GrayScale Whale
Apex, North Carolina, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF
Music
Press
Five Local Music Acts You Need To Check Out
BY CAROLINIANWEB on AUGUST 30, 2017 • ( 0 )
A&E, 830, 5 Shows you should see, sam haw, Photo Credit- Vivie Aravidis took photo of Jackson Honeycutt
Pictured: Jackson Honeycutt / Courtesy of Vivie Aravidis
Sam Haw
Staff Writer
As I enter my fourth year at UNCG, I have been reflecting on the changes I have seen in the local music scene. Many excellent bands have broken up over petty drama, acts have blown up and moved away, and now it seems like everyone I know has a vaporwave or trap project on Soundcloud. Despite all of this, Greensboro has many emerging acts that continue to impress me and stand for the improvement of the scene as a whole. I have curated five musical acts around the UNCG area that are worthy of both listening to and seeing live.
The first is Blueberry, the music project of Kate Burleson and Nate Goldsmith, that has quickly risen in local prominence since the release of their self-titled EP in 2016. With the addition of Butler Knowles on bass and synthesizer, Spencer Auten on guitar and backing vocals and drum machines programmed by Nate, their sound has evolved from atmospheric indie-rock into dancey dream-pop. On Aug. 4, the band opened for Mac Demarco affiliates, Homeshake at Kings in Raleigh, where they were met with positive reception from the packed-out audience. Since then, they have played a killer house show at Butler House in the College Hill neighborhood on Aug. 25, and are set to headline Local Band Local Beer in Raleigh on the Aug. 31 at Pour House Music Hall. If you want to hear Blueberry, check out the “Blueberry EP” on their Bandcamp page.
GrayScale Whale is a jazz-fusion quartet originally from Apex, consisting of Logan Butler on guitar, Nick VanBuskirk on saxophone, Alex Hornaday on drums and Kevin Beardsley on bass. I first saw the group perform at Poe Palace in spring of 2016, where their groovy, soulful jams stole the show and got the whole audience up on their feet and dancing along. Since their foundation in 2012, Logan and Nick have both become heavily active members of the jazz community around UNCG and Tate Street Coffee House, and also play in a rock oriented band called The Quarter Roys. Recently, the band has played on July 28 at On Pop Of The World and on Aug. 4 on the patio of Cheesecakes By Alex. Upcoming shows include a stint outside Ben & Jerry’s in Chapel Hill on Sept. 1, and Nick is currently organizing a forthcoming benefit concert to raise money for hygienic products to give the local homeless. The group is currently working on a new album for next spring, but in the the meantime you should check out “Beyond Aphelion” and “Belly of the Whale” on Bandcamp.
A&E, 830, 5 Shows you should see, Photo Credit- Raquel Bolling took photo of SIIDS
Pictured: SIIDS / Courtesy of Raquel Bolling
There is also SIIDS, the solo project of Sid Pennix, one of the brains behind the popular house venue, Poe Palace. When I first met Sid, he was sitting on his couch looping samples and synths on a touchpad, creating trippy melodies in a matter of seconds. Since then, he has rounded out his live sets by adding vocals and a few analog and vintage ‘80s synths, creating warm, luscious textures to complement his laid back grooves. From Sept. 8-16, SIIDS will be touring the East Coast with the Midi Boys collective, making stops in Wilmington, Greenville, Queens, Philadelphia and Atlanta, as well as a show at New York Pizza on Sept. 10. His newest project, “Love/Lust” dropped on Sunday, and be sure to check out his single, “Cut It Off,” released through The Greensboro Collective.
The fourth is Saphron; despite only living in Greensboro for a year now, Zoe Anastasia has quickly made a name for herself in the local scene. Zoe studies bass in the jazz department and fronts Saphron, an offshoot of her previous band Hectic January.
Saphron is an interesting beast to describe; the lineup of backing musicians is constantly changing, and her writing bends genres left and right from punk to dance to sad acoustic vis-a-vis Elliott Smith. These mysterious aspects keep every show fresh and filled with surprises, and allows her to experiment with her songs and explore them to their core. Recently, Saphron opened for Blueberry at Butler House on Friday and will play WUAG on Aug. 30, as well as On Pop Of The World on Sept. 30. She will be releasing a new project within the next few months, but in the meantime, you should check out her tracks “E-Cigs” and “Chelsea” on her Soundcloud page.
