Forsyth Woman Magazine: Local Vocals

LOCAL VOCALS
By Carolyn Peterson

GrayMatter

Back in the day, good four-part harmony was easier to come by, but many of today’s bands rely on pre-recorded music and vocals to give a smooth tone. For the band GrayMatter, ‘graymatterizing’ songs of their youth and four-part harmony are what they do best – and why they are so popular on the local band circuit. “Our covers are usually ‘graymatterized,’ said Bev Gray Gude, “meaning that we’re likely to come up with different arrangements and/or instrumentation and we always layer on harmonies. We’re re-imagining and recreating the songs of our youth. It’s pretty terrific to look out into the audience and see people singing along with us to their favorites. The audience lifts us up and it’s for them that we keep working to get better at what we do. Our original songs are full of 4-part harmonies and personal storytelling, and because there are four singer/songwriters in the group, we have a range of styles, whether it’s tender ballads, folky Americana or driving rock and roll.” Along with Bev, who plays 12-string and high strung guitars, flute, tambourine, bodhra and tabla, GrayMatter’s band members include Barry Gray, acoustic guitar; Brad Gray, acoustic, electric and sitar guitar; and Dave Gude, acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica, and mandolin.

A Family Affair
Growing up, the ‘Gray’ kids, Bev, Barry and Brad, listened to a lot of the early folk singers like Peter, Paul & Mary, Kingston Trio and Bob Dylan, soaking up those harmonies. “Our dad, Bryan Gray, was also a big influence. He played guitar and piano, and after many of our family dinners, we’d often gather our instruments, come back to the table and sit around singing and playing together for hours,” recalled Bev. When Dave Gude and Bev started dating at ages 14 and 15, Dave immediately joined in with the Gray family, performing for years together in various configurations until 2011, when the group formed the current GrayMatter.

Love What You Do, Do What You Love
Pinpointing exactly what the members of GrayMatter like best about performing is hard to do. “Playing and singing big harmonies on top of those great classic songs that we cover is amazing, and we love working on and performing each other’s original pieces. Our audience’s reaction, from singing along to dancing, is the best! We have people come up to us after a show and tell us that we’ve played a song that they so loved and haven’t heard in a long while. We’re bringing back good memories during our shows and people really respond to that,” Bev stated.

Being Busy is a Good Problem to Have
“This has been a great summer for us. We’ve really been busy
and have met lots of great people and other talented musicians. GrayMatter was invited to perform at a John Prine Tribute Concert in Greensboro this past May and at Bull Fest in Durham, NC. Recently, we performed live on WQFS 90.9 FM in Greensboro, NC, playing all original music. We’re working hard, staying busy, and are so appreciative of the people who invite us to play their venues and events, and so grateful for our wonderful audiences,” said Bev.

GrayMatter is currently researching studios to record a CD of their original music by the end of the year. There are links to their music and embedded music at facebook.com/graymatternc and at graymatternc.com. For more information on upcoming events, visit graymatternc.com.

Roadtrip!

September finds us readying for another roadtrip to Upstate New York for Historic Lowville's Cream Cheese Festival!

 

We've been invited to play at this fun event and to play at an after-party as well...and we can't wait!

 

So we're renting the extra-long van, packing up our heavy sweaters, loading up the whole crew, and heading up into a really gorgeous part of the country.

 

 

We're looking forward to reconnecting with some childhood friends, seeing the friends we made in Lowville when we were there two years ago and making some new friends too. We'll have some photos for you when we return!

 

 

 

Times News article: GrayMatter Brings the Family to Musical Chairs

GrayMatter Brings the Family to Musical Chairs
Via Times-News



The “Gray” in Graymatter stands for family. “We grew up singing/playing together,” Bev Gray Gude said of her brothers, Barry and Brad. When Bev began dating Dave Gude, as teenagers, “he immediately joined in with the Gray family. We’ve performed in various configurations over the years and it was about four years ago that the four of us finally got together to create the current band.”

