Trio: Shakori, 11th St. Bar, Outer Banks! Remembering Steve 'The Doctor' Hill 💔

Trio - First Wednesdays @ 11th St. Bar this fall

Greg Humphreys Electric Trio rides again this October. We start our fall first Wednesdays residency at 11th St. Bar on October 6 at 9 PM. We'll be back at our fave spot in the East Village on November 3 and December 1 as well... bring your vax card or Excelsior Pass and let's have a time!


NC Dates: Shakori 10/9, Beats & Eats 10/23

We head down to to NC on Saturday, October 9 for a 9:30 set on Carson's Grove Stage for the Fall Shakori Hill Festival of Music and Dance. A great slot, another strong lineup of fellow artists and performers, and a chance to see many missed friends? Yes, I'm looking forward to it. Tickets are here!

We return to NC for an afternoon set at the Beats & Eats music series at the beautiful Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in downtown Wilson, NC on Saturday, October 23.

Looking forward to playing live again with Bassist Matt Brandau and Drummer Keith Robinson. These will be our first performances together since March, 2020. It'll be fun to play shows on the heels of the appearance of our song "Blood From a Stone" in episode1 season 2 of Netflix's hit series, Outer Banks. Our streaming numbers certainly saw a big spike due to the song's inclusion on the awesome official Outer Banks playlist at Spotify and elsewhere. Thanks again to Josh and Jonas Pate for including us!

Solo performances on Shelter Island in October

Although my family is back in NYC and the kids have started school, I'm playing a few more solo looping gigs out east in October as well! Had such a soul-affirming experience this summer playing around the North Fork of Long Island, both solo and with singer/songwriter Julia King and others. I'll be performing solo amidst the pastoral beauty of Shelter Island's White Oak Wine Garden on Sunday October 3, Saturday October 16, and Sunday October 17, all from 3 to 6 PM.

Steve 'The Doctor' Hill

We lost a great one in August. Thank you, Steve Hill, for the spirit you gave to our band. Steve was the beat for The Veldt, Johnny Quest, our band Hobex and more. Doctor, how many stages did you rock? How many audiences did you leave sweating, chanting for more? Relentless groove, memorable fills, always delivering. We had a wild adventure together. The setbacks you overcame through your life - especially the JQ van wreck - were massive. Andy and I would say that you had nine lives… somehow I thought you might make it. We love you and we appreciate you, Doctor.
More soon, 
Greg

 

Spanish Steps 

*Thank you* for streaming and enjoying my early 2021 solo LP release, Spanish Steps. Find the LP at your favorite music service here!

GH⚡️ET: OBX2, fall Shakori Festival and more

GH⚡️ET: OBX2, fall Shakori Festival and more


Hope you're having a great summer! Listen for Greg Humphreys Electric Trio in the second season of the Netflix series Outer Banks, out this Friday, July 30. They are using "Blood From a Stone," a song from our Haymaker album, in one of the scenes. Thanks to Josh Pate and the OBX crew for selecting our music. Happy to be a part of this hit coming-of-age drama. 

Newly married GH⚡️ET bass player Matt Brandau is currently residing in France with his bride, but he'll be back in NYC this fall. I'm lucky to have Matt and drummer Keith Robinson join me for dates during that time, including Fall Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance in Pittsboro, NC on 10/9.

GH⚡️ET will also be performing a First Wednesdays residency at our fave spot in the East Village, 11th Street Bar, on 10/6, 11/3, and 12/1. These fall gigs will be the first time the trio has played live since our last gig at the Fox & Crow in Jersey City on March 13, 2020. I'll be warming up the 11th Street Bar First Wednesdays series with a looping rig solo perfomance on 9/1. 



Looping rig performance at Shakori 6/1 – recap  

Had a terrific time at GrassRoots Live on June 11. Thank you to everyone who attended or tuned in. Thank you Ed Griffin, Selena Hodom, Jordan Puryear, Shakori Hills and Donna the Buffalo for having me. Felt so good to hear a live set from Donna! Here's a taper recording of the set (video dababe44 / audio cap’n hook) over on YouTube... thanks to Donna keyboardist and old friend David McCracken for making me aware of this recording. Hope to share the hi-def webcast version at some point.


I did have some technical difficulties when I was soundchecking my looping rig. I started stressing. I looked over as Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo checked his amp. He wryly looked at me and said, "Computers... they're great when they work, but... " Ain't that the truth, Jeb!

This looping set does feel a bit like a high-wire act with no net. It's a thrill to get out there and go for it, but these solo looping performances have definitely made me appreciate having talented human beings around to catch me if I fall. I do have more looping performances coming up, including 11th Street Bar in NYC on 9/1 and Green Hill Kitchen in Greenport, NY on 9/3. 

