The Josie Show with Greye

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
M brun Bron Bron Bray, Cry Cry Cry Talk around
the world on the World Wide Web. Ladies and Children
period Is.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
The other stations are.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Oh Yeah, broadcasting live from the Josey Network Studios in
downtown Madnah, Tennessee. It's that time of week again. It's
time for the Josie.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Shoe, bringing you the most exciting music, moves and guests
from around the world.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
Right here on the Jersey Show.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Please make walking beautiful metality. Hello America's Riddy else Leia
Business Josie Acentino Boo.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Hello everyone, and welcome to this episode of The Josie Show.
I'm Josie Pasentino Boone. We have a very exciting show
for you all. We have Gray joining us, an incredible
band who are also former JMA winners, so I'm really
really looking forward to talking to them, So stay tuned
into this whole show. But before we get started, speaking

(01:31):
on the Josie Music Awards. Tickets are available now for
both the JMA Music Conference on September nineteenth and the
twelfth Annual Josie Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry
House on the following day, September twentieth. Tickets are available
at Josmusic Awards dot Com for both days, so make
sure you get your tickets now. You will not want

(01:53):
to miss out on both of these great days of events.
It's going to be so so much fun and we
would love to see you all there. All right, here
is my interview with Gray. Please welcome to the Josie
Show my guest Gray.

Speaker 4 (02:06):
Hi, Hello, Hello, thanks so much for having us today.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Oh, thank you well so much for joining me. So
before we get started, can you please give out your names?

Speaker 4 (02:14):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Absolutely, I'm Hannah Summer. I'm the lead vocalist of Gray.

Speaker 5 (02:19):
Hello, I'm Joe Wolf and I'm the guitarist team Gray.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Perfect Perfect And can you also give a shout out
to the other band numbers as well. Yes.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
So in addition to the two of us, we have
Tommy Brady on the bass, we have Ken E Williams
on the keys and Ray Ribard on the drums.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Fabulous, fabulous, And of course I want to talk about
your latest album seven, So can you share listeners can
expect to find on this album? Tell us all about it?

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Oh well, it's I might be a little biased, but
it's definitely my favorite piece of work that we've put
out there's something on it for everybody. We sort of
call ourselves the new Era of Southern rock, but whether
you're into southern or hard rock or even acoustic singer
songwriter ey type stuff, there really is a little something

(03:07):
on it for each and everybody, and we're so excited.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
We hope everybody enjoys it.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yes, oh, I know they will. I know you've called
seven the most honest and strongest work yet. I'm really
excited for others to be able to hear it as well.
And it's available now on all the platforms that you
get your music today, right.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yep, yep, all the streaming services. It's up on YouTube,
everywhere you can find music.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
It is there perfect What inspired this album? Was there
a specific moment or experience that sparked it.

Speaker 3 (03:35):
I don't know if there's one specific thing. I definitely
think that it's pretty much just an encapsulation of.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
Where we feel we're at as a band.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
I mean, this has been a fourteen year long journey,
a lot of incredible moments along the way, and it
kind of it's really our definitive this is us, take
it or leave it.

Speaker 4 (03:58):
We hope you enjoy it. That's really what the album,
says to.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
Me, Yes, absolutely. I mean it's it's about hardships. I mean,
as an independent group, we all go through all of
the you know, the nose and all the ups and
the downs, ebb and flows, and I think it really
is captured in this album.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
I feel personal, thank you, thank you. That was definitely
the goal.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
So yes, I wanted to ask you, how do you
feel this project differs from your last album, so Far,
So Good.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
I think it's the most us that that it that
it could be. I think so Far, So Good was
us sort of finding and perfecting the sound that we
have now and this is this is very very much
the sound of the band, and I think it will
be going forward.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
Right I love that. And you know I seen two
EPs already in the works. You're gonna be rolling out
some singles before building like towards another full length relief.
So this momentum is is at a high right now.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
Really, Yeah, we're not We're not flowing down anytime soon,
that's for sure.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yes, So, is there anything you can tell us about
the new music, maybe a little teaser if you will,
anything that we should keep our eyes in yours.

Speaker 4 (05:09):
Peel for ooh, I don't know. It's powerful stuff.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
Man.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
If you liked what you heard on seven, I think
you will certainly enjoy what we've got coming down the line.
There's some really powerful vocal stuff. There's some very cool
guitar stuff. I'm excited. I'm stoked.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
I can't wait for everybody to hear it.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yes, I can't wait to hear it. I'm looking forward
to it amazing. And I have to talk to you
about some upcoming shows that you know coming up. Can
you tell us anything about that yet?

