Greg Thomas

Full disclosure, Greg Thomas is a long time friend and supporter of Stark. That does little, though, to take away from the pure song-writing talent and natural vocal intonation, of someone who is quickly becoming a rising player in the highly competitive New York singer songwriter market. Just ask Idolator. Yet, Greg is not just some crooner with a guitar. At a full-to-capacity CD release show last night at The Living Room, he showed off his more than capable band, featuring a talented atmospheric lead guitar player, and a tightly in-the-pocket rhythm section.

Admittedly, Greg has pushed our tastes a little bit outside the box. He wears his influences proudly on his sleeve, and counts John Mayer, Sigur Ros, and Wilco as some of his heros. Funnily, that's a very apt description of Greg's music. He flirts with a mainstream, major-label friendly sound, yet manages to keep up his "cred" with a dark undercurrent to his songs, and a fantastically hazy production to some tunes on his new record Atlantic/Pacific, available now. Buy HERE. While we would like to see Greg get after it a little bit more vocally on the choruses (belt it out dude!) - he had a table full of crusty indie rock bloggers head bobbing, toe-tapping and proudly singing along (Karp).

The full room was a testament, not only to Greg's rock solid character, but to the recognition of a new talent that puts all those whiney dudes and chicks with acoustic guitars at places like The Living Room and Rockwood to shame. - Stark Online

Since he first stopped by the LC open mic, Greg has been a favorite of the community, performing at many of our showcases and tribute nights. His skilled guitar playing and vocals immediately made him a stand out performer, in addition to his well-crafted songs. The five songs on “Atlantic/Pacific” do a perfect job of introducing Greg’s music while leaving the listener wanting more. Each song is carefully constructed, sometimes evolving in unforeseen directions that feel completely natural, yet still surprising. Rhythm guitars are often balanced with ethereal and haunting electric leads, or other subtle touches like a distant, jangling piano. The juxtaposition between instruments overlaid with Greg’s warm, earnest vocals make for an intriguing and enjoyable listen. - Local Correspondents

For our latest Popping Up feature, we turn our ears to Brooklyn, where singer-songwriter Greg Thomas is about to self-release his first EP. “I planned on recording Atlantic/Pacific as a low-fi demo,” Thomas tells us. “But it turned into a full production, being recorded over five days at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn with a number of friends active in the jazz and indie rock communities.”

Greg’s five-song debut, full of smooth vocals and snappy guitar licks, arrives next week. It caught our ear, and we have a hunch this handsome crooner might strike a chord with you, too. Head below to learn more about how this Illinois transplant went about setting his words to music.

As far as the dreamy Atlantic/Pacific, we’re just surprised no major label has snatched this guy up…yet.

- Idolator