Presented by Bowery Boston
Doors: 6:00 pm / Show: 7:00 pm
Tickets on sale Fri. 6/15 at 10AM!
Tickets available at AXS.COM, or by phone at 855-482-2090. No service charge on tickets purchased in person at The Sinclair Box Office Wednesdays-Saturdays 12-7PM.
Please note: this show is 18+ with valid ID. Patrons under 18 admitted if accompanied by a parent. Opening acts and set times are subject to change without notice. All sales are final unless a show is postponed or canceled. All bags larger than 12 inches x 12 inches, backpacks, professional cameras, video equipment, large bags, luggage and like articles are strictly prohibited from the venue. Please make sure necessary arrangements are made ahead of time. All patrons subject to search upon venue entry.
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Butch Walker
man… Bios kinda suck. I’ve been doing these things for so long now, that I feel like just when I have written the mother of all things informative and maybe funny, I go and record a new record. Why does shit always have to evolve and the information change every time another year goes by? Why, since the last bio (which I felt was an understated masterpiece) did I have to go and do shit to deem it necessary for an update? Just because between the last album, “I Liked it Better When You Had No Heart” and now, I have: shot a video for “Pretty Melody” from the album ILIBWYHNH, wore a tv on my head in it and fought ninjas, got it featured on YouTube and it got a half million views, did a sold out headlining tour of the states last year, supported Train on a sold out tour of the states, then went and supported Pink on a sold out stadium tour of Europe all summer, including sold out headlining club shows of our own over there. Hmmm… What else.. Oh! Taylor Swift heard a little version I did of her song, “I Liked it Better When You Belonged With Me” (or was it “You Belong With Me”? I can’t freaking remember…). She called me and asked if she could play my version of it on the Grammys and would I mind playing along side her and Stevie Nicks for the performance. Then she fell in love with me and ran away to Barcelona to elope, only to find out that while I was in the bathroom at the airport, she fell in love with Jake Gylenhall (sp?), who stole my fucking seat next to her in the waiting terminal…. Ok… I made that last part up. Fun right? No? Ok.. Like the fans are always telling me, don’t talk about politics, religious views or Tay Tay Swift.
I should mention the band i play in. Just like the last record, this record was recorded, written and produced by me and the Black Widows. It consist of my longtime bandmates, Chris Unck on guitar, lap and pedal steel. He’s a redneck from the north Georgia mountains who I think wrestled alligators at one time, and built lighthouses. He also fronted Chris Unck and the Black Roses.. Until I stole him. Fran Capitanelli on lead guitar is also a friend of mine that resided in Atlanta during my tenure there, and he played guitar and sang lead in a band I loved called The Tom Collins. Until I stole him. He is the Professor of Energy…. Ask him to explain. Jake Sinclair on bass is not only the tallest, skinniest bassist I know, but he’s also the best. He’s even better than me, and I’m fucking awesome. I met Jake while producing a record for his band The Films…. Until I stole him. I bartered with him though. I told him he could also engineer the records I make in my studio with me (he’s also the best engineer I know) and that his singer/songwriter in the Films, Mike Trent, would have to join in on the Black Widows writing process. I kinda made out good on this whole deal, because Mike is one of the most unsung singer/songwriters I know, and the lyrical collaborations we have done on the last couple of records have been my favorites. Oh yeah, Mike’s wife (Cary Ann Hearst) is also an amazing singer/songwriter that I produced a record for last year…. She sang backup vocals on the new Widows record. It’s a family affair…
so this is the part of the bio where I’m supposed to describe the new record by us called “The Spade”. I’m supposed to inject words about the songs like “soaring”, “pounding”, “climactic”, and maybe even a “unrivaled”…… But I just can’t talk like that about my own music. But what I can say is, just like my bass paying skills….. It’s fucking awesome. we will be on the road this year a lot, and probably sleeping at many KOA campgrounds this fall. More than likely, you are reading this because you don’t know shit about me and you are about to interview me for your school paper or local radio station visit (yes, im in the lobby) and you need to find out a few things about me to talk about. It’s ok. I’m not mad. I’m not very popular and I don’t blame you if you “just aren’t into the music”. You may not have read this far, or been able to get past the bass playing part, but if you have, then I commend you. Let’s talk….
end of bio.
