Greg Humphreys & Friends’ Fireplace Sessions Vols. 1 & 2 hit bandcamp and the streamers April 24, 2026!
Vol. 1 on Bandcamp Vol. 2 on Bandcamp
Vol. 1 on the Streamers Vol. 2 on the Streamers
Thought I’d ruminate a bit on how these LPs came to be and where I’m at with music-making.
The Challenge
There are so many talented players and songwriters in the world right now. YouTube and social media have revealed tricks and insights that took many of us a lifetime to discover. Then, consider the sheer flow and volume of new music and content daily, both real and AI.
The competition to be heard—to cut through the noise—is fierce, nigh impossible. I look at the metrics. It is disheartening. The pressure to ABC (Always Be Contentin’) to grow your audience is real.
I feel lucky to have a relatively small but loyal audience that cares.
As you likely know if you’re reading this, I came up fronting bands and playing my songs. That was, and continues to be, the best I have to offer. I can only be myself.
Even when I am inspired by someone—Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney, or whomever else I might be listening to—the songs end up sounding more like me. That is literally the only thing I can do that no one else can do. Be myself.
All those miles, all the songs, all the gigs have produced different selves, filtered through collaboration and context. Whom you are surrounded by helps create the context.
The Group
These recordings exist mainly to capture my current collaboration with a fine group of musicians here in NYC — Jason Ewald on drums and vocals, Stacy Werdin on bass guitar and vocals, and Marcus Farrar on percussion and vocals.
The talent pool of players here in the city is staggering. Naturally, I gravitate toward people I bond with musically and collaborate with easily. A big reason I landed on this group is that they are all players, singers and songwriters.
We’ve been exploring being a vocal group in addition to being a groove machine. It’s fun. They make room for the vocals. We all take a turn at the mic. In the end, the sum is greater than the parts. It’s something I’ve enjoyed in the past, and I wanted to document this combo while we have it in place.
The Recording
The recording itself grew from the support of some dear friends who have been supporting my groups regularly since I moved to the city.
An ongoing conversation between Bobby McCain of Enabler No. 6, Lyle Einstein, Oliver Ryan and myself (we call our informal group Working Title) led to a weekend event last September at Fireplace Farm, Oliver’s family farm in Springs, NY.
The concept was to create a happening where nature, music, and creativity could blossom. The objective was to try and capture that vibe on record.
We all invited folks for the weekend; I brought my ProTools rig, which is pretty portable these days. We set up in the barn and recorded two sets for a wonderful all-ages audience of friends and family. Most of the recordings made it onto these LPs.
The Songs
The songs on these LPs are about what you might hear at a live GH & Friends show around NYC these days; live versions of songs from my recent solo LP Disappearing, songs from Jason and Stacy, some faves from my catalog of songs, and a few covers of rock n’ roll and soul classics.
I mixed and mastered the LPs over the last few months, working with Jason, Stacy, and Marcus to dial in the sounds and get these recordings to a point where we all felt good about releasing them to the world.
We’re happy to share ‘em with you now. Fireplace Sessions, Vols. 1 & 2. Enjoy!