Greg Reed Music
Music, musings, and more
-
I played at Bar Carmen in Hangbeoncheon, Seoul on Friday night. A great time as usual - the atmosphere in there is incredibly Bohemian. I sometimes feel like I’m stepping back in time to the beatnik era when I’m in there (but a lot happier).
My buddy John Bartmann had his recording equipment, so he decided to capture my performance (unbeknownst to me). There are some GLARING mistakes, and it’s not entirely clean. But hey, that’s live performance.
-
A lot of work, both at the j.o.b. (kindergarten - it’s rough!) and with the music. And don’t forget about the football, keeping me in shape. The weather warms, and soon it will be time to hit the streets of Bundang and Seoul. Luckily they have power outlets EVERYWHERE.
This past weekend was a blur as usual.
Friday night: gym, show in Hanbeoncheon with The Hunger Tree, home at 3am.
Saturday: Wake up at 7:15am, football game (won 5-2!), back home for shower, a mini music practice, and lunch, then back to Seohyeon for some PS3 Pro Evo (2 draws and a loss…wah wah). Jessica’s kitchen for dinner (eating and drinking for 3 hrs straight), pit stop in Dublin’s, then off to Seoul again for my solo gig. Play for 1.5 hrs, stay drinking, get home at 4a.
Sunday: Wake up at 11a, coffee, and interwebs. Probably gonna hit the gym again, work on new tunes, then back to Seohyeon and Travelers for another set with The Hunger Tree.
And I wonder where my weekends go?
-
The Hunger Tree performed at the Seohyeon Cultural Center (Culcom) last night and it was a great time. It was an all-acoustic showcase, and I’m actually happy with the mix (except for the lead guitar).
-
It comes in waves. Not the wanting, as the Decembrists once sang, but the inspiration. Since moving to Korea, I had yet to write a new original song. Seeing that it’s almost the year anniversary of my second solo album, I felt the time had come to bang out some original material. And it was time to update the site:
I was able to complete 4 songs by finally sitting down two Sundays ago and banging out the lyrics, no matter how horrible, at the kitchen table. I’m pretty pleased with the result. The next batch of tunes will be heavily inspired by my work with the loop pedal. I’m kicking myself for not getting one of these gizmos earlier, as it has breathed new life into my original music and I’m discovering possibilities previously unavailable to me. Now if I only had all the toys with me here that I own back home (keyboard, guitars, effects pedals, computer…). But I’ll practice here with getting the timing down on a single pedal, and then I plan to expand that to an entire mini-orchestra.
So little time, so much to do. I would love to dedicate more time to the craft, but it seems that I’ve been blessed with a run of live performances. I’ll be participating in the upcoming H.B.C. Acoustic Fest this year, and in multiple capacities. I have two solo performances (one of which is FINALLY on a Saturday) and the band (Hunger Tree) will be jamming once on a Friday. There might be more dates added in the future too, but that’s a damn good start. Most exciting is that I get to play at some new places, as our frequent haunts are getting a little too comfortable. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; but new venues mean new people, new opportunities, and new sound systems.
Ironically enough, I thought I’d be hangin’ up my musical boots for my time in Korea. That could not now be further from actuality, as I’m currently playing and performing now more than I ever have. Looking back at my show schedules, I would say 20-30 shows was an average year. If I keep with the current pace, I could have well over 100 by the time the year’s out. All this time performing means I’m not spending a lot of time writing new material. I’m setting an aim to have enough material for a recording by the time I go back to the States. I know I won’t have enough time to lay things properly, but I might get a jumpstart on it.
Speaking of recording, we really need to get the Hunger Tree onboard that train. There’s SUCH a solid sound there, and I believe the group has the most potential of any I’ve been a part of. It has all the components needed for a successful band – solid songwriting (thanks to John), well-rounded talent, and fervent dedication. It’s just a matter of finding someone here to record us.
-
After dropping the bass for Big Boned Rhythm (see previous post), I picked up the fiddle for a new group called:
The Hunger Tree is an acoustic folk group led by the man John Hughes. We’ve taken to his tunes and made them our own. We have Ben who plays a mean lead guitar, Jason on keys, myself on fiddle, and possibly a new drummer as of tonight. There are two lovely ladies who sing for us as well named Rydia and Kayla.
Here’s a pic of us jammin:
I find this style of music is much more to my taste than the previous rock group. Maybe I’m getting older, so I’m starting to like folk more? For a sample, you can check out a vid here:
-
My football team took 2nd place, and I was awarded “Player of the Season.” I couldn’t be happier right now - so I made a little video.
-
Almost forgot I was rockin’ this bliggity-blog. Katie and I tried to make a travel blog, but both of us realized it was too much work and we’re busy teaching little Kindergarteners in Korea.
But two great things of note: I joined a band playing bass in a rock power-trio called Big Boned Rhythm. Check us out on the ole FB.
The second great group I’ve joined is Seohyeon Celtic F.B. The F.B. stands for Football Club - so I’m finally back playing some what we Yanks call “soccer.” Our first match is actually this Sat.
It’s nice having a little time at work to do this stuff again. I guess the grass is always greener, as a tiny part of me misses Trek Freight. Ok a very very tiny part.
-
The latest news will be update from our other tumblr site: gregpluskatie.tumblr.com.
Find out where we are in the world!