The last local artist you should check out is Jackson Honeycutt. Even though he is currently taking a semester off from UNCG, Jackson Honeycutt has made the effort to maintain his local presence around Greensboro. Recently, he has traveled back and forth from Garner to play both Radio Greensboro on Aug. 20 and Grime House this past Saturday. His music can be described as a laidback blend of indie rock and folk, and he cites Neutral Milk Hotel and Mac Demarco as some of his biggest influences. Jackson’s next show in Greensboro will be Sept. 30 at On Pop Of The World. His most popular song to date, “Talk 2 U,” has garnered a few thousand listens on the internet, and his 2015 album, “Dog Ears And Twilight Hours,” caught the attention of a few blogs and Raleigh’s News and Observer. Most of Jackson’s work can be found on Spotify, Bandcamp or Soundcloud.
Take some time out to support the Greensboro music scene by going to a few upcoming acts by these emerging artists. - The Carolinian
Discography
GrayScale Whale
http://grayscalewhaleband.bandcamp.com/album/grayscale-whale
Beyond Aphelion
http://grayscalewhaleband.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-aphelion
Belly of the Whale
http://grayscalewhaleband.bandcamp.com/album/belly-of-the-whale
Photos
Bio
GrayScale Whale is a four-piece ensemble out of Apex, North Carolina that specializes in jazz, funk, and latin fusion. The genre-bending group combines elements of artists including Snarky Puppy, Vulfpeck, Belá Fleck and the Flecktones, Rush, D’angelo, and Weather Report. Through its experience and education in many forms of music, especially jazz, the ensemble is able to deliver a type of soulful, funky jazz fusion that all listeners can enjoy. GrayScale Whale consistently draws in its audiences with powerful rhythms stemming from electric bass and drums, contagious melodies from saxophone and electric guitar, and overall tight performances from the whole. The reaction of the audience, the emotions of the players, and a pure passion for music all steer any given performance into barrier-breaking directions; every gig is a fresh experience for players and listeners alike. Through well-developed, innovative improvisation, the group stays true to its roots and provides a brand-new experience for each listener. All in all, an evening with GrayScale Whale is refreshing as much as it is new and exciting.
Since its creation in 2013, GrayScale Whale has been invited to perform at local community and government events held in churches, farmers’ markets, schools, and restaurants. The group has been featured at the Apex Jazz and Music Festival since 2014, and has played at other large events. Within the the last year, it has played at the Pour House in Raleigh, N.C. several times and The Cave in Chapel Hill, N.C. At the most recent Apex Jazz Festival (2015) the band sold numerous hard copies of its sophomore album, Beyond Aphelion, in addition to many online sales. The performance opened new doors for the group and challenged its endurance and technical skills. Adaptable to the needs of the audiences, Grayscale Whale doesn't minimize the quality of its sound despite having to perform for an upwards of nine hours during festivals. The band is committed to sharing its music, whether they are playing at a local barbecue for a family, or a jazz festival through which thousands experience their organic and groove-centric tunes. No matter the event, long-time fans and new listeners alike are able to enjoy the ensemble’s eclectic repertoire and energetic sound.
Across venues and performances, listeners have had no shortage of praise for the band. It has been called “unstoppable” (Populate Productions), “phenomenal, up and coming” (Waverly Place Businesses), as well as “nonstop” (Apex Music Festival). The young ensemble has received much acclaim at the Apex Music Festival alone, in the midst of popular bands across the region and neighboring states, GrayScale Whale “stole the street” and was brought “back by popular demand” as a “jazz fest favorite” (2015 Apex Music Festival). For the 2016 Apex Music Festival, GrayScale Whale was invited back to be featured on a public, open-air discovery stage and to lead an open jam session for the festival attendees. Overall, this “incredible group of talented, young musicians” (Waverly Place Businesses) has made a massive impact on both the local music scene and people of Apex and Raleigh. When people come by to listen to the band for the first time, they are compelled to stop, relax, and become part of the groovy atmosphere that GrayScale Whale expertly creates.
Band Members
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