Greta Gaines is excited to announce that her new record, Bird Before LIght, is out today!
According to Gaines, the new album, Bird Before Light, is about getting out of one's comfort zone as a songwriter, one who typically writes alone and in solitude." She explains, “It explores certain themes that I find myself wrestling with in midlife — empty nesting, newfound anxiety, resistance to change, grief, and betrayal — while also pursuing faith, finding the simple joy that comes with sharing time with old friends, and immersing myself in the beauty of nature and the natural world.”
The album, produced by Jim Reilley, mixed by Eric Fritsch and Mill Logan, and was recorded at Ken Coomer’s Cartoon Moon and Eastwood Studios in East Nashville. In addition to Greta playing guitar, the album features drummer Ken Coomer (Wilco), Jim Reilley on bass, Eric Fritsch (Marty Stuart) on electric guitar, piano, keyboards, Grammy winner Tim O’Brien on fiddle and harmony vocals, Adam Ollendorff (Kasey Musgraves) on pedal steel, Kevin Roentgen (Buckcherry) on electric guitar, and Raul Malo (The Mavericks), and Dan Bern (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.)
She’s earned the praises of the pundits as well. Rolling Stone reviewed her song “Empty Spaces” from her last album, Pale Star; they wrote, “Gaines sings in a clear tone reminiscent of Aimee Mann, while the music blooms from a sturdy folk-rock arrangement into a psychedelic swirl of pinging keys and brass. It’s a cavernous sound that reverberates with the ache of loss.” Americana Highways shared their raves, “with a voice that reflects the most soulful side of modern life, she can mix genres in a way that hasn’t been done before. The singer-songwriter knows that with loss comes new life and that the only way to overcome the sadness is to look for the light. Greta Gaines is truly a spiritualist and sounds like she is still just getting started.” Maverick magazine described her efforts as “grown-up, cool Americana music aimed at people who appreciate lyrics and musicianship.
In addition to making music, Greta was the first Woman’s World Extreme Snowboard Champion; the originator of Freeride, a series devoted to lifestyle, music, extreme sports, and the environment; an advocate for NORML; and former on-air commentator for MTV, ESPN, Oxygen Media, and the and owner and operator of her record label, Big Air Records.
