try to grow a band in an ever-changing world while at the same time growing a family. Those 10 hour van rides between NYC and the Carolinas weren’t always easy, but we made it fun with laughs and good music.

The trio has had a great run over these last 9 years. Thank you to all of you who have been buying or streaming our music and coming out to our shows. Onward! The good news is we all continue to play. For my part, I will continue my First Wednesdays residency here in NYC at 11th Street Bar with a slightly different approach. I'll perform as Greg Humphreys & Friends and hopefully bringing a twist to every monthly installment, starting on February 7th.

So… please come out this Wednesday, December 6 at 9 PM, 11th Street Bar in the East Village, if you’re a GHET fan. Brett will be on the bass, Keith will be on the drums, and our good friend Rob Bailey will be opening the show at 8 PM with special guests.

More gigs this month: I’ll be back at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company in Peconic on Sunday, December 17 from 3-6 PM with Nick Sferlazza on the bass guitar and Jake Schott on the drums. I’m enjoying what these young fellas are doing with the material.

HOBEX / THE FINNS – FLAT IRON, GREENSBORO, NC DEC 21 & 22

I was planning to invite you to our two-night, Hobex / Finns run at the Flat Iron in Greensboro, NC on December 21 and 22 in this edition of the mailer, but both nights have already SOLD OUT! I'll be joined by Andy Ware on bass, Eddie Walker on drums, and Dave McCracken on organ. 2 full sets both nights from Hobex and Greensboro supergroup The Finns, with some special jams planned between groups. Can’t wait to see our Hobex fans and celebrate.

Look for that Dillon Fence live release and a new solo release in the new year. Here's a recent 11 Questions interview I did for WUDR's Your Tuesday Afternoon Alternative show about my latest single, Take a Trip (Catch a Plane), recent work, my process, and more.

My family and I will be in NC this holiday season with my mom, who moved back to my hometown Winston-Salem, NC this year. Have a wonderful holiday, folks. Let’s all pray for peace in the new year as well.


 
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING OUT MY NEW SINGLE "TAKE A TRIP, CATCH A PLANE"

NYC + North Fork gigs! Connells / Dillon Fence recap

Playing some rock n' roll shows in NYC and Peconic, NY this month with a bevy of excellent musicians! 

First up, I’ll be back at 11th St. Bar in the heart of the East Village tonight – Wednesday, October 4 at 8:30 PM – with Keith Robinson on drum kit and #brettbass on Fender bass for our long-running Electric Trio First-Wednesday-of-the-month residency there. Admission is free and the pours are strong... join us!


Back at The Bitter End on Friday, October 20 at 11 PM for a GH & Friends set featuring Mark Greenberg on drums, Ben Stivers on B3 Organ, and #brettbassonbass. Get your advance tickets here to catch this all-star band. If you can't make it in person, you can tune in to Volume.com/bitterend – the club has been livestreaming shows there. If you'd like a taste of what we've been doing, here's an archived stream of the last Bitter End show – myself, Greenberg, and Stivers, with Ben Zwerin on the bass guitar.

I'll be back on the North Fork at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. in Peconic, NY on Sunday, October 29, from 3 to 6 PM, along with Nick Sferlazza on bass guitar and Jake Schott on drum kit. This is becoming a monthly thing – the last one was quite a rocker. We'll be playing there every month into '24. Thank you for your support!

THE CONNELLS W/ DILLON FENCE & SURRENDER HUMAN
@ CATS CRADLE BACKYARD – RECAP


Photo: Rodney Boles

What a time we had with The Connells and Surrender Human at Cat's Cradle backyard on Sept 16! Thank you to everyone who came out for this special, sold out show to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Connells’ album “Ring.” A reunion of friends that felt like stepping into a Time Machine. Y’all were amazing. Scott Carle, Chris Goode, Kent Alphin and I appreciate you so much. There are rumblings of another Connells / DF bill before too long, so keep an eye out for that. Check out the live performance review and pics at Concert Addicts – "Aged like a fine wine.” 🍷😄

Still working on finishing up this Dillon Fence live recording… getting closer. Have had people asking about a release date; we're taking our time, but it'll be worth it. We'll keep you posted.

That's it for now. Have an exciting show we're working on for the holiday season... Hobex fans should be pleased. More soon!
Greg


GREG HUMPHREYS
FALL 2023 LIVE DATES

OCT 4 WED 11th Street Bar New York, NY
OCT 20 FRI The Bitter End 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
DEC 17 SUN Greenport Harbor Brewery Peconic, NY


 
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING OUT MY NEW SINGLE "TAKE A TRIP, CATCH A PLANE"

Dillon Fence w/ The Connells Sat 9/16 Chapel Hill, NC!

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

More soon,
Greg

 
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING OUT MY NEW SINGLE "TAKE A TRIP, CATCH A PLANE"

New single out Friday, May 26! Take a Trip (Catch a Plane)

NEW SINGLE "TAKE A TRIP, CATCH A PLANE" AT ALL STREAMING SERVICES HERE
This tune grew from an obsession, as songs sometimes do.

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

More soon,
Greg
 

Spring! Bitter End NYC tonight 4/18, Dillon Fence in Raleigh 4/28

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 in Raleigh 4/28, March GH / GHET gigs, 10 Years in NYC

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!