80s rock band Absolute Grey announced their first release since 2004. The live album Live at CBGB’s consists of 10 unreleased tracks from the band’s live show in 1985. Along with the album comes an unseen video of the band performing “More Walnuts” at the venue.
The band was originally based in Rochester, their sound being compared to those of R.E.M. and Jefferson Airplane. The original lineup consists of singer Beth Brown, guitarist Matt Kitchen, bassist Mitchell Rasor, and drummer Pat Thomas. Their sound has some psychedelic and jangle pop influences, contributing to the growing popularity of new wave.
During their career, they remained underground, only performing with local bands and refusing to give into mainstream attention. They opened for other local bands such as Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, 3 O’Clock, and Long Ryders. Most of their media attention came from college fanzines, lesser-known radio stations, and live performances.
As drummer Pat Thomas puts it, “We embraced guitars over keyboards, organic songwriting over sampling, humans over drum machines.” They were a part of the changing music scene of new wave and punk, resisting the ever popular hair metal and synth pop.
In the band’s short lifespan, they released three studio albums and one EP amidst lineup changes. Their first live album, A Journey Through The Past, consists of rare recordings only released in Greece along with bonus content. After disbanding in 1990, a 20th anniversary album released in 2004 to commemorate their debut album, Green House.
CBGB was a legendary venue in the East Village that had many recognizable names come through its doors. The Ramones, Dead Boys, Richard Hell, Blondie, Talking Heads, and Patti Smith are a few of the iconic names that performed at the venue. Among those names, Absolute Grey.
The live album will release on August 7. Pre-orders are now available in CD format, which comes with a free poster. To pre-order, click here.
Bluesky Discussion
View on BlueskyNo replies yet. Be the first to comment on Bluesky!
Comments are closed.