Dillon Fence @ Red Hat Amphitheater 7/1 – recap

Thanks everyone for a wonderful Dillon Fence show in Raleigh! We had to cut it a bit short due to thunderstorms, but we got a nice full set in before we had to shut down. Had such a great time playing with Scott, Kent, and Chris. We get together, and it’s all. still. there. The music, the chemistry, and especially our appreciative audience, friends and family. It’s a beautiful thing. I appreciate it more and more as get older.

Thanks to Ryan Pickett for making us sound so good, thanks to the Lincoln folks—especially Pat Dickenson—for thinking of us, and thanks to Red Hat Amphitheater for having us. Thank y’all for being there! Check out a clip of the last few minutes here... there are a lot more fan recordings over on FB, if you'd like to watch 'em.


Photo: Chris Burgess


Spanish Steps 

*Thank you* for streaming and enjoying my recent solo LP release, Spanish Steps. Getting this music into the world has been a great feeling. Clearing the deck for the next chapter. Find the LP at your favorite music service here!

More soon,
Greg

GIGS! Solo 6/11 @ Shakori, Dillon Fence 7/1 @ Red Hat Amphitheater

First up, congratulations to our GHET bass player Matt Brandau on his recent marriage to Émilie Berthier! So happy for this beautiful couple. They're living in France right now; we hope to see Matt this fall for some trio work together. Meanwhile, here in the States, things are slowly opening back up and I'm fully vaccinated, so... I'm playing some GIGS this summer! 

Friday, June 11 @ GrassRoots Live! at Shakori Hills

First in-person gig in over a year: ✔️ First time bringing my looping rig to a big stage: ✔️ Very excited to play a solo set opening up the night for my friends Donna the Buffalo at GrassRoots Live! at Shakori Hills on Friday, June 11 for night one of their two-night stand.  TICKETS AND INFO HERE.

Dillon Fence – Thursday, July 1 @ Red Hat Amphitheater

Dillon Fence is playing at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, NC on Thursday, July 1 as part of their Amped Up Music Series! Chris Goode, Scott Carle, Kent Alphin and I are psyched to play for y’all... Arson Daily opens the show. The venue recently released more tables and tickets are now on sale HERE.





Spanish Steps 

*Thank you* for streaming and enjoying my recent solo LP release, Spanish Steps. Getting this music into the world has been a great feeling. Clearing the deck for the next chapter. Find the LP at your favorite music service here!

More soon,
Greg

Spanish Steps LP now on Spotify, Apple Music, et al.

Spanish Steps LP now on Spotify, Apple Music, et al. here!

It's my birthday and my new solo LP Spanish Steps is now available on all streaming services! Please add it to your collection wherever you stream music. THANK YOU to everyone who has downloaded or checked out the album on Bandcamp over the past couple of weeks. Your support and encouragement keep me going. Please follow my artist page on Spotify when you stream the new album. You'll help my music appear more often in their algorithms, a gift that will keep on giving.

About Spanish Steps:

Spanish Steps is a collection of songs navigating dreams, marriage and parenthood in New York City.

I’ve been writing and home-recording over the past few years with an evolving setup that I've dubbed my "mad scientist looping rig” – guitars, mics, drum machine, synths, pedalboards, mixer, looper, laptop. You could call this music my version of electro-soul.

The process is similar to what people today call "bedroom pop." That moniker is really a 21st-century description of a songwriting and recording method that I’ve been using since I got my first four-track tape machine.

I created these songs like I've created so many songs throughout my life:  alone with my thoughts and my guitars. Songwriting has long been my lifeline for expressing emotions I can’t always access in everyday life. An emotional release valve, a creative escape hatch. Home-recording has been another dimension of that expression for me. Experimental. Imperfect. Personal.

In my life as a professional musician and songwriter, I’ve usually been a band guy. Sometimes a song doesn’t fit the band or falls by the wayside. Over time, I end up with songs that hang around in my head. I’ve found that once in a while, I just need to put them out there to clear my mental deck for the new.

Also, part of me has long aspired to be a soul auteur à la Shuggie Otis. This release satisfies that desire. Although this group of songs predates the arrival of COVID, the pandemic has been an opportunity to see this album through in auteur fashion.

My wife is a traveler. I joined in not long after we met. Rome was our last trip together before our first child was born; the Spanish Steps were a place where we celebrated our engagement. Two kids later, we’re still on a journey together – even when we’re sheltering in place.

