Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp, and Paul Jackson Jr. Deliver an Outstanding Not-To-Be-Forgot Smooth Jazz Performance at the Woodland (RECAP)

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Friday, June 17, 2022

There was a lot of anticipation for the upcoming installment of Rich Engel’s Smooth Jazz New Jersey live music event at The Woodland. Having had 5 prior extremely successful, packed house / sold-out events, bringing in these three Contemporary Jazz, Funk, and Soul stars meant an awesome performance ahead. 

In addition to the normal promotional stream, this event was also promoted by the widely known radio host Pat Prescott. Pat was here for 23 years on New York radio. He worked at WRVR, WBLS, WLIB, The National Black News Network. and contemporary jazz station CD 101.9. In 2001, Pat moved to Los Angeles to co-host the morning show at 94.7 The WAVE with saxophonist Dave Koz, then singer Brian McKnight, and currently Pat is the solo host of the morning show on The WAVE and she is also the producer and host of Making Waves. Pat was also chosen as R&R's smooth jazz personality of the year for six consecutive years and in 2015, she received the prestigious Genii award from the Alliance of Women in Media. So, lots of attention was on this event.

The lights dimmed and the spotlight was on twenty-something Julia Engel who introduced herself as “part of the Smooth Jazz New Jersey family.” She gave a thoughtful description of the good works of JESPY House, the non-profit represented at the concert that supports adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Julia introduced the former New York CD101.9 radio air alumnus and morning show host and tonight's Guest Master of Ceremony, Steve Harris. 

Steve reminisced a bit about playing the night's Smooth Jazz performers’ tunes repeatedly in the past on the station. It was a reflective and wonderful moment to enjoy as Steve was greeted by the sold-out audience delivering a continuous and very lively amount of applause. He then brought Jazz Funk Soul on stage, and they were greeted with thunderous applause.

The applause was warranted because Jazz Funk Soul consisted of six-time Grammy nominee and keyboard extraordinaire Jeff Lorber. Jeff scored his first Grammy win in 2018, for best Contemporary instrumental album for his recording of “Prototype”.

Band member, the funk man, saxophonist Everette Harp, his album Jazz Funk Soul, a collaboration with Chuck Loeb and Jeff Lorber, received its first nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. In addition, he has jammed with President Clinton and has performed with Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Chaka Khan, and Dianne Reeves, amongst others.  

Now, round out this super group with soulman and Grammy nominee, the awesome guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. Paul is the guitarist on three Grammy-winning albums including Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Paul has either played, composed, or collaborated with musical legends such as Elton John, Whitney Houston, Pattie Labelle, George Benson, Al Jarreau, George Duke, and David Benoit.

Once introduced, the Jazz Funk Soul group came out hot!! Working in concert with each other, Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr., and Everette Harp performed some absolutely outstanding solos. And, having just left the Jacksonville Jazz Festival where I experienced Mr. Funk, Everette Harp absolutely wowed the fans. It was clear he was absolutely on fire again this evening. After some extremely intense solo performances, the crowd immediately reacted with loud and rousing applause.  

This powerful vibe enforced the audience's expectations for the entire night, as Jeff Lorber delivered some energetic and lively piano tunes, while Paul Jackson Jr. added to the audience enjoyment by delivering some extremely intense guitar renditions of popular tunes. The audience reaction was positive, loud, and resulted in numerous standing ovations over and over throughout the night's performance. 

This was once again another spectacular performance produced by Rich Engel of Smooth Jazz NJ and the Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture. This event clearly demonstrated that The Woodland has become the go-to venue for Contemporary Jazz with another presentation of world-class musicians delivering energetic live music performances. 

