Conversation With Drew Gregory

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?

A: I grew up on a farm in Southern Alberta and my parents both loved music but never played any instruments. Mom was from PEI and music was everything to her family so I think that had a big impact on me falling in love with it. I still didn’t get my first guitar till I was 15 but fell in love with it right away. Both parents listened to a lot of rock and roll and Dad liked a lot of outlaw country so when I started songwriting I think some of that influence showed up in the melodies, but lyrically country music was the way to go, growing up where I did. Both those early influences have definitely found their way into my songs.

Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Drew Gregory”?

A: Just that what you see is what you get. We’ve put out a lot of music and have tried to touch on a lot of different themes but all based around the rural lifestyle I still live today. I still work on the family farm and still love playing live. A lot of our music has had a pretty fun laid-back theme because that’s what I’m all about and I think that translates into every show we play. We want to make sure everyone is having fun when they come see us play!

Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?

A: I find a lot of inspiration out on the farm. There’s lots of time to think about things during the long days in the tractor and I get a lot of song ideas from that. I’ve always been a big Eric Church fan and love anyone that can take ordinary life and make it poetic and I think he’s done a great job of that while including some of those classic rock themes that I grew up on.

Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Neon Time.”?

A: We really wanted to capture the honky tonk spirit in this one after years of experience in the Western Canadian Country Club Scene. I was fortunate to write this one with 2 legends, Wade Kirby and Jim Collins. Both guys knew we were putting together a honky tonk record and Wade came in with that idea and both of those guys had such good melody ideas. That combined with my years of experience being in the kinda place we were singing about made for a song we are incredibly excited about!

Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?

A: Jovial.

Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Neon Time”?

A: Wade had been stuck in traffic and was late getting to the write but came up with the idea while he was in a grid lock. So I’m glad traffic was bad that day! It actually came together incredibly well. We had a really clear vision going into this record and I think having that with a really good band and producers made it really easy to put together.

Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?

A: We just want to have fun. We want everyone to feel welcome at shows and we want those shows to keep growing and to be able to play with more and more people.

Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)

A: I gotta go with Eric Church. He was the artist that got me into songwriting and I think has always stayed true to the music and there’s not a lot of superstars that have done that so he’s always been a favourite.

Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?

A: To find a way to love every part of it. Love the process of making music, love the road trips to gigs, the sound-check, the songwriting, and the co-writing with friends, and the things you learn from the business side of things. I’ve seen too many great artists quit because they loved singing but hated so many other parts of it, which can be easy to do. There can be a lot of joy in it if you concentrate on the things you can control and the processes of getting to your goals more than you concentrate on how others perceive you

Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?

A: Concentrate more on the path than the outcome. You have to set goals to keep going in this business. There is so much fun to be had along the way to those goals and if the only time you think you’ll be happy is when you reach that goal, there won’t be a lot of happiness in your life. So enjoy the ride!

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