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February 8, 2006
Tripwire Article
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Live - Greg Laswell's NYC Debut
Up until now, somehow Greg Laswell has stayed under my radar. The
San Diego songwriter/musician/producer released an album in 2004,
titled Good Movie, which received plenty of acclaim in his hometown.
Laswell made his NYC debut last night at the Living Room, where a
handful of industry-types got to sample his intelligent alt-pop for the
very first time.
For starters, Greg is a down to earth, all
around nice guy. He was
mingling prior to his set, making sure he greeted everybody in the
room. The stage setup was very simple, with Greg on piano,
accompanied by a friend on acoustic guitar on a few of the tunes. He
breezed through material off his debut solo album, as well as from
his forthcoming sophomore effort, which is due out later this
year.
Greg�s voice is a versatile instrument in itself, with a
great range that
brings his storytelling tunes to life. At times his vocals are slightly
reminiscent to Matt Hales (aka Aqualung), which hit me during his
song �Bright Eyes�. Musically Lawell draws from intelligent alt-pop
sources, such as Mutations-era Beck, building his songs around
personal stories and fantastic melodies.
He is a natural on
stage, flawlessly performing while alternating
between piano and guitar. Greg�s stage presence is very welcoming to
the audience, adding in plenty of stories between his songs to add a
personal touch to the performance. The inspiration behind �Through
Toledo� gave us an insight to the origins of the song, while the
anecdote involving his use of the phrase �God damn� during �Sing
Theresa Says� and his mother�s reaction made us all feel like a
member of his extended family.
The set was not nearly long
enough, leaving those of us new to his
music hungry for more. Last night I walked into the Living Room with
no expectations, and left as a brand new fan. Keep an eye out for
Greg Laswell and the release of his new album later this year. With
music this impressive, big things should be in store for him in
�06.
-Reported by Chip Adams on 02/08/2006 |
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