Producer Rich Engel also noted the following Smooth Jazz NJ events at The Woodland will return with the following amazing performances:

Sept 24, 2022 will feature singer, songwriter, musician, 4x Grammy nominee, Jazz Walk of Fame inductee and Platinum-selling artist, Oleta Adams. As Oprah Winfrey said, “The voice that brought me out of the shower.”  You know her from her 1990 debut album Circle of One which went Platinum, and the impassioned hit single "Get Here" became an unofficial anthem of the 1991 Gulf War. She has performed on worldwide tours with Tears for Fears, Phil Collins, Michael Bolton, and Luther Vandross, and has sold more than two and a half million records.

Oct 8, 2022 - The unstoppable force in the smooth jazz genre, saxophonists Kim Waters comes to The Woodland. Jazz Times Magazine called Waters, “simply one of the planet’s best saxophonists." This suave, debonair and commanding saxophonist’s ability to transcend the musical boundaries of Jazz, Pop, and R&B have made him one of the most sought-after musicians in Contemporary Jazz.

Save the dates Sept 24th and Oct 8th because you don't want to miss these events.

About the Author Gregory Burrus

Gregory Burrus is a local live music producer, promoter, event planner, and community partner. He combines his extensive corporate business and technology expertise with his love of live music and being a strong community advocate.

Read more from Gregory Burrus:

https://www.jerseyindie.com/ji-blogger-gregory-burrus 

https://patch.com/users/gregburrus

Join us at our live music events:

https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/events/

Recap our live music experiences:

https://www.youtube.com/c/GregoryBurrus 

http://24hoursoflivemusic.com

What's Going On In My Neck of the Woods for June 2022

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Friday, June 3, 2022

What's happening all around our towns for June 2022. Please join us. 

Jazzy Nights Presents a Gemini Birthday Celebration with MPack Music

Event Details: Friday, 6/3, 7-10 PM, Gemini Celebration featuring MPack Live with Lynette Sheard at South Valley BBQ and Lounge, Outdoor Patio, West Orange, NJ

Are you a Gemini? Come join us and have some birthday celebration fun with us at the new South Valley BBQ and Lounge luxurious new outdoor patio. Open to all with a new start time of 7PM. Bring a friend, family member, someone you just met, and let’s have some dancing fun. Register and make your reservation here and let us know you are coming or just show up for first come first serve seating availability. Prior events were sold out, so come early and get your seat, and let's dance!

Free, Open to Public:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jazzy-nights-presents-a-gemini-birthday-celebration-with-mpack-music-tickets-350663212107

Seton Village ArtBender / SoundBender

Event Details: Saturday, 6/4, 11-4 PM, ArtBender / SoundBender Art and Live Music All Around Town, ArtBender Event SoundBender at Seton Village, South Orange, NJ

ArtBender is a celebration of creativity and self-expression, happening in and around South Orange, NJ on June 4, 2022 (rain date June 5). Community members are encouraged to gather at “creativity hubs” by starting communal projects in neighborhoods throughout the town. Local businesses are also encouraged to host an arts event. Past ArtBender events have included painting, chalk street art, poetry writing, and live music and dance performances.

Click to learn more:
https://www.facebook.com/events/782725869755494

Smooth Jazz at The Woodland  

Event Details: Saturday, 6/4, 8-10 PM, Jazz Funk Soul feat. Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp & Paul Jackson Jr. at The Woodland, Maplewood, NJ

Produced by Smooth Jazz New Jersey / Maplewood Arts & Culture, this supergroup can whisk your mind away with Jazz, humble your heart with Soul, and make your foot stomp with Funk. When describing the performance of “Jazz Funk Soul '' featuring 2018 Grammy-winner Jeff Lorber and Grammy nominees Everette Harp and Paul Jackson Jr., you’re talking about the real thing in adult contemporary music.

Purchase tickets at:
https://smoothjazznj.com/ 

"Juneteenth: Images Triumphant" at the West Orange Arts Council

Event Details: Saturday, 6/18, 2-3:30 PM, Live Music by Lynette Sheard & the James Austin Jr. Trio, "Juneteenth: Images Triumphant" at the West Orange Arts Council, West Orange, NJ 

The “Juneteenth: Images Triumphant” art exhibition features the work of West Orange Arts Council members Dwight Carter (photography), Anthony Gartmond (drawings), Glendora Simonson (quilts), and Gabrielle Smith (quilts). A Juneteenth reception will take place on Saturday, June 18 from 12-4pm, featuring music produced by Gregory Burrus Productions with performances by Lynette Sheard Live featuring the James Austin Trio.   The reception is supported by The Essex County (NJ) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.”

