Heartfelt. Adventuresome. Focused. Prolific. Depressingly funny. Poetic. Ringleader. Honest. Kind. Uplifting. Generous. These are just a few of the words that come to mind when I recall Massachusetts poet and folkie Greg McKillop.
Greg had just started playing guitar when we met, but from the start his burning passion to create was already evident. Being from Oregon and on my first tour, one of my goals was to see what Portland, Maine was like. I didn’t know anyone in Portland but I got in touch with Greg via myspace and he invited me to drop by an open-mic. When I got to town I met Greg, Jesse Frayne and a few other people right away. It was instant community.
After the open-mic we all headed across town and played another open mic together at Slainte Wine Bar. Slainte offered me a show the next night so we all hung out again. A few days later Greg hooked me up with a show in Worcester, MA. That show helped me make just enough extra gas money to print the first copies of my second album Take It Easy. The way things came together that week still stands out as magical.
Greg has spent his last 8 years touring the country performing in every type of space imaginable. His songs have become the stuff of legend. 20 of them were covered this year on Please Make Sure Someone’s Singin’ Somewhere For You: A Tribute To The Music of Gregory McKillop. Greg’s band Speaker For The Dead swelled to a circus-like crowd of over 20 members before calling it a day a few months ago. He is now focusing on his solo material and relaxing a bit.
Greg will be contributing “I am on the Radio,” a previously unreleased song to Nate Allen’s kickstarter mixtape. This is an acoustic version of the last song from his upcoming full length due out in February.
For more information visit gregorymckillop.com.