Greg Humphreys  |  Spanish Steps

1.  Everybody's Dancin'
2.  You Don't Understand
3.  Heart & Mind
4.  Agua
5.  Wanna Cry (But I Can’t)
6.  Place de la République
7.  Comin' To Get You
8.  Lucky Guy
9.  Are You Ready To Go
10.  I'm Not Goin' Anywhere
11.  At Least I Have You



Recently archived GH Live performances and podcast appearances

Trying to keep a rolling archive of online performances going through the pandemic! Thank y'all for your ongoing support. 

GH LIVE Ep. 8 – FB 
GH LIVE Ep. 7 – FB  
In The Loop Podcast with Josh Daniel and Lefty – FB / YT
We Don't Even Know webcast / podcast with Shonali Bhomik and Christian Felix – FB / YT

Archived perfomances from 2020

Greg Humphreys Electric Trio – #remoterecordings series

GHET Ep. 1 – You're The One For Me — FB IG
GHET Ep. 2 – We're One — FB IG
GHET Ep. 3 – It's Going Down — FB IG

GH Live – webcast series

GH Live Ep. 1 — FB
GH Live Ep. 2 — FB
GH Live Ep. 3.1 — FB
GH Live Ep. 3.2 — FB
GH Live Ep. 4.1 — FB YT
GH Live Ep. 4.2 — FB YT
GH Live Ep. 5 — FB YT IG
GH Live Pop-up on the Porch — FB
GH Live Ep. 6 — FB 
GH Pop-up by the Fire — FB
Second acoustic concert from the home of Mikey and Melanie, Hankins NY

"Windows" — FB 
with The Blue Dogs and Jerry Douglas at Charleston Music Hall, Dec 2019

"Christmas" — FB
Dillon Fence at Lincoln Theatre Dec 2019 (solo encore perfomance)

Greg Humphreys Electric Trio — YT
Be Loud '19 set, live at Cat's Cradle Chapel Hill NC

 

New LP Spanish Steps on Bandcamp now!

Spanish Steps
is here!

New solo LP Spanish Steps is now available for download / streaming HERE on bandcamp! Available soon on all streaming services.

Spanish Steps is a collection of songs navigating dreams, marriage and parenthood in New York City.

I’ve been writing and home-recording over the past few years with an evolving setup that I've dubbed my "mad scientist looping rig” – guitars, mics, drum machine, synths, pedalboards, mixer, looper, laptop. You could call this music my version of electro-soul.

The process is similar to what people today call "bedroom pop." That moniker is really a 21st-century description of a songwriting and recording method that I’ve been using since I got my first four-track tape machine.

I created these songs like I've created so many songs throughout my life:  alone with my thoughts and my guitars. Songwriting has long been my lifeline for expressing emotions I can’t always access in everyday life. An emotional release valve, a creative escape hatch. Home-recording has been another dimension of that expression for me. Experimental. Imperfect. Personal.

In my life as a professional musician and songwriter, I’ve usually been a band guy. Sometimes a song doesn’t fit the band or falls by the wayside. Over time, I end up with songs that hang around in my head. I’ve found that once in a while, I just need to put them out there to clear my mental deck for the new.

Also, part of me has long aspired to be a soul auteur à la Shuggie Otis. This release satisfies that desire. Although this group of songs predates the arrival of COVID, the pandemic has been an opportunity to see this album through in auteur fashion.

My wife is a traveler. I joined in not long after we met. Rome was our last trip together before our first child was born; the Spanish Steps were a place where we celebrated our engagement. Two kids later, we’re still on a journey together – even when we’re sheltering in place.

Greg Humphreys  |  Spanish Steps

1.  Everybody's Dancin'
2.  You Don't Understand
3.  Heart & Mind
4.  Agua
5.  Wanna Cry (But I Can’t)
6.  Place de la République
7.  Comin' To Get You
8.  Lucky Guy
9.  Are You Ready To Go
10.  I'm Not Goin' Anywhere
11.  At Least I Have You

Recently archived GH Live performances and podcast appearances

Since you last heard from me, I've done a couple more GH Live solo performances online and guested on a couple of great podcasts. They're archived below, if you'd like to check them out. Trying to keep a rolling archive of online performances going through the pandemic! Thank y'all for your ongoing support. 

