I met Greg Hall at his “day job” – playing bass with Boston’s Ward Hayden and the Outliers. Turns out he’s got some damn fine songwriting chops of his own, which he is about to showcase with the release a new EP titled Experiments in the Revival of Greg Hall.
The western Massachusetts-based artist is clearly well-schooled on classic country, the spirit of which permeates the new EP. Hall opens the album with his take on the tear-in-my-beer (or rather bottle) ache of “One More Drink”, a theme which continues on the insistent but sorrowful “Life’s Not Always a Party”. Heavier guitars and rhythms fuel “Can’t Be As Bad” before giving way to the freewheeling “I Still Care”. He closes with “Face of a Man”, which sets a mix of heartache and hope against a swirling musical backdrop.
Yet while the songs are steeped in the country tradition, Hall isn’t confined by it. Rather the musical arrangements and production have a decidedly contemporary feel (think early Sturgill Simpson).
Twangville is honored to premiere the video for album opener “One More Drink”. Experiments in the Revival of Greg Hall is scheduled for release tomorrow. And if you happen to be in western Massachusetts this Thursday, Hall will be celebrating the release at the Parlor Room in Northhampton (details).
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.