Speaker 3 (05:41):
Yeah, We've got some fun stuff in the works, a
lot of traveling. We're planning a little kind of mini
tour toward the end of July, mid end of July
up in the North Carolina over to Tennessee, maybe a
little Alabama, or we'll do about ten to fourteen dates
up in those those areas. And then actually before that

(06:02):
end of June, we're so excited to be opening for
cult Ford up.

Speaker 4 (06:07):
In West Virginia.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, so lots lots of travel on the horizon, which
we're so excited for. We used to tour all the
time before the pandemic hit. We would go out at
least once a year, and we really haven't done like
a big long trip or any extensive travel since then,
so we're very excited. And then also in August we're
going up to New York to play in Darryl's house.

Speaker 4 (06:28):
So lots of cool stuff coming up.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
So many cool thanks for Gray. I am so looking
forward to that. And of course people can keep it
tuned into your website and also social networking sites to
see where you'll be next. Can you give out all
of those sites and links for us, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (06:43):
For sure.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
You can find us on our website at Gray music
dot com and it's spelled kind of funky.

Speaker 4 (06:48):
It's spelled g r e y E music dot com.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
And we're on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or x or whatever
it's called now, YouTube, all the social media's.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
As well, So yes, perfect. Please make sure you go
and keep up with all that is going on with
Gray so you don't miss a dang thing. Please make
sure you do. And what do people expect when they
go to see a Gray show? I mean high energy?
I am sure because I've checked out you too seen
the live show. It looks like it's a lot of fun.
Tell us about that.

Speaker 5 (07:16):
It is.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
It's an experience. It is definitely gone are the days
of me standing and hiding behind the microphone stand.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
It is pretty much from the first down beat, high energy.

Speaker 3 (07:30):
We don't leave anything on the field, So that's amazing.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
I love that it sounds like such a blast. I
hope everyone goes and checks you out live. Also, I
want to mention that you all won Southern Rock Band
of the Year at the eleventh annual Josie Music Awards. Yes, yes, yes,
congratulations both of you and the whole band. What was
that experience like when you realized Gray was called as
a winner, Like, what was going through your minds?

Speaker 4 (07:54):
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
Well, first of all, I just have to thank you
and everyone at the JMA is so much for that,
because what.

Speaker 4 (08:02):
An incredible honor.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
I mean, we went out there just because, oh my gosh,
we were nominated and how exciting, and we certainly did
not expect to win anything.

Speaker 4 (08:12):
And it's actually kind of funny.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
We were seated up in the balcony and thoroughly enjoyed
the show.

Speaker 4 (08:18):
It was awesome, and we were called.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
Sort of toward the end of the night, and I
was so excited and so nervous to get down there.
And of course for anyone listening who doesn't know. The
show was at the Grand Ole Loppery, which legendary stage,
legendary room.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
I was so excited to get down there that I
fell down quite a few stairs on the way, kind
of got lost on the way to stage.

Speaker 5 (08:44):
But we made it.

Speaker 4 (08:45):
We made it.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
And what a surreal experience to stand in that circle
and just to go backstage and be with everyone.

Speaker 4 (08:51):
It was such a magical night.

Speaker 5 (08:53):
Yeah, it was absolutely surreal, A really great night, wonderful night,
just being around so many times too, the artists, you know,
being around and seeing so many wonderful performances. I was
really the whole band was just really enjoying the night
and just really appreciating again all the things, all the people,
all the acts that we were yet to be familiar with.

(09:15):
And when they called us, it was surreal. Uh yeah,
we all kind of looked at it to the like
was that us?

Speaker 2 (09:22):
Oh my god?

Speaker 5 (09:23):
Is that us? And and yeah, we we kind of
scurried up and uh we first we went down the
stairwell and it was like spinal tap where they're in
the back room, you know, where they're like, hey, let's
go this way. Yeah, and then you know we're trying
to figure it out.

Speaker 4 (09:39):
And then another act was it Cleopatra.

Speaker 5 (09:44):
It was another act and they were like, no, you
guys are going the right way. Keep going open the door.
And by that by that time, Hannah she had balanced.
She went to the other direction and she was she
was gone, and we get so the rest of the
band got to the stage and uh, the drummer Ray
leans over to me.

Speaker 4 (10:03):
He says, hey, she's.

Speaker 5 (10:05):
Not gonna make it up here. You need to prepare
something really quickly. I said, Ray, I'm not going to
say anything into that microphone.

Speaker 4 (10:11):
She's got a megage to the stage stress.