Learn more:
https://woarts.org/blog-post/juneteenth-images-triumphant-june-4-july-9-2022/ 

Community Art Project Celebration and Unveiling

Event Details: Sunday, 6/19, 2-4 PM, Dre Barnes Trio, SOPAC Juneteenth Holiday, South Orange, NJ

Join us in the SOPAC Lobby for the grand unveiling of the Juneteenth Community Art Project that was created at the painting event on June 17. Live music with Dre Barnes Trio. Light bites and refreshments will be available.

Learn More:

https://www.southorangedowntown.org/juneteenth 

Barry Harris Institute of Jazz Presents

Event Details: Sunday, 6/26, 3-6 PM, location TBA. The Barry Harris Institute of Jazz Presents the Richard Clements / Murray Wall 11th Street Bar Band featuring James Austin Jr, along with special guests including the Barry Harris Jazz Chorus, Phillip Bingham, and others.

Learn more:

https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/events/ 

City of Orange Farmers Market Returns June 29

Event Details: Wednesday, 6/29, 12-5 PM, MPack R&B Jam. Come sing, come play, join in, every Wed. at the Orange Farmers Market at Hickory & S Main St, City of Orange, NJ

Produced by the City of Orange Division of Recreation, the City of Orange Farmers Market returns on June 29. Join us on the grass across from McDonald’s, every Wednesday from noon to 5PM. Bring your tune or your instrument and join us. 

Learn more:

https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/events/ 

Cranford Summer Sounds Returns June 30, Every Thursday, Eastman Clock Plaza Park

Event Details: Thursday, 6/30, 6-8:30 PM, Stuff Brothers, Summer Sounds every Thursday at Eastman Clock Plaza Park, N Union Ave, Cranford, NJ

Produced by Downtown Cranford, grab a bite from a local restaurant and pull up a park bench for these special Thursday evening concerts in downtown Cranford. The streets come alive with a different sound from local artists each week. Performances take place at Eastman Clock Plaza.

Learn More:

https://www.facebook.com/DowntownCranford/ 

About the Author Gregory Burrus

Gregory Burrus is a local live music ambassador, producer, promoter, event planner, and community partner. He combines his extensive corporate business and technology expertise with his love of live music and being a strong community advocate.

I love writing about it all. My mission is to help community groups, live music bands, and local nonprofits reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day-to-day process of life.

https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/events/ 

https://www.jerseyindie.com/ji-blogger-gregory-burrus   

https://patch.com/users/gregburrus

Return of the South Orange Undercover Festival 2022 — Super Well Attended and Very Enjoyable!

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Even with a rain delay and all that goes into rescheduling a festival of this size, the Under Cover Music Fest (UCMF) roared back into town on Sunday, May 15, 2022 with a huge impact. This event was produced by South Orange Downtown (SODT) and presented by Mark Murphy’s Music and Pollock Properties Group of Keller Williams. The expected 1,000 music lovers of all ages came out to the Sloan St. parking lot throughout the day and enjoyed an afternoon of FREE live music, a very lively and bustling beer garden, along with selected food vendors. But first, the music.

Talking to Mark Murphy, the presenting sponsor and owner of Mark Murphy’s Music, it was obvious he was very excited for the return of the Under Cover Festival and mentioned, “We all need this opportunity to get together, celebrate and listen to some great music in the heart of South Orange.”  Well, the music was fantastic.

