Weeks, Greg

Weeks, Greg

If The Sun Dies

Language Of Stone

Dormancy comes in many forms. For some it is a break from the world of stress and the constant demands one finds oneself under. For others it is a much needed respite from the grind, a time to disengage from the wheel and collect oneself for the next challenge. If The Sun Dies, Greg Weeks’ seventh release, is a signal that his respite is over. Pursuing creativity once again, Weeks finds himself in a period of explosive productivity. He has written an enormous number of songs over the past few years, enough to fuel five separate projects, including If The Sun Dies. In addition, he has rebuilt his Hexham Head Studio (still all analog, still twenty-four tracks) and resuscitated his label Language Of Stone (sans imprint status).If The Sun Dies, which takes its title from an Oriana Fallaci novel, is every bit a Weeks album: cryptic-poetic lyrics over melancholic melodies strummed on acoustic guitar and ornamented with the analog instruments he has forever treasured (Hammond Organ, Mellotron, Mini-Moog, and effects-laden guitars). However, the album feels like a departure, a maturation in both content and approach despite its many echoes from the past.The album’s running thread is melancholia, but lyrically the tunes couldn’t be more disparate. “If The Sun Dies” is an anthem that posits the end of things being the only means by which two people can find time to truly connect. “The Heathen Heart” speaks to one’s desire for salvation yet underscores a different, more frightening reality. The more...

Weeks, Greg

Bleecker Station

Keyhole

Weeks, Greg

Blood Is Trouble

Ba Da Bing!

***If personal strife in any way elevates artistic expression, then the career of singer-songwriter Greg Weeks is strangely compelling. Hardships such as exasperation with his own recurring health problems (a physical inability to play guitar) and depression, a dogged determination to turn things around -- and to beat crippling stage fright-- led Weeks to accept an offer to perform at VPR's highly regarded Amstel Fest in Amsterdam. The experience transformed his outlook and launched him on a series of tours, both here and abroad, and brought him to a point of experimentation in songcraft that resulted in the material for Blood is Trouble. Produced and recorded by himself over the summer of 2004, Blood is Trouble marks the investigation of new songwriting territory for Weeks. More focused melodically, with richer harmonies, and a bolder folk / rock presentation, the album radiates an honesty of personal expression that comes naturally to Weeks. It is, in fact, the only means by which he operates. Momentum was stifled by crippling tendonitis and carpal tunnel inflammations, leaving Blood is Trouble on the back burner for nearly a year. While patiently awaiting relief from his symptom-- a relief that never fully arrive-- Weeks co-formed the acid-folk group Espers, whose debut he produced, recorded, and released in spring of 2004 on Locust / Time Lag, met critical praise and, more importantly, struck a significant chord within the music listening community.  

Weeks, Greg

Awake Like Sleep

Ba Da Bing!

***The latest from singer-songwriter GREG WEEKS checks in with nine tracks of beauty and despair. Folk melodies sung in hushes over fingerpicked acoustic guitar with an occasional hint of cello, piano, mellotron, organ and bass. Greg is currently one of the main songwriters in Phladelphia's renowned ESPERS.