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John Gregory may not be a household name
in the world of rock and roll. But you might have come across
the 35 year old's music somehow without knowing it. Perhaps it
was hearing his song Ride of Your Life at the closing credits
of last year's film What a Girl Wants. Or you might have
heard the same song on commercials for the WB soap One Tree
Hill. If you remember that tune with its earnest, passionate
lyrics and driving melody, than you have experienced John Gregory's
distinctive sound.
Gregory is still a newcomer to most although
he had played and recorded music for the better part of over
a decade. This Los Angeles-based musician has played rock and
roll in a band called California, which then had a record deal
and later opened for Stevie Nicks on her 2001 tour. But afterwards
the label went under, the band broke up, and Gregory went the
solo route by writing songs. On the basis of early demos that
were brought to the attention of Atlantic Records via his manager,
Gregory signed a major label deal. And out of it came his solo
debut album Pictures from Home.
Made with a crackerjack staff of seasoned
musicians, Pictures from Home is reminiscent of the great
classic rock records of the day put out by heartland artists
like John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Bob Seger
(whose sound by his own admission owed a debt to). It is can
be said that the record is autobiographical containing songs
that reflect the highs and lows in Gregory's life both personally
and professionally. Sounding both rustic and picaresque Pictures
from Home offer warm melodies and heavy on the introspections
augmented by his rough, soulful voice. This music finds a home
with the other down to earth sounds of John Mayer, Sheryl Crow,
matchbox 20, and the Wallflowers.
Gregory grew up in the City of Angels,
then moved to San Jose after his parents' divorce, and then moved
back to Los Angeles. As a youngster, he went as far as making
musical instruments out of everyday household items such as cardboard
and thread for guitars and drums from laundry baskets. He learned
out to play guitar from an instructional book of Beatles songs.
But he got into rock and roll late although music was always
in his blood, prior to committing to making music full time;
he was working as a bookbinder.
Now that his new album was released John
Gregory is preparing to find a band and gigging around the L.A
area. He spoke to us to talk about his music and life, and his
immediate plans.
Your sound on Pictures from Home
is reminiscent of FM radio rock from the '70s and '80s. How would
you describe your sound?
I'm a fan of old school music. I think
a lot of the songs have different vibes to them. There's some
stuff that has a reverb of guitar [a la] Chris Isaak. There's
stuff that's got a Petty-eqsue vibe. I just tried to make a flavorful
album.
What other acts do you see yourself
having something in common with?
If you are a fan similar to matchbox 20,
Counting Crows, and John Mayer I think you would dig it. I'm
hoping to carve my own little niche.
Pictures from Home can be described as an autobiographical album.
The title Pictures from Home--the
songs are snapshots of moments in my life. It's all about what
I was feeling at a certain point in time.
"Ride of Your Life" is like
the surefire hit of the record. Can you tell us something about
the song?
It's just basically about life is definitely
about the journey. There are highs and there are lows. But that's
what life is all about. My life has been like a roller coaster.
You have your energetic rockers on the
album but there are also some reflective ballads too, such as
"Victoria," which was partly inspired by the Washington,
D.C. sniper attacks in 2002.
Basically it was comforting a friend who
thought the whole world was going to hell. I really like the
mood of the song.
John, how would you describe your songwriting
process.
Writing for me is not as easy as I wish
it were. It is painful for me to write. You want to come up with
that great chorus line or those great words and it seem like
all the good stuff has been taken. You just got to sit in front
of the paper and your little recorder and hopefully something
will just come up.
You started out not having had a formal
musical education at first, but you decided to get into it late
in life, right?
It was basically posing for a lot of years.
I really didn't start learning how to play guitar until I figured
out I wanted to write songs. When I turned 21 all it was wither
Man go for it or don't. I just decided to go for it, and here
I am.
What is your favorite record, or who
were your influences growing up?
The Stranger
by Billy Joel. That's like my favorite all time record. I got
into Kiss, of course, Aerosmith, and Tom Petty. The Beatles of
course. I love Springsteen-his lyrics I can relate to a lot.
U2 is awesome. I can relate to a lot of the stuff.
What are your plans currently? Are you
going on the road to support the album?
I've been practicing acoustically I'm getting
my eggs out [as a songwriter]. I'm just trying to write until
things get busy. I'm just putting a band together right now.
It is kind of tough-there's not too many places to play.
Is it easy to play in front of people
who may not heard of you and are hearing you for the first time?
It's definitely nerve wracking when it's
me and my guitar. I've been so used to [playing] with a band.
You get nervous-it's a lot easier to play in front of 10,000
people than it is in front of five or 65. I think it's good because
it pushes me to get better with myself and to control my voice
and play guitar better.
There is a sort of genuine, down to
earth quality in your music that is both reflective and inspiring.
The songs do come across with me and my
guitar. I got signed on 3 or four songs [based on my playing
acoustic]. I'm definitely trying to hone my craft as a songwriter.
What are your plans for the future?
Man, I just hope to get out there and tour.
I just hope to reach a lot of people, and that people will dig
it. I don't care about the mansion on the hill. And hopefully
live happily ever after.
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