The Deadful Greats opened up strong, covering everything about the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead remained among the highest-grossing American touring acts for multiple decades and gained a committed fanbase by word-of-mouth and the exchange of live recordings due to the band's permissive stance on taping. Today, they played the best of the 70’s Grateful Dead. This group, the Deadful Greats, are a local group that has been pleasing audiences all around Northern New Jersey with their talent for years now, and they did not disappoint us. These are talented performers helping to keep the band's legacy and music alive, well, and vibrant. They did a wonderful job and brought their own unique style to this performance by bringing to life the words and melodies we all remember oh so well. 

Next up was the Karl Latham Big Fun(k) Group covering Herbie Hancock, the 14-time GRAMMY Award-winner and Academy Award-winner, and internationally renowned pianist and composer. Talking about covering Herbie Hancock, I found out the day before in my conversation with Don Braden that he was on tour in Amman, Jordan with the great Herbie Hancock. Well, closer to home, Karl Latham and his band of awesome professionals — Bob Magnus on sax, Oscar Perez on keys, and Gary Foote on bass — were simply funkified and masterful. As audience member and music events producer Norman Mann stated: “These cats were excellent and off the chain. Just fabulous.”

Continuing the live music was Vivienne Frederick & Mark Murphy’s Music Faculty Band, and the audience loved their renditions of some of Stevie Wonder's most popular songs. Stevie Wonder is the singer-songwriter and musician who is credited as a pioneer and was influenced by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz.

Vivienne Frederick, a senior at Columbia High School, is headed this fall to the University of Miami (FL) to study music and has been with Mark Murphy's Music since she was young. This was a special farewell performance for Viv with the MMM Faculty Band as they played the electrifying music of Stevie Wonder. She has a beautiful melodic voice, and along with the Mark Murphy's Music Facility Band they did a superlative job in covering her childhood singing influence, Stevie Wonder.  

Continuing the live music explosion was the rising star and always-on-point Autumn Jones and her band covering Lauryn Hill. Covering Lauren Hill was perfect for her because as she says the soulful R&B she creates is an expression of her life experiences as told through her stories, expressed in each of her songs. In covering Lauren Hill, this singer-songwriter with a strong vocal technique and songwriting capabilities did justice big time for the Lauren Hill fans. In addition, she brought along a band that performed some exquisite solos that were magical to listen to, and the overall performance was loudly applauded by all. 

On stage next was the Dustin Kaufman band covering Phil Collins, who is an English drummer, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for his tenure as the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis.

Dustin Kaufman and his band were a great choice to perform our favorite Phil Collins tunes. The band was definitely on point with the music, and combined with a swinging vocalist who came in from California they had many in the audience singing along.  Together, they provided some wonderful memories of Phil Collins tunes that will last for a long time to come. 

Last but not least, it was time to hear some of the best music from one of the most legendary bands of all time. Charlie Pollock and Friends covered Led Zeppelin, an English rock band formed in London in 1968 that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the best-selling music artists of all time. At the Under Cover Music Fest, it was time to relive the glory days of Led Zeppelin with Charlie Pollock and Friends. Charlie stated previously about covering Zepplin, “The greatest mountain to climb for a supergroup is the legendary Led Zeppelin! The best players, the hardest riffs, the weirdest lyrics and the most awesome fashion. Zeppelin has it all.”

Well, Charlie Pollock (seen on Broadway shows 9 to 5, David Bowie’s Lazarus, and Pretty Woman) and Friends performed beautifully as they sang a number of entertaining tunes that took the huge crowd back to many days gone by.  The band provided a very lively and wonderful close to an enjoyable day of live music.  

The beer garden was laid out nicely along one side of the Sloan Street parking lot ending at Fox & Falcon, which served as a food source on-site alongside Miti Miti, and both served the food in a very timely manner. One thing I was asked a lot was: “Where are all the other food vendors?” Seems folks once sitting or laid out on the ground did not want to venture afar. Other than that, people enjoyed themselves as they filled up from the available fare for purchase or negotiated a trip to an outside location.  

