Greg Humphreys

Wanted to give you a quick synopsis of my trip to the Czech Republic this Summer - I've had a lot of folks ask me about it. I'll start at the beginning.

After 12 hours of traveling, I arrived jetlagged to my host Bill Pixley's apartment - a top floor flat near the Dancing House (a landmark building set on the Vltava River, which runs through the heart of Prague). The apartment was buzzing with the dozen or so international twentysomethings that staff Bill's new startup social networking website, called Yornet.net

Yornet was sponsoring a stage at United Islands, a big annual international music festival in Prague. In addition to publicizing the launch of his site, Bill wanted to bring some of his favorite NC performers to the Yornet Stage. He lined up myself and Logie Meachum, a great blues singer out of Greensboro NC.

One of Bill's employees, an Australian named Daemos, put together a group of local ace musicians to back Logie and I at United Islands. The lineup: Dimitri from Siberia on Bass, Anar from Azerbaijan on Keytar, Ben From Britain on Sax, Byron from Maryland on Sax, and Tomas From Czech Republic on Drums. Many of these musicians spoke no english; as I scribbled out charts and we began to work through a first rehearsal, I was a little nervous that we might not be able to pull it off.

Three days later we were in front of a festival crowd of 2000 plus people, playing a set of HOBEX music together. It went swimmingly... the crowd loved it! HOBECZ International. As Logie joined us and we whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a set of his down home blues numbers, I was reminded once again just how incredibly lucky i am to do this. Thank you for that. Three encores later, We left the stage triumphant. Good times indeed!

The rest of the trip is a beautiful blur. Lots of duo and trio gigs with Logie in various bars and venues around town. A couple of nice Trunk Songs-style solo sets. Many impromptu sing-alongs and smiling faces. Jams with some great Prague-based musicians, including the talented Justin Lavash. Of course, some unforgettable sightseeing - Old Town Square, Astrological Clock, Old Jewish Quarter, Prague Castle, Cathedral of St. Vitus...

Bill told me I wouldn't want to leave, and he was right! I'm looking forward to my next trip to Prague, a truly gorgeous city with a vital culture and history. Can't wait to see all of the wonderful people i met there again. The best music trip I've taken in a long time. Here are some photos I took on one of the Festival days, if you'd like to check'em out.

If you'd like to listen to Trunk Songs, it's streaming at greghumphreys.net . If you'd like to buy Trunk Songs, Physical copies are available at our online store. Its available at Itunes, Emusic, Rhapsody, and other digital outlets; there will also be copies for sale at live shows. I created a cool lil' music video out of cell phone vids for the song "All You Know is Blue" from Trunk Songs. Check it out and see how many people / places you recognize - NSFW, though!

News and Observer "...one of the definitive Chapel Hill anthems" - David Menconi

Independent Weekly "...these tracks prove Humphreys is capable of mostly anything" - Chris Parker

Yes Weekly "...yet another feather in the cap of a North Carolina treasure" - Ryan Snyder

Winston-Salem Journal "...a document of one man‘s musical journey and a quiet testimonial to musical integrity." - Ed Baumgardner

Mountain Xpress "...comes on like a gentle breeze but contains the power to knock the listener for a loop.." - Alli Marshall

Our Spring '09 Shakori Hills HOBEX performance is now available on Itunes, Emusic, Rhapsody and other digital services! Recorded by festival soundman John Lloyd, This is a great sounding set running though favorites from our various albums. Longtime bassist Andy Ware and I were joined by Guitarist Gibb Droll (Keller Williams, Brandi Carlile, Marc Broussard), Drummer Rob Ladd (Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, Pressure Boys, Don Dixon, Let's Active etc.), Organist David McCracken (Donna the Buffalo, CJ Chenier), and vocalist / percussionist / Chapel-Hill favorite Taz Halloween. I have uploaded a track, Rollin' 4/16/09, to our Reverbnation music player at the HOBEX site, if you'd like to check it out!

While Gibb Droll was in town doing some Trunk Songs dates with me earlier this year, we found the time to do a few recording sessions in between shows . We got down a great version of Gibb's song Birmingham, a nice cover of Blue Velvet, and a few numbers that we wrote on the spot. We thought you'd enjoy it so we're releasing some tunes digitally as an EP called Bull Session. Also featured on the EP are my sister Ann Humphreys on vocals and virtuoso John Garris on Fiddle. Now available on Itunes, Rhapsody, Emusic and other digital outlets.

My solo dates in the Pacific Northwest were incredibly fun, thanks to my buddy Andrew McKeag of the Presidents of the United States of America. He played some smokin' guitar, put me up, and drove me around to all the gigs. What a friend! Also got to watch The Presidents rock a Microsoft party... heh heh.

