Alternative rock with a rootsy / bluesy flair, memorable melodies, great guitar hooks and meaningful lyrics.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, ROCK: Modern Rock

Details:
Greg Thomson - Pretending

Pretending is a collection of songs from Greg Thomson â singer, songwriter, bassist from Marin County, California.

Marin County is probably most famous for George Lucas and his special effects company, Industrial Light and Magic â and, as George W. Bush once said, for âthose hot-tubbers. â

âIâm not really a hot-tubber, so I donât know what heâs talking about,â says Greg. âWe donât fit into a mold, so people like George Bush arenât sure what to think of us. We like to think for ourselves, and weâre actually quite diverse. Whatever our political views are, we tend to push for progress rather than pander to the idealogy of one side or another.â

Adds Greg, âBut thatâs really off the subject â Pretending isnât politically or socially motivated at all, except for Buggy, my rant about oil and the war. The rest of the songs are really more about people - about the connections and disconnections we have with others, and with ourselves, and the pretending that can take over along the way.â

Providing more insight into the songs, Greg continues: âThere are a range of connections covered in the songs, including the standard male-female relationships and the ups and downs in those. The first song on the CD, Flame, is about a guy who, like many of us, sometimes struggles in his relationship but knows heâs better off if he can make it work. Then thereâs Postman - letâs just call it a funny Valentine, but on the creepy side. What I Find is about someone - a friend - who ends up letting you down, then finding a bit of that in yourself. And the song Pretending is more about myself then anyone else, although a lot of people can probably relate to it.â

Pretending was recorded and mixed at KBT Studios in San Anselmo, CA. The songs feature performances from some of Marinâs top musicians, including Paul Ezekial on drums, Jon âThe Guitaristâ Axtell on guitars, and Lindsay Erin on background vocals, along with Greg on lead vocals and electric bass.

Says Greg, âSinging on top of this band, and with these arrangements and performances, made this one of the most enjoyable recording experiences Iâve had. For the bass, I used a Kydd fretless electric, an upright thin piece of wood with great electronics and a monster feel and tone. It gives the bass a gliding, more earthy sound that helps drop down the grooves.â

About the recording Greg says âYou hear a lot of very expensive, highly produced music these days. We wanted to go back to the basics and feature a more live sound, without too much rehearsing and with minimal time spent on production in the studio. We approached these songs fairly organically â Iâd write the basic songs at home with my acoustic guitar, working out the mood and melodies until the foundation was right. Iâd bring the demos to Paul, heâd listen and send them off to Jon, then weâd set up in the studio and track the drums, bass and rhythm guitar together, after playing through a song maybe two or three times. Jon would then add more guitar leads and colors, and later Lindsay graced the vocals with her angelic backgrounds. We decided to add piano and organ on a couple of songs, so Paul brought in Colin whose style fit perfectly. Weâre very pleased with the result â an immediate, pulsing, sound that gives each song itâs own life. I hope people enjoy it.â

The players:

Songs, lead vocals, Kydd fretless electric bass -- Greg Thomson

Drums, percussion, production, engineering -- Paul Ezekial

Guitars -- Jon âThe Guitaristâ Axtell

Angelic vocal sounds -- Lindsay Erin

Piano, organ, keys -- Colin

The players:

Songs, lead vocals, Kydd fretless electric bass -- Greg Thomson
www.cdbaby.com/gregthomson
http://www.myspace.com/gregothomson ; www.web.mac.com/gregothomson

Drums, percussion, production, engineering -- Paul Ezekial www.kbtstudios.com

Guitars -- Jon âThe Guitaristâ Axtell
www.jaxtell.com

Angelic vocal sounds -- Lindsay Erin
www.myspace.com/lindsayerinmusic

Piano, organ, keys -- Colin

People who are interested in should consider this download.