Greg Holmes

Artist Information

Biography

Named "Jazz Artist of the Year" at the 2010 Niagara Music Awards and nominated again in 2011.

People have told me I've restored their faith in live music. But I'm not performing just to be a hero. I do it because I love it. And this is not your usual navel-gazing instrumental Jazz - it's something else entirely, and it'll make toes tap and heads turn.

I've performed at clubs, restaurants, festivals, wineries, galleries, private functions, and even at auctions. I've performed with Chuck Jackson, Julian Fauth, Shrimp Daddy, Rob Christian, Steve Grisbrook, Ricky Paquette, John Sherwood, Norm Villeneuve, and other Jazz and Blues luminaries. Plus, for more than 6 years, I've hosted Niagara's longest-running Jazz open mic.

Some of the songs I play are nearly a century old, yet my main instrument, the NS/Stick guitar+bass, was designed only a decade ago. It's a wonderful combination, as I'm sure you'll agree when you hear it.

Instrumentation

I sing and play the NS/Stick, an 8-string guitar with the combined range of guitar and bass. On this instrument, treble and bass parts are played at the same time, sounding like two or three people.

Sometimes, I also play keyboards (yes, while playing guitar+bass parts). I find that the keyboard gives me different melodic and rhythmic tools to work with.

Note: My audio files were recorded live at various gigs with no overdubs, no loops, and no backing tracks. This is the real thing!

Discography

I'm currently assembling tracks from my recent live Jazz and Blues performances, but in the past I've worked with Rush, Lee Aaron, The Irish Rovers, Platinum Blonde, Honeymoon Suite, Lucasfilm, and others.

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Last.fm
• ReverbNation

Audio

• Harlem Nocturne
  Listen  
• Blues In The Night
  Listen  
• Baltimore Oriole (Live)
  Listen  
• Just Squeeze Me (Live)
  Listen  
• I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (Live)
  Listen  
• Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? (Live)
  Listen  
• I Just Want To Make Love To You (Live)
  Listen  
• Until The Real Thing Comes Along (Live)
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Chuck Jackson
  

  You can come and play anytime. Anytime!

• Michael "Shrimp Daddy" Reid
  

  Mind boggling!

• Wendell Blue
  

  You're the real thing, man, the real thing.

• Dan Thomas
  

  $%#@*!! People gotta *@#$% hear your @*$@% music!!

• The Voice
  

  Greg Holmes plays a mean stick.

• Victoria
  

  Your music is urban hip, but away from the crowd - like on a rooftop or fire escape.

• Musician Comments [+ Show ]
  

  "It's always a pleasure to see you perform." [Michael Fonfara] "Just keep on doing what you're doin..."It's always a pleasure to see you perform." [Michael Fonfara]
  "Just keep on doing what you're doing!" [Brian Dinsdale]
  "Go do your stuff, and we'll just stay out of the way!" [Mojo Willie]
  "You're like a whole band." [Gary Kendall]
  "Man, you do NOT wank!" [Pat Carey]

• Audience Comments [+ Show ]
  

  "I could listen to your playing (and that voice!!) for hours and hours and hours..." "Greg, you tal..."I could listen to your playing (and that voice!!) for hours and hours and hours..."
  "Greg, you talk the talk and walk the walk."
  "You've got balls of steel to play those tunes - I salute you!"
  "I was enveloped by the sound of your instrument and voice."
  "You're doing something nobody else is doing - and you make it your own."
  "That's quite an instrument you have there" (referring to my voice...)
  "You put so much into it, you make every song your 'big number'."
  "It was the best live music we've heard in 20 years."
  "Your playing has restored our faith in music."
  "Greg - yer a smart and talented somnabeatch."
  "You're awesome!" - "Bloody brilliant!" - "Musical genius!"

Setlist

Performances average 2 to 3 hours, or whatever is needed. Set lengths are typically 45-55 minutes. My song list of more than 150 songs is found here:
http://www.GregHolmes.com/sounds.html

But here's an excerpt, just the A's:

After You've Gone - Henry Creamer/Turner Layton 1918
Again - Lionel Newman/Dorcas Cochran 1948
Ain't Misbehavin' - Thomas 'Fats' Waller/Harry Brooks/Andy Razaf 1929
All My Tomorrows - James Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn 1959
All Of You - Cole Porter 1954
All The Way - James Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn 1929
Alone Together - Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz 1932
Am I Blue? - Harry Akst/Grant Clarke 1929
Angel Eyes - Dennis/Brent
As Time Goes By - Herman Hupfeld
At Last - Harry Warren/Mack Gordon 1942
Autumn Nocturne - Josef Myrow/Kim Gannon 1941

etc.

Basic Requirements

Calendar