Taper Dan Schram has posted a nice recording of my recent solo Trunk Songs set opening for the Carolina Chocolate Drops at Cat's Cradle. It's on Archive.org - you can download or stream it right here! Hope you enjoy it.

On the production front, I recorded most of the basic tracks for the new Dynamite Brothers CD Again. Tracks from the album have already appeared in the HBO series East Bound and Down and the CD has just been officially released. The album has a fantastic funk / soul / punk / garage hybrid sound - Check it out here! I recently finished recording and mixing an album called Counting Stars for a great local folk group called Humble Tripe; Counting Stars will soon to be released on 307 Knox Records. I've also been working on a strong batch of songs of my own for another solo release, and my sister Ann and I have been recording an EP together.

A song from my Trunk Songs CD, Buttons and Strings, is on an new compilation release distributed by Redeye called Homegrown Music for the Soil. The proceeds from this compilation will benefit Feed the Farm, an organization created to help family farmers in NC. The track listing includes a great roster of central North Carolina artists: Tift Merritt, Midtown Dickens, Chatham County Line, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Megafaun, Mike Slaton and The wheels, Tres Chicas, Southern Culture on the Skids, The Proclivities, Two Dollar pistols, and The Moaners.

HOBEX's recent Bandtogether event with The Rosebuds, Chatham County Line, and Rusted Root raised over $ 125,000 for the Lucy Daniels Center. Joining me for our HOBEX Bandtogether set: Andy Ware on Bass, Rob Ladd on Drums, David McCracken on keys, and Taz Halloween on vocals. To get a taste of this line-up, check out Tom Laney's youtube videos of Natural Child, Groove Baby, So Far Away, and Playin' Games from our April set at Shakori Hills Festival (also featuring the amazing guitarist Gibb Droll.)

One of my Dillon Fence songs, Living Room Scene, was recently named one of the 100 Greatest North Carolina songs by Yes! Weekly. Honored to be included. It's an interesting list - check it out if you're a fan of NC music.

I've been working on a follow-up to Trunk Songs. I have some new songs I'm really excited about. My recent solo set and interview for Sessions at Studio B is now archived at their site - surf over and have a listen.

Here are a couple of Trunk songs reviews from Carla Kucinski Seward at GoTriad and Brian Tucker at Bootleg Magazine that are not online:

Bootleg Magazine - October 10th 2008 - by Brian Tucker

Greg Humphreys is a music staple in North Carolina, consistently creating music as a solo artist or in bands Dillon Fence and Hobex for two decades. But with each incarnation Humphreys maintains majestic beauty and heart - solidarity. Vocally he’s coarse and smooth, cool and whispered with a tinge of sass. He’s an old soul; bluesy and jazz entrenched, yet layered with as much citified essence as the cold dirt in the country.

Humphreys has always bridged regions with his own melodic sensibilities. On Trunk Songs Humphreys does something he’s always wanted - an album of acoustic numbers, some recorded with friends, others recorded in spare fashion. Whittling arrangements down centers Humphreys’ spirit and sound, stripping the ambiance of indy rock or the electric soul of albums like the Payback EP.

Trunk Songs places Humphreys where he really shines – alone and raw. Trunk Songs may be acoustic but it stands tall, sounding large. ‘I Cover the Waterfront’ elicits a New Orleans rich and soulful delivery, taking the standard and giving it a gentle rustic ambiance. ‘Buttons & Strings’ is tender and gentle, lovingly executed, sounding like James Taylor if he channeled Otis Redding. The bluesy ‘Natural Child’ is stripped, Humphreys’ voice forward and booming. There’s the elegant ‘Faded Beauty’ that exercises restraint against a background of melancholy. Humphreys sings tenderly, Do you dream of me / like I dream of you. He switches things up with the country slow walk of the banjo rich ‘Crazy as a Loon’.

The album is steeped in character and personality; note the lament for a good dog on ‘Old Shep’. At times a love letter to his musical past and a means to tie up loose ends, Humphreys has something with these Songs. Trunk Songs may or may not spark a new direction for Humphreys but it certainly adds another color to his palette in which to play around with.

GoTriad - September 25, 2008 - by Carla Kucinski Seward

While reading an Irving Berlin biography, the phrase "Trunk Songs" - unused songs tossed into a trunk - inspired Greg Humphreys to record his own trunk songs. Recorded at various locations, including his back porch, the album instantly engages the listener with its intimacy and rawness and Humphrey's soothing vocals. Humphreys, who is accustomed to fronting bands (Hobex), sounds right at home in this role. Favorite track: "One Song Away"