GH LIVE Ep. 8 – FB 
GH LIVE Ep. 7 – FB  
In The Loop Podcast with Josh Daniel and Lefty – FB / YT
We Don't Even Know webcast / podcast with Shonali Bhomik and Christian Felix – FB / YT

Archived perfomances from 2020

Greg Humphreys Electric Trio – #remoterecordings series

GHET Ep. 1 – You're The One For Me — FB IG
GHET Ep. 2 – We're One — FB IG
GHET Ep. 3 – It's Going Down — FB IG

GH Live – webcast series

GH Live Ep. 1 — FB
GH Live Ep. 2 — FB
GH Live Ep. 3.1 — FB
GH Live Ep. 3.2 — FB
GH Live Ep. 4.1 — FB YT
GH Live Ep. 4.2 — FB YT
GH Live Ep. 5 — FB YT IG
GH Live Pop-up on the Porch — FB
GH Live Ep. 6 — FB 
GH Pop-up by the Fire — FB
Second acoustic concert from the home of Mikey and Melanie, Hankins NY

"Windows" — FB 
with The Blue Dogs and Jerry Douglas at Charleston Music Hall, Dec 2019

"Christmas" — FB
Dillon Fence at Lincoln Theatre Dec 2019 (solo encore perfomance)

Greg Humphreys Electric Trio — YT
Be Loud '19 set, live at Cat's Cradle Chapel Hill NC

 

FB Live Sat 1/30, new album, recent online performances

New year, new president, new vaccines. "May you live in interesting times," indeed. Our little family is still sequestering in our apartment in the East Village in NYC. We're masked up, social distancing and living day-to-day. I'm making music when I can! Jim just turned seven. Maia is starting to talk.

Upcoming new LP — Spanish Steps

Finishing up a new solo album called Spanish Steps, a collection of tunes I've written over the past few years. You might recognize some tunes from clips I've posted on my social media pages—I've been using my looping rig, drum machines, and synth sounds (in addition to my usual guitar and vocal work) to create some personal recordings that land somewhere outside of my usual rock n' roll / funk n' soul band context. Call it my version of Electro-Soul. I'm looking forward to getting these tunes out of my head and into your ears. I've also got another, newer batch of tunes coming up behind these — I'm clearing the deck for something new. More on Spanish Steps soon! 

GH LIVE Ep. 7 — Saturday, January 30, 8 PM EST

I'll be doing a Facebook Live solo performance (Live Ep. 7) this Saturday, January 30 at 8 PM EST. I've been finetuning my looping rig and webcasting setup for these live performances. It's been an ongoing technological adventure. Feel like I've got it looking and sounding good enough to give it another go.

I'll be doing some newer tunes on the looping rig and then I'll take some requests on acoustic. Please tune in at my Facebook personal page here. It's a free performance, but gratuities are much appreciated ( PayPal: ghumphreys@hobex.com and Venmo: @Greg-Humphreys .) The show will be archived at the link above if you can't catch it on Saturday night. Your support through this last year via these online performances has been incredibly generous and very helpful to our family. Thank you.

Recent online performances

I honestly haven't done that many online performances myself since my last newsletter, but I have done a few. I guested last week on a great NYC webcast / podcast called We Don't Even Know - that was fun! Thank you to hosts Shonali Bowmik and Christian Felix. There have also been some great archival performances shared on social media recently. Here are a few highlights for you to check out:

We Don't Even Know webcast / podcast - FB / YT
interview and live performance of "Take a Trip" (53 minute mark)

"Windows" — FB 
with The Blue Dogs and Jerry Douglas at Charleston Music Hall, Dec 2019

20th annual Post Turkey Day Jam with Jon Shain & Fj Ventre, Rissi Palmer and Joe Newberry. (short acoustic set)

Pop-up by the Fire — FB
Second acoustic concert from the home of Mikey and Melanie, Hankins NY

"Christmas" — FB 
Dillon Fence at Lincoln Theatre Dec 2019 (solo encore perfomance)

GH Live Ep. 6 — FB  

Greg Humphreys Electric Trio — YT
Be Loud '19 set, live at Cat's Cradle Chapel Hill NC



If you missed them, here are more archived online performances from 2020:
 

Greg Humphreys Electric Trio – #remoterecordings series
GHET Ep. 1 – You're The One For Me — FB IG
GHET Ep. 2 – We're One — FB IG
GHET Ep. 3 – It's Going Down — FB IG
 

Greg Humphreys Live – webcast series
GH Live Ep. 1 — FB
GH Live Ep. 2 — FB
GH Live Ep. 3.1 — FB
GH Live Ep. 3.2 — FB
GH Live Ep. 4.1 — FB YT
GH Live Ep. 4.2 — FB YT
GH Live Ep. 5 — FB YT IG
GH Live Pop-up on the Porch — FB

 

GHET's Haymaker LP has received over 50,000 streams on Spotify. 
4 star record review at Blurt Magazine –– "Easily the most soulful record in recent memory."  
Stream and/or download Haymaker at the following online outlets: 
Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Google Play / Tidal .
THANK YOU for supporting Greg Humphreys Electric Trio... follow GHET at our Spotify artist page.