There were even kids activities provided by select participants to keep children entertained while parents enjoyed the music. Security was visible at every entrance point so everyone could enjoy themselves safely.

As mentioned previously, the festival was previously held on Sloan Street, and moving it into the Sloan Street parking lot was a wonderful, widely successful move. People came out in droves with lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy themselves as they watched these wonderful artists perform music from our early days. 

About the Author Gregory Burrus 

Gregory Burrus with the fabulous Autumn Jones.

Gregory Burrus is a local live music ambassador, producer, promoter, event planner, and community partner. He combines his extensive corporate business and technology expertise with his love of live music and being a strong community advocate.

I love writing about it all. My mission is to help community groups, live music bands, and local nonprofits, reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day-to-day process of life.

https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/events   
https://www.jerseyindie.com/ji-blogger-gregory-burrus    
https://patch.com/users/gregburrus

Interview with Sean Tobin

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Sunday, May 22, 2022

Sean Tobin has been writing invigorating Irish folk rock for the past few years and is back with a new full-length June 10th titled Ghost of The Arcade. Following up 2020’s East Coast Artifacts, Tobin’s latest singles showcase his shore town storytelling with his solid backing band. Sean’s music fits in Asbury Park bars just as well as pubs in Galway. Combining traditional Irish instruments with punk ferocity, his music remains exciting and at times nostalgic. I reached out to Sean to talk about his band and their upcoming album just a few weeks away. Thanks again, Sean!

When did you first start releasing your own music?

I released my first single in the winter of 2018, “Winter (In an Ocean Town).” That was one of the first songs I thought might be worthy of putting out into the universe. The other was “This Midnight”, which was the title track to my first album that came out later that same year. Safe to say, production quality and base-knowledge of songwriting has grown since then, but I still put many of those songs into my setlists.

Who is in your current lineup? How do these players influence your sound compared to when you first started?

Drums - David Patiño

Bass - Jack Breslin/Backing Vox

Lead Guitar/Mandolin/Accordion - Jake Garbe

Fiddle (When We Can Lock him Down!) - Sean-David Cunningham

These guys were a hodge-podge of connections that I'd made over the years.

Dave grounds us in the punk-rock beat that I always gravitate toward, but has no problem holding back when the song calls for it. He's also the gear guy. Thank god for that.

Jack is arguably the most "professional" musician we have in the group. He's classically trained and incredibly talented as a jazz bassist. He has his own jazz trio and plays in a bunch of other ensembles around NJ and beyond. He and I do a few duo/trio sets here and there, so we have great chemistry when it comes to banter on the mic and performing live.

Jake is the most recent addition to the group. I tapped him when we were putting out “St. Patrick's Day Forever”, as I'd heard he could play a ton of different instruments. I heard correctly. His diversity instrumentally helps flesh out each song in whatever way it needs, from mandolin to accordion to ripping leads on electric. Jake even learned each guitar solo from before he was in the band note for note overnight. Kid's an animal. He also helps add that Celtic, Americana twang to tracks in a way that I've been searching for for a while.

Sean-David Cunningham is one of the most (if not the most) sought after violinist in New Jersey. Classically trained like Jack, he started playing in rock and folk bands a while back and hasn't stopped since. He's one of those guys that only needs to hear the key of the song to play along.

Basically, I surrounded myself with musicians far more talented than me. I think it's working.

Your latest two singles “Memorial Drive” and “On the Corner of Sunset” are real rockers. How did these songs come together? What is your songwriting process like?

These two were serendipitous. I wrote “Memorial Drive” sitting on my VOX in my old Asbury apartment, trying not to wake the neighbors after a night out. Lucky for them, I wrote the song in under an hour. The best ones always happen that way. I'd already written “Sunset” months prior, but I never really put the two together till much later.

When I was tracking out the album, I wanted to make it flow in a way that all my favorite records do. I love the way one song blends into the next in records like American Idiot, Abbey Road, Kick by Spanish Love Songs... When I was going through the track listing, I paired tracks up by the chord they ended on, and when “Memorial Drive” and “Sunset” matched up, it made too much sense.

