Greg Thomas is set to release his new EP “Atlantic/Pacific” on August 18th, 9:30pm at The Living Room in NYC. The EP will also be available online starting August 17th.

Greg recently received a write-up in the Deli Magazine as one of the NYC artists on the rise http://nyc.thedelimagazine.com/node/2459.

Since he first stopped by the LC open mic, Greg has been a favorite of the community, performing at many of our showcases and tribute nights. His skilled guitar playing and vocals immediately made him a stand out performer, in addition to his well-crafted songs. The five songs on “Atlantic/Pacific” do a perfect job of introducing Greg’s music while leaving the listener wanting more. Each song is carefully constructed, sometimes evolving in unforeseen directions that feel completely natural, yet still surprising.  Rhythm guitars are often balanced with ethereal and haunting electric leads, or other subtle touches like a distant, jangling piano. The juxtaposition between instruments overlaid with Greg’s warm, earnest vocals make for an intriguing and enjoyable listen.

Biography

“For a while, I had a very clear goal of becoming a successful musician. When I was first learning how to play guitar, I thought that success came from having the best technical skill. After I started to sing, I thought that success came from being able to do the most with my voice, being able to hit more notes in more registers. For a while, that’s what I worked on. I tried to play the most interesting guitar parts and sing the most interesting vocal lines, without really getting into the craft of songwriting.

Because of that, throughout college and the beginning of my move to New York, I recorded a demo and played out a little, but I didn’t really dive into music the way I thought I would. I think it was because I was looking to be the best at certain things, and was neglecting the most important part of being a musician, which, as corny as it sounds, is passion, and living the songs you are writing.

I realized this as I started to work on my voice more, and sing with more emotion, while having my guitar take a back seat. I started listening to different music, really getting into great songwriters and learned about songwriting. I took it back to the basics of good songcraft, which I had never really done. I had always thought of myself as a guitarist in the beginning, so I didn’t take much time to learn about songwriting. I sang, but I did it more out of utility than anything else.

I started hanging out with an amazing songwriter, John Cramer, who taught me how to be a good songwriter. Not as much through step by step instructions, but by giving me the tools to do it, and by working closely with me on songs, and by giving me some of the records that would change my life. Records like “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” by Wilco. I started Listening to a lot of the stuff I had missed out on, and learned how good songs are made. Not good songs in terms if “HITS” or chart positioning, but I learned how to engage the listener and to get my point across by not always being perfectly forthcoming. John and I started at a record label at the same time as interns, and we ended up working together for the next couple of years. We would go to a lot of shows together and listen to a lot of music, and talk about what was good, what we liked, what really got to us in certain songs. I hadn’t had the “hang out and talk about music” time since high school, and I realized how much I missed this, and how much it helped me become a better musician. I grew leaps and bounds in high school because of this, and now, post-college, the same was true.

I took all this stuff and sat down with my guitar and I took all the notes I had from the past 6 years, and all the experiences I had since moving to Brooklyn, and I started writing. I started writing every day about everything that was happening. Any interesting thought I had, any striking emotion, any cool phrase I heard. I wrote literal pieces, and I wrote stories based on things I had heard. I started working on my wordsmithing, my melody writing, and my personalization. I learned how to put myself completely into a song, and I learned how to start building on that feeling. I started collaborating with my buddy Pete Valeo on my acoustic stuff, and on electronic tunes he had been working on, bouncing off every idea we hand. And once I started writing, I couldn’t stop.

I brought the songs to a few musicians I know, and got some validation that there was something in what I was doing. I started playing shows again, started hitting local open mics. I started to form relationships with people at Local Correspondents, a local artist community, and I decided to record an EP.

In April of 2010 I went into The Bunker Studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to record Atlantic/Pacific with Aaron Nevezie. I was lucky enough to play with a set of great musicians: Kirk Schoenherr, Tim Lappin & Steve Purcell. We put a lot into the record in just 5 days, and I hope it comes across that way. I view this album as the beginning of a new musical journey, and I hope that you are able to find something in it that resonates with you.”

- Greg Thomas