Bev took some time out to answer questions about GrayMatter prior to its Musical Chairs performance from 7p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Historic Downtown Depot Amphitheater. The show is part of the Musical Chairs Concert Series. Admission is free, but donations of children’s art supplies for classes at Alamance Arts are appreciated.

• What type of music do you all play? Folk-rock/rock/Americana.

• Originals, covers or both? Our covers are usually “GrayMatterized,” meaning that we’re likely to come up with different arrangements and/or instrumentation and we always layer on harmonies. We’re re-imagining and re-creating the songs of our youth. It’s pretty terrific to look out into the audience and see people singing along with us to their favorites. The audience lifts us up and it’s for them that we keep working to get better at what we do. Our originals are full of those same swirling four-part harmonies and personal storytelling, and because there are four singer-songwriters in our group we have a range of styles, whether it’s tender ballads, folky Americana or driving rock & roll.

• Which bands/musicians inspire you? “Growing up we listened to a lot of early folk singers (Peter, Paul & Mary, Kingston Trio, Dylan) and soaked up their harmonies. Our Dad, Bryan Gray, was also a big influence. He played guitar and piano and after many of our family dinners we’d often gather our instruments, come back to the table and sit around singing and playing together for hours. Then there’s The Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, James Taylor, Beach Boys; the list goes on & on.

In addition to Bev on 12-string and high-strung guitars, flute, tambourine and bodhran, the band includes Barry Gray on acoustic guitar, Brad Gray on acoustic and electric guitars and sitar guitar and Dave Gude on acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica and mandolin.

• What sets this band apart from others in and around Alamance County? “I’d say our harmonies, first and foremost. There’s just something about the unique chemistry of tightly-knit family voices. We also play a lot of songs that no one else is playing. Usually after a gig, people will come up to us and say that we’ve played favorites that they haven’t heard in a long time and brought back a lot of memories for them. We find that younger folks really like these songs too and call out for their favorites at our shows. We love introducing those dynamic classics in a fresh, new way to younger audiences who have never heard the songs before. Our audiences are just terrific.”

• Recordings: “We’re researching studios now and hope to get working on a cd of originals before the end of the year. In the meantime, we have both audio and video music online for people to hear. There are links to our music and embedded music at www.facebook.com/graymatternc and at www.graymatternc.com.”

• Upcoming performances: “We’re fortunate to be playing somewhere almost every weekend of the year. People can check out our calendar at either of those websites mentioned above. Here’s a partial list: July 31 at the Rusted Bucket Tavern in Burlington; Aug 6 for a taping for the Tokyo Rosenthal Radio Show (broadcasts on WCHL 97.9 FM and syndicated to a dozen-plus other stations including Country Music Radio-Nashville); Aug7 at The Kraken, Chapel Hill; Aug 29 at the Doodad Farm, Greensboro; Sep 6 at Muddy Creek Café, Winston Salem; Sept 11 at Pittsboro Roadhouse, Pittsboro; Sept 19 Historic Lowville Cream Cheese Festival, Lowville N.Y. and a few other dates in N.Y. and N.J. on this trip; Sept 26 at Beer-B-Que in Burlington; Oct 2 at the Rusted Bucket Tavern in Burlington; and Oct. 4 at Festifall in Chapel Hill. “We had a great time playing the Musical Chairs event last year and are pleased that Alamance Arts, the Burlington Recreation and Parks Department and Downtown Burlington Corporation have invited us back again.”

“This has been a great summer for us so far. We’ve been really busy and have met lots of really great people and other talented musicians. GrayMatter was selected to perform at a John Prine Tribute Concert that happened in Greensboro in May and at Bull Fest in Durham as well. We also performed live on WQFS 90.9 FM in Greensboro, where we played all original music. We also were invited to play at the Festival for the Eno in Durham on July Fourth, which is always a very fun event. We’re working hard, staying busy and we’re so appreciative of the people that invite us to play their venues and events and so grateful for our wonderful audiences. They’re the best.”

For more details on the band, visit graymatternc.com or facebook.com/graymatternc.