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Greg Holden
Greg Holden is an accomplished musician with a myriad of talents, but his unending perseverance, selflessness, and sincerity stand out.
The British-raised, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter has garnered recognition as an independent artist for the past several years and is likely best known for writing American Idol winner Phillip Phillips’ hit debut single, “Home,” which sold over five million copies in the U.S. and earned Holden an ASCAP Pop Award. His music has also been featured on notable television shows including Sons of Anarchy, Private Practice, and One Tree Hill. In addition to earning praise from industry staples such as Cher, Tom Hanks, Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles, Michael Bublé, Zane Lowe, TIME, NPR, and more, Holden has racked up critical acclaim in the press, with BuzzFeed hailing his “soaring, purpose-filled songs that carry real emotional weight,” Paste lauding his “clear vocals” and “expressive lyrics,” and Nylon applauding his unique ability to “actually touch the lives of another person with raw, emotional lyrical poetry.”
Despite his impressive accolades, Holden nearly gave up on the music business in the early days of his career. After self-funding his Tony Berg-produced sophomore album, I Don’t Believe You (2011), the label due to release it folded, thus the promotional efforts for the record. He then went into debt during a sold-out tour of Europe, so much so that he basically called it quits while on the road. Most artists would have thrown in the towel at this juncture, but Holden persisted through these setbacks, leading to the well-deserved, massive success of “Home.” He then went on to self-fund his third studio album, the critically acclaimed Chase The Sun (produced by Greg Wells, 2015), later licensing the record through Warner Brothers Records.
Holden is excited to be back in the ring with his impressive new single, “On The Run,” produced by the iconic Butch Walker (Katy Perry, Panic! At The Disco, Weezer). The track is an uplifting anthem complete with catchy hooks that perfectly mesh with Holden’s strong, heartfelt vocals. “ ‘On The Run’ is one of a few songs that was bouncing around in my head when it came to the question of what to lead with after three years on the dark side of the moon,” says Holden. “Ultimately, this song felt like the most authentic, whilst at the same time not being so typically subject heavy that I would scare my listeners away. I’ll save that for the second single…”
“ ‘On The Run’ is an apology, obviously. But it’s an apology to a number of people, for a number of things,” he adds. “For years I’ve been on the road, either emotionally or physically absent, and at times probably a nightmare for partners, friends, and family. I wanted to write something that in a way, said sorry for all that. A way to relinquish some of the guilt perhaps. I recorded it last winter with Butch Walker, along with some incredibly talented friends. It took a morning, it was a blast, and then we were done. It feels right to lead with this one as it came out so naturally.”
This summer, Holden is also set to debut “The Power Shift,” a political, call-to-action earworm. Holden produced and wrote the song himself, and it aligns with his rebellious spirit of pushing back against the status quo. “I was trying to manifest a collective call on the, for lack of a better word, bullshit. I think it’s important that when someone is lying to you, you call them out,” says Holden. Although there was no singular event or figure who inspired him to write the track, he notes his frustration with a growing series events around the world. “I was getting tired of screaming into the social media echo chamber and really wanted to put my frustrations into a song that wasn’t so toxic. I’m under no illusion that this is just a song, but it’s better than a tweet.”
Additionally, Holden has not taken his success in the music industry for granted and at times has worked to prioritize philanthropy and establish his profile as a socially conscious artist. Standout track, “The Lost Boy,” (from I Don’t Believe You), inspired by a Dave Eggers’ novel about a Sudanese refugee, was the theme for a Red Cross campaign in The Netherlands that raised over $50,000 for the organization. His hit single from Chase the Sun, “Boys In The Street,” an acceptance anthem that discusses a gay son’s strained relationship with his father, directly benefited LGBTQ youth by raising money for the Everyone Is Gay organization’s 2014 fundraiser, The Gayest Compilation Ever Made II. It’s an emotional, poignant track that Tom Hanks called “The perfect song.”
Needless to say, Greg Holden is an artist to watch in 2018, with more new music expected later this year. Stay tuned for exciting news to come.