Toronto, Ontario punk / noise / post-hardcore hybrid band Greys have announced their first ever full tour of the United States kicking off later this month, as well as their upcoming performance at The Fest 10 in Gainesville, FL taking place this October where the band will perform alongside the likes of Hot Water Music, Against Me!, Lifetime, Dillinger Four, The Bouncing Souls and tons more. The dates come in support of the band's debut "Ultra Sorta" EP out now on Concession Records and will be followed by news of new material coming soon.
"Toronto's Greys stand out in their decidedly indie rock hometown as somewhat of a sore thumb. Actually, make that a bloody digit. ... Those who grew up in the 90s with a penchant for noise rock will find themselves right at home with Greys." - Alternative Press
"With five tracks that take up a scant 15 minutes of your precious time, this hits hard, fast and without apology, the way that Hüsker Dü‘s Land Speed Record did. Of course, this outfit has more in common with Damaged-era Black Flag and Fugazi than Bob Mould and the boys, but the intensity is undeniable. Smart and powerful, this collection of songs is like sprinkling angel dust on your oatmeal." -PopMatters
"It's clear from the first few bars of their new EP, Ultra Sorta (out now via Concession Records), that their influences mine '80s American punk as much as the rolling punk rock 'n' roll that local royalty Burning Love lay ferocious and skillful claim to. There are riffs, and they are thick, but there are also some perfectly jagged progressions; on "Simple Living," a fractured art-punk jam, the blistering sing-shout delivery—especially in the chorus (is it even a chorus?)—sounds like it was taken straight from Fugazi's In On the Kill Taker (and more specifically, taken straight from "Smallpox Champion." This is definitely OK with us.)" - Torontoist
"They hit the stage confidently and played a succinct, tight set of American punk -- mostly from their EP due out at the end of April -- with some detectable grunge and hardcore influences, cheeky banter and a blistering cover of Fugazi's 'Public Witness Program' to boot." - Exclaim!
"Toronto's Greys stand out in their decidedly indie rock hometown as somewhat of a sore thumb. Actually, make that a bloody digit. ... Those who grew up in the 90s with a penchant for noise rock will find themselves right at home with Greys." - Alternative Press
"With five tracks that take up a scant 15 minutes of your precious time, this hits hard, fast and without apology, the way that Hüsker Dü‘s Land Speed Record did. Of course, this outfit has more in common with Damaged-era Black Flag and Fugazi than Bob Mould and the boys, but the intensity is undeniable. Smart and powerful, this collection of songs is like sprinkling angel dust on your oatmeal." -PopMatters
"It's clear from the first few bars of their new EP, Ultra Sorta (out now via Concession Records), that their influences mine '80s American punk as much as the rolling punk rock 'n' roll that local royalty Burning Love lay ferocious and skillful claim to. There are riffs, and they are thick, but there are also some perfectly jagged progressions; on "Simple Living," a fractured art-punk jam, the blistering sing-shout delivery—especially in the chorus (is it even a chorus?)—sounds like it was taken straight from Fugazi's In On the Kill Taker (and more specifically, taken straight from "Smallpox Champion." This is definitely OK with us.)" - Torontoist
"They hit the stage confidently and played a succinct, tight set of American punk -- mostly from their EP due out at the end of April -- with some detectable grunge and hardcore influences, cheeky banter and a blistering cover of Fugazi's 'Public Witness Program' to boot." - Exclaim!
Greys Live!
7/23 Windsor, ON @ The Coach
7/25 Chicago, IL @ Ultralounge
7/26 Madison, MN @ Glass Nickel
7/27 Fargo, ND @ Nestor Tavern
7/28 Winnipeg, MB @ Music Trader
7/30 Saskatoon, SK @ Jale
7/31 Edmonton, AB @ Avonmore Hall
8/1 Calgary, AB @ Undermountain
8/4 Vancouver, BC @ Funky Winkerbeans
8/7 Seattle, WA @ Comet Tavern
8/8 Portland, OR @ The Know
8/9 Eureka, CA @ Little Red Lion
8/10 Anaheim, CA @ The Doll Hut
8/11 San Francisco, CA @ Kimo's
8/12 Monterey, CA @ Jose's Underground
8/14 Scottsdale, AZ @ Rogue Bar
8/18 Belleville, IL @ Illegal Tone Recordings
8/19 Louisville, KY @ Rudyard Kipling's
8/20 Grand Rapids, MI @ Mulligan's
8/25 Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee's
8/27 Welland, ON @ Youth Action Centre
10/28 - 10/30 Gainesville, FL @ The Fest 10
+ More US Tour Dates Coming Soon!
