Something New: Graymatter Notes!

We’re doing something new for you in 2015! Graymatter Notes is a brand new way to get the latest news and info about Graymatter. Subscribers to Graymatter Notes will hear directly from us, hear what we’re up to, will receive exclusive 1^st peek at new music, sneak peek at hidden music videos, Q&A and direct communication with the band, occasional give-aways and more. We love Facebook and the other popular media outlets, but let’s face it, the algorithms they use often result in missed posts you might wish you’d seen in your newsfeed. With Graymatter Notes you’ll receive all the good stuff right in your e-mail inbox. Rest assured, we won’t spam you, pester you, share or sell your addresses with anyone else. So subscribe to Graymatter Notes today and get ready for some fun! Just enter your e-mail address in the box in the upper right column on this page and we’ll take it from there…and thanks! It’s going to be a great 2015!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 2014 from Graymatter!

A video gift, from us to you:



Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, from Graymatter!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Why Covers?

"I was about 25 before I ever heard the idea that rock and roll was meant to be disposable. To me, the great songs have lasted." Jackson Browne

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been approached at the end of a gig, by someone who exclaims something like: “I loved that song when I was a kid!” or “I’d forgotten all about that song and how much I loved it!” Remembering, passing along and keeping alive a great song is actually a strong part of folk and roots music tradition. For generations, songs were sung and played at gatherings, and with any luck at all, they were recorded, and in this way they lived on.  It’s really interesting to see how a particular song changes as it moves along this path, taking on the characteristics of the person performing it. Through the years lyrics may be slightly altered, harmonies added, maybe even a bridge or verse included that wasn’t in the original. The song is a living, growing organism. 

An extreme example of this practice are the ancient songs She Moved Through the Fair and Black Waterside. These tunes can be traced back to medieval times and the earliest lyrics to She Moved Through the Fair were penned in 1916. There are many, many people who have performed these songs, passing them along through time, but look how Jimmy Page morphed these songs and made them his own. 

There’s also the haunting song  Molly Ban which can be traced back to 1796 and has been passed on through the generations. Here’s a version leaning towards the traditional.  Peter Paul and Mary fans probably know it as Polly Von, which they recorded in 1963 and made unmistakably their own. Bob Dylan also recorded it in 1992 and Chris de Burgh in 2002, among countless others throughout the decades.

The idea of the importance of the cover song really hit home for me personally, when I heard the news that Linda Ronstadt could no longer sing now that she is stricken with Parkinson’s Disease.   Now Glen Campbell is losing all memory of the songs he wrote and is unable to recall or even play most of them. Sadly, there have been several of our heroes who have passed away in recently years and we’ll lose even more as our own generation ages. What occurs to me is that if people aren’t singing their songs live to an audience then does the great work done by these artists just disappear? Do these songs just die too? Certainly, the majority of the radio stations aren’t sharing them, so when the original artists aren’t around to perform them for us then it’s up to musicians who are currently on the road, to keep these great songs alive. The icing on the cake is that current performers are likely to, just like in the folk and roots traditions, be adding some spit and polish and breathing new and different life into the old songs.

Does this mean we shouldn’t strive to be singer/songwriters and support the working artists of our time? Absolutely not! We need to keep populating the world of music with more new songs, more new music. We should however, pay attention to and support the performers that are working hard to keep the older songs alive. 

Magic: via Alfonso Tobar

Monday morning, after a two gig weekend, we woke to find this amazing post from Alfonso A Tobar. It's the reward for all the hard work we put into our performances, all the study, practice, time, expense, energy and effort that goes into the shows you see. Thanks Alfonso, for your kind words and beautiful photos!

Magic...
In order to see magic, you must believe in it. Every day I ride my bicycle in or around Alamance County, NC.
Saturday night, I decided to go around at night time. Burlington was empty and silent. As I continue to move through the streets, I discovered an unusual echo of some noise and I followed into it. In the middle of the street nocturnal lights, I found what I was looking for, some crowd, something nice, real people....
Graymatter, a local band, was performing live and playing great music. Their audience were relaxed, chatting quietly. And you could see friends chilling out with some beer.
These are the first days of autumn down here.
The sound of Graymatter's music was simply cool and magic. I stayed there, enjoyed the moment, grabbed a couple of shots with my camera. Then, I faded back into the night. (Thank you guys. I had a wonderful time).
That was Saturday, the last week end of September...

Look at our Great New Stage Sign!

The very talented Morgan of Grayscapes created a fabulous new stage sign for us! We'd been looking for something fun and creative that we could have up on stage with us and she created exactly the right thing. She's a talented artist, creating original art and works on special request commissions too. If you're interested in seeing her pieces or having her create something special for you, you can reach her here. Thanks Morgan!

Where has your Graymatter tee been this summer?

So our Graymatter tees have been backpacking and fishing in the gorgeous Adirondacks, taken a swim in the Hudson River, traveled to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio, felt the cool breezes of Lake Ontario in Lowville NY, enjoyed the sun on the Jersey Shore, enjoyed the desert in Reno Nevada, and the beautiful mountains in Truckee California. Where has your Graymatter tee been this summer? Send us your photos!

 

 

 

Festival for the Eno

Graymatter is pleased to be invited to perform at the Festival for the Eno this year. It's the 35th annual event, held every 4th of July weekend, and for two days brings together 65 musical acts on 4 stages, beautiful crafts, demonstrations, kid activities, food trucks and vendors, a beer garden and ample opportunity to play in the beautiful Eno river.

The Eno River Association puts on this fun event as a fundraiser and 100% of the proceeds of the ticket sales go towards their good works. What do they do? The association focuses on land protection, advocacy, education, and land stewardship. They also hold guided nature walks for all ages and fun summer nature camps for kids. This event is not only important for raising funds so they can continue their work, but it's a way to celebrate the beauty of the Eno and the surrounding watershed, and protecting the area for future generations. The association was formed in 1966 and currently protects 6,900 acres, most of which is in the Eno River State Park, along with other parks and natural areas. It also owns 259  protected acres and hold conservation easements on an additional 828 acres. For more information on the weekend festival go to www.enoriver.org/festival. For more information on the association you can visit www.enoriver.org.

5K Run for the Children

The Prestige Foundation is a Burlington based mentoring group and they are hosting a charitable run in May. Their project aims to take high school students from Alamance County to work in Sam’s House Orphanage in Nepal for a month over the summer. Through exposure to a third world country and service to those in need, Prestige hopes to equip the students with the skills necessary to affect change in their own community. The first annual Run for the Children will also serve as a way to promote cultural and religious tolerance while reminding participants that unity and brotherhood are principles that transcend belief and background. The gathering spot for the 5K run/walk will be at Company Shops Co-op in downtown Burlington and the race will begin at 9am. Following the race, Graymatter will perform for participants of the race and other Active Streets goers. It’s going to be a busy day in downtown Burlington and Graymatter is pleased to help Lester and Keegan Pace with their charitable cause and to help the kids in Nepal. 100% of the donations cover the cost of transportation to and from Nepal as well as full expenses of the students. ***follow-up: over $7500 was raised! 

Scrapbook Update!

Have you checked out our "Scrapbook" page lately? Dave's been doing a great job and creating some fabulous art for us! Click here to see what he's been up to!