“Open Roads,” a new single from J Grgry, features Joe Gregory on vocals, piano, synths and bass; Kyle Hamood, on piano (Shuggie Otis), Owen Barry on Guitar (Dorthy, GRiZ) with Gil Sharone tracking the drums (Marilyn Manson, Team Sleep). Available on all Streaming Platforms.
Joe and his boyfriend, now fiance, decided to leave their hometown of Seattle, WA for the Greater Los Angeles area to record and develop their careers. Armed with a guitar, a synth, a studio in a box, a few contacts, and their dog Vox they drove nonstop to a townhouse they rented by the beach in Ventura, CA. The next morning and every morning for the next month, between meals and long walks on the beach with his new family, Joe wrote and recorded demos of 23 songs; Open Roads in one of those 23.
Open Roads is a Love Anthem, as are many of the 23. The lyrics are both literal and figurative. The song opens with Joe reflecting on how he was lovestruck when he wasn’t searching for anyone and referring to it being a mess. The simple but anthemic chorus is literal as it refers to the traffic dissipating as the couple cleared the seemingly nonstop traffic between Seattle and Portland, OR the day of their departure for California. The metaphorical and most impactful open roads refer to Joe’s acceptance of being gay, coming out to friends and leaving behind the family that begrudged him for a clear roads ahead with the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
Tracked in Studio B at Henson Recording Studios in the heart of Hollywood and at the Woodshed Recording in Malibu overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Open Roads sonically embraces the energy native to both locations. From the poignance and precision of the drums to lush wistfulness of the synthesizers and perfectly paned guitar, making Open Roads not just a love anthem: it’s also a sonic poem as well.
Open Roads was self produced by Joe Gregory with Anthony J. Resta (Elton John, Duran Duran) and Chad Schlosser (Billy Ray Cyrus) with Michael Johnson. Mixing and additional production by Craig Bauer (Kanye West, Ed Sheeran) at Hinge Studios and mastered my Dave Collins (Alice in Chains, D’Angelo) Joe plays bass on the track with Owen Barry (Dorthy, GRiZ) on guitars, Kyle Hamood (Shuggie Otis) on pianos, and Gil Sharone on drums.
Open Roads is available on all major streaming services worldwide.
Learn more about J Grgry
www.jgrgrymusic.com
instagram.com/jgrgrymusic