I love the Irish influence in your music. Who are some of your favorite Irish artists? What is unique about Irish music to you?

First off, thank you! I grew up on The Wolfe Tones. My mom's family is from Northern Ireland, so rebel music was always on repeat at parties. I joke that my dad had three CDs in his car growing up: Let the People Sing, Born to Run, and Beach House on the Moon. 

RIght now, though, I've gotten into a bunch of up-and-coming Irish rock acts. The Scratch is my favorite at the moment. Palpable high-energy acoustic punk, check them out when you can. I also steer toward Dubliners, Pogues, Clancy Brothers and the rest depending on my mood. But right now, The Scratch, Junior Brother, New Pagans, the list goes on...

The lyricism of Irish music has always resonated with me, as even the most serious of songs often have a few quips inside. I love the Irish sense of humor. Dry as hell. I try to add that to my songs whenever I can.

Your full-length Ghost of The Arcade comes out 6/10. Who did you work with for this album? What can fans and first-time listeners expect?

We worked with Rob Freeman up at Audio Pilot Studio for this one. Rob is a veteran producer, as well as a well-known pop-punk musician of Hidden in Plain View. His studio is decked out with tons of state-of-the-art equipment, instruments, and even analog gear. Most importantly for me, though, it has an apartment upstairs, a fire pit outside the listening room, and tons of acreage to explore. We stayed up there for a week and fully engulfed ourselves in the process. It was a dream.

Do you have a favorite track off the new record? What makes this one special?

The album is so diverse, it's too hard to pick just one. I'd also be lying if I said I had a favorite, but there are a few that have yet to be released that I'm very excited about. "I'll Be Alright," for one, is an absolute foot tapper, and the piano on the track drives the album home. "Unfinished Business" is a love song, one that I sang to my wife on our wedding day, so it'll always have a special spot in my heart. "Eugene" is a song for my grandfather.. that importance goes without saying. So do I have a favorite song? No, but I can absolutely say that this is the best, most enjoyable record I've worked on to date. 

We've got shows coming up to support this album at the end of June.

6/24 in New Hope, PA at John & Peter's

6/25 in Asbury Park, NJ at The Saint

6/26 in Jersey City, NJ at JC American Festival

and a late-summer tour to be announced!

~

You can keep up with all things Sean here and make sure you see him and the band this summer!

Interview with Grin & Bear

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Friday, May 13, 2022

Grin & Bear has evolved quite a bit since their initial entrance to the scene with 2015’s Range Wars. Following their first release, the project has been spearheaded by singer and guitarist Brian Perrino. He has gone on to release two more records and a handful of singles and EPs under Grin & Bear, as well as appearing on other bands’ records. While lineups have changed, Brian being at the core has kept their self-reflective and self-love messages at the forefront. Their latest release, Naturally Goes, is no exception, and possibly the most heartfelt yet (in my opinion). I reached out to Brian to tell me a bit more about how this record came together and the smattering of talent (including himself) that played throughout the album. Thanks again, Brian!

Before the release of Naturally Goes this year you released the “Forgotten EP.” What did those songs mean to you when you wrote them compared to releasing them? Anything in particular drive you to release them this year?

The “Forgotten EP” consists of two songs that I wrote in/around 2015 and one song I wrote in 2017. The songs “Tree” and “Dead Deer” are very, very similar. Before I get into this: these are very dark and depressing songs from a very dark and depressed time. Although they were true and possibly still remain true, I no longer focus on them because spending too much time in that space can be unhelpful. At some point, it’s very important to look at the darkness and it can be beneficial, but I don’t want to live there or forget that this isn’t the whole story. That’s why we took so long to decide if and when we wanted to release these.

Their theme is: what is the point of destroying everything around me (the environment, crossing deer, marginalized groups of people, etc.) so that I can have a life I’m not even happy with? They were written specifically about me, but I think it’s very weird to realize how much harm a lot of us do just to prolong unfulfilled and depressed lives. This is a very dark way to start the interview haha so I apologize.