Festival for the Eno

We had a fabulous time at the Festival for the Eno! This two day festival is run by the Eno River Association and for 36 years now, people from all ages and walks of life have been coming together on the beautiful banks of the Eno to listen to great music, share local arts and craftwork, eat delicious food, and most of all, to celebrate the Eno River & Watershed and its importance in the community. Over 65 musical acts on 4 stages and we were honored to be a part of it all!

So what's coming up next for Graymatter? You can check out our calendar on Facebook or on Reverbnation.

Flashback: the night the lights went out at the Depot at Hillsborough Station

Though the Depot at Hillsborough Station has closed it's doors forever, one of Graymatter's most memorable moments occurred there one evening. There must have been something going on with the wiring that day because the poor sound-guy was having a terrible time keeping us up and running. Feedback, clicking & clattering, and huge issues with weird noises coming from both Barry's & Bev's guitars. All night we were experiencing the sound flickering in and out while we were playing. The poor sound-guy was doing the best he could throughout the evening but then the lights in half the building started to get twitchy too. He kept running between the sound board and the electrical panel to keep the place alive. We were beyond frustrated but kept pushing through. We had a nearly-full house, people had been dancing the whole evening, seats were full of people who had gathered to enjoy their wine, beer and conversation with friends...and they stuck with us through all the electrical annoyances...when the lights & sound in our half of the building flickered one last time and stayed off. At this point, we were working our way through the very last song of the night. Dancers were still dancing, people were calling for us to continue, we were singing our hearts out to "I'm a Believer." You'd think that we'd just give up right? Enough was enough, after all. But what really happened was, with no amplification to help us along and barely enough light to see, we moved in front of the mics, the crowd moved as one to the front of the stage, the seated folks got to their feet and the whole crowd sang at the top of their lungs, finishing out the rest of the song with us. Dave shouted his usual "Thank you and good night!" and we got a most rousing, energetic appreciative "good night!" back from the room. The clapping went on & on and people came up to us afterwards to say how much fun that moment was. What a night!  

Love Notes

A Tribute to John Prine: to benefit Voices Together

On Sunday, May 12th, Graymatter, along with 22 other musical artists, will be participating in a benefit for a very worthy cause: Voices Together. This innovative group serves people in both the Triangle and Triad regions of NC, providing music therapy to folks with special needs in order to help them improve their communication, social and emotional skills, support their independence and self-advocacy.

What is music therapy? According to the American Music Therapy Association, "Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of the individuals. After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people's motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings."

Voices Together partners with Durham, Chatham, Alamance and Orange County schools and provides music therapy sessions that help to increase student’s verbal and speech skills, supports the individual student’s classroom experience by helping them to increase their ability to appropriately act and interact in a group setting, engage appropriately, and teaches them effective coping skills. The VT sessions also helps in the student’s communications skills as well as conversational and listening skills.

A photo from the Voices Together Facebook page.

Outside of the school setting, VT uses musical therapy to help individuals build positive relationships, improve social skills and participate in activities that will provide them with peer support.  Also important in their mission is effectively raising public awareness regarding how music therapy can benefit people of all ages who deal with developmental disabilities. They make presentations to parent and community groups and provide workshops to help educate the general public and to support families.

For more information about Voices Together or partnership opportunities please contact them at 919-942-2714 or info@voicestogether.net or check out their website or their facebook page.

This benefit is free to the public and 100% of the donations received will benefit Voices Together. Come enjoy a beautiful Spring afternoon in a beautiful, family-friendly setting. Bring your lawn chairs, your cooler, your kids, your well-behaved dogs and enjoy the music of 23 of the area’s best artists, all gathered together to perform the songs of John Prine, one of America’s legendary singer-songwriters.

Also being celebrated that day is the recent book release of the biography, John Prine-In Spite of Himself, written by local author Eddie Huffman. The book will be available for sale at the event, with a portion of the sales going to VT.

Doodad Farm is located at 4701 Land Rd in Greensboro, NC. The Doodad Farm Facebook event page can be found here.