Who's Ready?

Who’s ready for warm weather? We are! We're busy lining up a really fun, outdoor music event schedule including (so far) Musical Chairs (Burlington), 4th Fridays (Burlington), Everybus (Pleasant Garden) Peace Love & Muddy Creek (Winston Salem), Bynum Front Porch Music Series (Bynum), Festifall (Chapel Hill), and there's even more to come!

 

We've worked up a lot of new songs for our setlist this season and have just started rolling them out at the last couple of gigs, so come out and enjoy the new additions!

Below is a photo of a previous Musical Chairs performance, with nearly 2000 people coming out to enjoy the evening. Happily, we’ll be playing in that great series again this June and we’re really looking forward to it!

We've also added something special to the calendar in April. On the 2nd, we'll be doing an all-originals show at Muddy Creek Music Hall...and recording it live! If all goes well, we'll use this recording to produce the cd that you've been asking, and patiently waiting for. We'd love for you to come out and be a part of the audience that evening, so click here for more information and to check out our performance schedule. We're adding to the calendar every week so keep checking back!

We look forward to seeing you soon and often!

March 2016 Calendar

For the Love of Alj

At 4 months of age, Alj (pronounced AL-Jay) was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. The doctors predicted that he wouldn’t survive overnight because his heart muscles just weren’t constricting as they should. But Alj was strong, a special kind of kid, and now at 13 years of age, he's an honor roll student at Broadview Middle School. Unfortunately, that diagnosis at 4 months of age was just the beginning of a long journey that has included many hospital stays and a much restricted lifestyle, having to avoid any activity that would put any kind of stress on his heart. After a decade of hospital stays, testing and treatment, his heart can no longer keep up and he’s now remained in the hospital for over 8 months. The only option at this point is a heart transplant for Alj. Dr Buck, the cardiologist at UNC who is spearheading Alj’s care, says that waiting for the new heart is inherently unpredictable. Additionally, the wait is peppered with sadness, knowing that the miracle gift comes at the expense of another family’s tragedy. Alj and his mom both grapple with this, but are so appreciative and determined to stay strong. As for Alj, he has big plans for his new heart. When interviewed by Fox8 News back before the holidays, Alj proclaimed:  “That will be amazing. I’ll get to experience being happy and doing whatever I want to do. I think I’ll play football when I get a new heart. I’ll probably be able to run or ride my bike, do a lot of stuff!” he explained.

There is a fundraising event on Saturday, February 27th, held at Broadview Middle School in Burlington. The family-friendly benefit runs from 6pm-9pm. Graymatter performance time is 7pm-9pm so come hang out with us for lots of singing and dancing – all for a terrific cause – support for Alj and his mom. There will be raffle prizes, vendors, dinner by Texas Roadhouse (grilled or BBQ chicken, baked potato, salad, & bread for $12/ half goes to Team Alj) and 100% of the proceeds of this event goes towards living expenses and medical bills. The evening will be live-streamed so that Alj can watch from his bed at UNC. Let’s show him just how much the community is rooting for him!

Here's Where We'll Be in February 2016

Furry Family Members

If you already know us, you probably know that the Gray and Gude households both included furry family members when we were growing up and today we still have our companions by our side. Do they get in the way of practice? Well maybe sometimes, but look how much fun we have!

Have you found us on Facebook? Pop on over to Facebook.com/graymatternc and you’ll find photos, videos, links to other videos, real-time news and all kinds of interesting and fun things. While you’re there, give us a “like” and maybe invite your friends to “like” us too!

Here's Where We'll Be In January 2016

We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!

Visit to WHUP 104.7 FM and the Graymatter Playlist

Did you know there’s a dedicated Graymatter playlist on YouTube? Just click on it once and YouTube will move seamlessly from song to song. You’ll find favorite covers, some originals and even some holiday tunes too. See something on there that you particularly like? We’d love it if you’d share the link on your Facebook page. We’re adding to the playlist all the time so check back now and again to see what’s new! 

Speaking of our YouTube playlist, the screen shot above is taken from our latest video, thanks to our pal and radio host Bob Johnson during our appearance on WHUP's (104.7 FM) Pass the Hat in October. We had such a great time trading songs and stories that evening. The two hour show just flew by!

Want to see where Graymatter is going to be playing for the remainder for 2015 and beyond?  Just click here! Be sure to check back often because new dates, venues and events are being added.  We'd love to see you at our upcoming shows!

Benefit for Friendship Adult Day Services

One thing that Graymatter is pleased to do is to give back to the community, so when the folks at Friendship Adult Day Services contacted us about participating in a fundraiser for them we happily signed on. So what happens at an Adult Day Center?  Caring for someone who is frail or has a disability is a demanding job that requires a lot from family members. Adult day centers provide caregivers with a much-needed break, secure in the knowledge that their family member is receiving excellent care during daytime hours. ADS centers provide frail adults experiencing physical, mental or social problems associated with stroke, isolation, confusion or other conditions with the opportunity to enjoy social interaction, participate in challenging activities and enjoy daily life in comforting surroundings. Update: The volunteers put in a lot of hard work and created a great event. The evening raised $5000! Graymatter was happy to be a part of such a fun evening.