“Karate Kid” is a fun and funny song that I just wanted to throw in there to add some lightheartedness to the EP. We recorded it with Connor Hanson and I think it sounds super cool, and I’m glad we put it out. If you listen, just take it with a grain of salt haha.

How did the writing for your newest record differ from 2020's Be Gentle, if at all?

In a lot of ways it remained the same and in a lot of ways we experimented more on this one. If anything, this one was more collaborative. My friend Connor (Sentient Moss) and I booked an Airbnb at a lake and each had our own room to write demos in. In that lake house, I fleshed out and wrote a significant chunk of this album, which is something I’ve never done before. I wrote the basic demos as usual but gave a lot more creative freedom to my friends! On “Grip”, Faye Fadem (Trust Fund Ozu) took my original demo that had no electronics and completely added her own take. On “Make Everyone Feel Bad”, Stephen Kelly (ManDancing) and I wrote letters back and forth to help us figure out what we were trying to say and we even wrote the music together, which was difficult and scary and very fun. Another friend and collaborator Matt Baker took on a huge role on this album: he wrote and recorded a lot of the synths (“I Move Slowly” and “Porch”, to name two) and was there along the way for production help and general support, in addition to playing bass on several songs and playing the “coin flip” on the song “Naturally Goes.” This album wouldn’t be the same without him. The whole album is a giant collaboration and includes 4 different drummers, which we have never done before.

Brian Perrino. Photography by @littlegreen_pill.

I love that your last two records have been a collaborative effort in the studio. Who did you have play on this record, and how do you choose who plays what on your songs when recording?

Okay, I have

Chris Calabrese: drums

Matt Baker: synth/guitar/bass/backup vocals

Gavin Fischer: bass/backup vocals

Will Avon: bass/guitar

Connor McArthur (Sentient Moss): guitar/vocals

George Saives (Halogens): drums

Faye Fadem (Trust Fund Ozu): drums/synth/production/vocals

Kyle Donavan (Halogens): bass

Stephen Kelly (ManDancing): vocals

Nigel Whitley (Sentient Moss): bass

Nick Timoniere (Nameling): vocals

Alex Brumel: pedal steel

Christina (Orion Lake): vocals

Emily, Chris, Tsian, Janaki: voices on “I Can Handle Anything”

"Put Me in the Back of the Line" was the first single. What is special to you about this song?

This song is special because it outlines an extremely important breakthrough that I had a few years ago: seemingly contradictory things can BOTH be true.

It feels so good to be selfless AND sometimes it makes me resentful.

This is the one from the song but also:

I want to meditate and work on myself AND a lot of days I don’t want to do it.

I care about my health AND I enjoy doing things that are bad for my health.

The album cover rules. Who did the art?

Ahh thank you!

This one was by Courtney Burke and I love it so much! It was the original concept for Be Gentle, but with color. Be Gentle felt very two-dimensional to me (which is why it’s black and white): you are either being gentle, or failing (haha). Now I see it’s not that simple. There’s a lot more depth and color and growth and decay going on (that’s also why it’s so cool that it was burnt into part of a tree trunk). I hope that comes through on the album.

What is your favorite song on the album?

I think it’s the last song: “Thinkin of U”

You're hosting a release show for the record on June 4th at The Saint in Asbury Park. Can you tell us about the bands playing with you?

This show kind of fell into our lap. George Saives (Halogens) (basically our free manager) told us the show was booked and we could hop on and use it as our release show if we wanted. We are playing with our absolute best friends in Halogens, and hopefully some new friends in Carpool and Palamino! The show is 6/4 and I leave for a 4-month meditation retreat on 6/6, so it’s also kind of a great way to see a bunch of friends before I leave!

Brian Perrino

You can keep up with Grin & Bear here and make sure you catch them at The Saint, June 4th!