7/23 Windsor, ON @ The Coach
7/25 Chicago, IL @ Ultralounge
7/26 Madison, MN @ Glass Nickel
7/27 Fargo, ND @ Nestor Tavern
7/28 Winnipeg, MB @ Music Trader
7/30 Saskatoon, SK @ Jale
7/31 Edmonton, AB @ Avonmore Hall
8/1 Calgary, AB @ Undermountain
8/4 Vancouver, BC @ Funky Winkerbeans
8/7 Seattle, WA @ Comet Tavern
8/8 Portland, OR @ The Know
8/9 Eureka, CA @ Little Red Lion
8/10 Anaheim, CA @ The Doll Hut
8/11 San Francisco, CA @ Kimo's
8/12 Monterey, CA @ Jose's Underground
8/14 Scottsdale, AZ @ Rogue Bar
8/18 Belleville, IL @ Illegal Tone Recordings
8/19 Louisville, KY @ Rudyard Kipling's
8/20 Grand Rapids, MI @ Mulligan's
8/25 Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee's
8/27 Welland, ON @ Youth Action Centre
10/28 - 10/30 Gainesville, FL @ The Fest 10
+ More US Tour Dates Coming Soon!
The guitar feedback swells as bodies pack into a cold garage in Chinatown to catch a glimpse of Toronto's newest and dirtiest rock band,Greys. In spite of the February chill, people crowd the quartet as they rip into a set of throat-searing, fist-raising anthems that mix muscular riffage with atonal discordance in a style that wouldn't be out of place on a Sub Pop or Touch & Go sampler from 1991.
Put it this way: If Fugazi suddenly displayed a penchant for stoner rock riffs; if Duane Denison jammed with John Reis; if Nirvananever released Nevermind; if the nineties never ended - this is the alternate universe in which Greys exist.
They're no throwback band, however. Far from it. They simply display the raw, aggressive, yet artful and progressive traits bands haven't shown off in over a decade - especially in their hometown. They play very, very loud rock music, and that's enough cause for applause. The lack of likeminded artists in their city is what spawned Greys in the Summer of 2010, as the four young men sought to fill this void themselves with serrated guitars, pounding drums, guttural bass lines and pissed off vocals.
This frustration manifests itself at their energetic live shows, impressing fans of acts as disparate as Mike Watt, Burning Love, Marnie Stern and Tera Melos, plus those of local heavyweights Teenage Kicks and Indian Handcrafts, in packed venues all over Toronto and the rest of Southern Ontario - and this is all before their debut EP, Ultra Sorta, gets released on April 26th.
The EP serves as the perfect introduction to Greys' sound. With five tracks clocking in at just over fifteen minutes, it is at once visceral, caustic, blunt, yet somehow laden with hooks; melodic landmines buried beneath waves of feedback and gargantuan guitar licks. The packaging itself represents the band's DIY attitude - pressed on a limited run of 10" coloured vinyl, with hand-printed and hand-numbered sleeves, and released on grassroots upstart label, Concession Records.
So when you see throngs of devoted fans surrounding Greys in similarly unorthodox venues, know that the band is offering their audience something more than just shelter from the cold - they provide an alternative to the hip dance parties and forgettable "indie rock" bands taking up space in their city's venues. They're giving them more than a soundtrack for a debauched evening out with the cool kids. They're giving them a breath of fresh air. They're giving them rock n' roll.
Put it this way: If Fugazi suddenly displayed a penchant for stoner rock riffs; if Duane Denison jammed with John Reis; if Nirvananever released Nevermind; if the nineties never ended - this is the alternate universe in which Greys exist.
They're no throwback band, however. Far from it. They simply display the raw, aggressive, yet artful and progressive traits bands haven't shown off in over a decade - especially in their hometown. They play very, very loud rock music, and that's enough cause for applause. The lack of likeminded artists in their city is what spawned Greys in the Summer of 2010, as the four young men sought to fill this void themselves with serrated guitars, pounding drums, guttural bass lines and pissed off vocals.
This frustration manifests itself at their energetic live shows, impressing fans of acts as disparate as Mike Watt, Burning Love, Marnie Stern and Tera Melos, plus those of local heavyweights Teenage Kicks and Indian Handcrafts, in packed venues all over Toronto and the rest of Southern Ontario - and this is all before their debut EP, Ultra Sorta, gets released on April 26th.
The EP serves as the perfect introduction to Greys' sound. With five tracks clocking in at just over fifteen minutes, it is at once visceral, caustic, blunt, yet somehow laden with hooks; melodic landmines buried beneath waves of feedback and gargantuan guitar licks. The packaging itself represents the band's DIY attitude - pressed on a limited run of 10" coloured vinyl, with hand-printed and hand-numbered sleeves, and released on grassroots upstart label, Concession Records.
So when you see throngs of devoted fans surrounding Greys in similarly unorthodox venues, know that the band is offering their audience something more than just shelter from the cold - they provide an alternative to the hip dance parties and forgettable "indie rock" bands taking up space in their city's venues. They're giving them more than a soundtrack for a debauched evening out with the cool kids. They're giving them a breath of fresh air. They're giving them rock n' roll.
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