Speaker 2 (10:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (10:14):
Yeah, And it was it was just wonderful. It was brilliant. Uh,
it was everything about it. We were having such a
great night again. Before that, just meeting all kinds of
new artists, listening to everybody speak was absolutely my favorite part.
Listening to you present was wonderful. Absolutely you have you
had great bands, great presenters. It was so professional, it

(10:36):
was so lovely and honestly, I think we were just
honored to be a part of that, even if we
had not won anything, just being present it was absolutely wonderful.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
Oh, thank you, well deserved. Really it was for for
both of you and for Gray it is so it
was so deserved, just the work that you guys put in.
I mean, you guys are really hard working band, do
you know what I mean? Like you got you everywhere
You're welcome. You guys travel everywhere. You guys are always
doing something. You're always putting together music. You're always even
thinking about what your next move is, you know, so,

(11:08):
which I think is just incredible. For Abandon, I wanted
to kind of go back for both of you. A
question for both of you, Hannah and Jet, how did
music even get started for the two of you your
personal journeys? When did you realize that music was what
you each of you wanted to do?

Speaker 4 (11:25):
Well?

Speaker 3 (11:25):
For me, it started as far back as I was
a church choir kid, so I was always sort of,
you know, singing at school and in theater kind of troupe.
I'm a big Broadway herd, so I always had interest
in that. And we had an antique piano in my
terribly hot garage that I would kind of bounce around
on when I was a kid. And then there was

(11:47):
the opportunity to be in a guitar class in high school,
which was sort of an accident that I even ended
up there, But that's how I met Jet and we
ended up just kind of sticking together ever since. I
basically bothered these guys for fourteen years and now we're
doing what we're doing. So I love it.

Speaker 5 (12:05):
Yeah, absolutely, Yeah, I me personally. My father played guitar,
so I thought that was the coolest thing in the world,
because he's the coolest thing in the world, and so
I got inspired to pick up guitar. I got a
lot of influences from him, especially at the time Stevie
ray Vaughn and then later on John John Butler of

(12:27):
John Butler Trio. Then after that, I just kind of
really felt passionate about the instrument and we leaned into it.
We did meet at Sea Breeze High School, where we
both went to high school together.

Speaker 4 (12:40):
That's absolutely wonderful.

Speaker 5 (12:41):
Plays it's come full circle. I actually worked there as
a as an EOC teacher. Yeah yeah, and at the
time the drummer was the construction teacher. So it's come
completely full circle. Just by chance that Hannah and I
ended up in a guitar class that only was.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
Was an available course for just one year.

Speaker 5 (13:04):
I remember the first project for a grade was to
come up with the song, and I figured most people
would like play three chords and do about thirty forty
seconds and be like today, right, Hannah and Hannah, how
cool would it be if we like wrote a whole
song with you know, parts in background vocals and the
actual melodies and lyrics and everything. And the original title

(13:26):
of that song was actually Gray.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
Oh okay, so that's.

Speaker 5 (13:31):
Actually where we yeah, when we when when we met Ray,
he said, well, what do we want to call the band?
And Hannah and Ray were like, why don't we use Gray?
That was the first title song, you know, why not?
And it just felt right. So that's a little bit
on the origin of how we kind of came together
as like a musical family and and you know, very

(13:56):
family oriented kind of group. You know, that's where a
lot of the chemistry comes from, is just that we're
all on the same team.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yeah, there's nothing like having a team that you can
trust and that you've been with for a while, so
you guys know how you guys work, and wow, that
is so cool. The origin story of Gray started with
you know, just kind of at school. That's amazing. I
wanted to also just promote one last time. Please make
sure you go and check out the latest album seven.
Please go to the website Gray music dot com. Please

(14:28):
follow them on all of the social networking sites for
Gray g R. E yeh. I promise you you were
going to love them. I mean, they're just an incredible
band and they work so hard. So please make sure
you go and check them out and see what is next.
And I want to thank you both so much for
joining me. It was a pleasure.

Speaker 4 (14:44):
Oh, thank you so much for having us as a blast. Absolutely,
thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (14:49):
Wonderful again, oh so wonderful speaking to you both as well.
Thank you guys. Thank you all so much for tuning in.
I had such a great conversation with Gray. Thank you
all so much for joining me. It was so much fun.
And so my next episode is May twenty eighth with
Tony Mantor and Morgan Alexander. So I am really really

(15:10):
excited to talk to both of them. So you can
tune in at josshow dot com or wherever you listen
to the show. So thank y'all so much once again,
and I hope you guys have a great rest of
your day and see y'all next time. Bye bye.