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Greg Townson

@gregtownson

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Pop guitarist. Nick Lowe. Los Straitjackets. The Hi-Risers. Check out my latest release Solo Street and all my other releases at the link below!

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Hi everyone! I'm happy to announce I'll be playing a solo show at Abilene Bar and Lounge on Friday, October 23rd in my hometown, Rochester, NY!

This will be a special night for several reasons. First, I'll finally have a chance to celebrate the release of my two latest records, Solo Street and last year's In Focus. I'm looking forward to putting a spotlight on songs from the records and having some fun with them.

More importantly, since Abilene will be closing its doors next month, it will be an opportunity to thank Danny and the Abilene family for 18 fabulous years. Danny and his crew raised the quality of life in Rochester. We'll be toasting the past and wishing them the best for the future. I was there when Danny opened his doors and I'm very touched he invited me to play Abilene one last time.

For this final show at Abilene, I went back to the poster design I used 18 years ago when I first played there solo. Design by Diana Myoko Pollastri.

It's been years since I've done a solo gig and this will most likely be my only solo gig this year. Besides music from the new records, I guess I'll be digging deep into my old songbook. Please come out and let's see what happens! Thanks everyone!

Doors at 4pm. Music 6-8:15pm. $10 at the door. taken in Rochester, New York by @gregtownson

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11 days ago

Here's Wrong Way Inn, another song from my record of solo guitar instrumentals, Solo Street!

Wrong Way Inn was written for Los Straitjackets when we were recording the album Jet Set.

I'm playing the Telecaster I've had for years through a Magnatone M10 amp. The microphone on the amp is a Beyerdynamic 160. The hat will have to remain a mystery....

Solo Street is available on cd and as a digital download on my Bandcamp page. Link is in the bio.

Thanks so much everyone!

#gregtownson #solostreet #sologuitar #losstraitjackets #telecaster #magnatone by @gregtownson

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2 months ago

Here's the title song to my latest record, Solo Street!

This song came to me at the very end of the project. It felt like a gift for all the work I had done. I was happy to have an excuse to get my old Harmony Rocket out of the case.

My biggest thanks to everyone for the positive response to the record. As always, I truly appreciate it.

Solo Street is available as a digital download and as a CD on my bandcamp page. You'll find all my solo releases there. Link is in my bio.

#gregtownson #sologuitar #solostreet #harmonyrocket #instrumentalmusic #losstraitjackets by @gregtownson

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3 months ago

Here's Bad Apple from my new record Solo Street!

Solo Street is available on CD and for digital download at my Bandcamp page. Link is in the bio.

The response to the new record has been amazing. I truly appreciate all your orders and downloads. Thank you everyone!

Bad Apple first came out on the latest Los Straitjackets record, Somos Los Straitjackets.

I wrote Bad Apple in the key of Db, so I could get as many dissonant open string moments as possible. The bridge is a nod to my old friend Pee Wee Ellis, who I was lucky enough to make music with very early in my playing days. I learned so much from him.

The guitar is a Fender Coronado and the amp is a Magnatone M10. I picked it up recently at Sound Source in Rochester, NY. Talk about an amp with mojo!

More songs from Solo Street to come! Thanks again everyone!

#gregtownson #solostreeet #instrumentalguitar #losstraitjackets #badapple #fendercoronado #magnatone by @gregtownson

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3 months ago

My guitar likes a nice view too. taken in Lake Ontario by @gregtownson

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4 months ago

Thank you everyone! It's been a week since the release of my new record Solo Street and your response has blown me away. I truly appreciate the purchases, downloads, and comments you've posted. Thanks so much for your support.

Solo Street is available on CD or as a download at my Bandcamp page. The link is in the bio. Please keep in mind if you order more than one of my titles, there are no additional shipping costs! I have several releases available, including In Focus on CD for the first time.

Here is a one take performance of Short Circuit. This is my girlfriend Mila's favorite song on the record, so she had me play it and handled the camera. More videos of songs from the record to come!

Thanks again!
Greg

#gregtownson #solostreet #instrumentalguitar #shortcircuit #losstraitjackets #telecaster by @gregtownson

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4 months ago

Happy to play guitar on these upcoming tours with Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets! Hope to see you at a show! by @gregtownson

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4 months ago

My new record SOLO STREET came out recently, so I thought I'd post a few performance videos of songs from the record.

Here's a crazy one - Space Mosquito! I originally wrote this for Los Straitjackets and it came out on the record Jet Set.

For Solo Street, I deliberately picked a few songs from my catalog that on paper made no sense in a solo setting but might be fun to try. Space Mosquito is a perfect example!

I'm playing a Fender Coronado, which I picked up recently at Stockade Guitars in Kingston, NY. Ben Bruton set it up for me. He did an amazing job.

Fun fact - there were no guitar picks used on Solo Street. For the first time, I played everything with my fingers. I'm still getting the hang of it.

More videos to come! Thanks everyone! Solo Street is available on my Bandcamp page. Link is in bio!

#gregtownson #losstraitjackets #instrumentalguitar #stockadeguitars by @gregtownson

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4 months ago

NEW RELEASE! I'm so happy to announce the release of my first record of solo guitar instrumentals, SOLO STREET!

It's out now on 2-Bit Records and available both as a digital download and a limited edition CD on my Bandcamp page.

The link to my Bandcamp page is in the bio.

You can also check it out on all the streaming platforms.

l'll be posting more details about the record, the songs and the guitars I used in future posts. I also have performance videos I'll share of a few songs off the record.

On Friday August 7th, I'll host a release party for both Solo Street and last year's release In Focus at Abilene Bar and Lounge in Rochester, NY.

Thanks to Tuck Nelson for the mixing, Jim Chapdelaine for the mastering, Mila Walasek for her vocal on Step Aside, Alison Coté Design for the cover graphics, and Vincent & Magdalena at Hi-Tide Recordings for the cover photo.

As always, thanks so much for all your support over the years. I truly hope you'll enjoy Solo Street and we'll see each other at a show soon.

#gregtownson #instrumentalguitar #losstraitjackets #sologuitar taken in Rochester, New York by @gregtownson

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4 months ago

Ooooh exciting! Just received a Northern Crown moonshine tasting sample from the awesome @ryesandshinedistillery from Vancouver Island, Canada!
Yup, that’s ‘Northern Crown’ as in the @hillbillymoon song - written by the great @gregtownson no less 😀

#letmedrinkyouhowtoteach #ryewhiskey #moonshine #hillbillymoonexplosion taken in Langford, British Columbia by @gregtownson

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5 months ago

Friends. After 15 years with Los Straitjackets, I made the difficult decision last year to step away from full time touring with the band. I'll miss my time with the group, but time is flying by, and I'd like to concentrate on my solo work and other projects.

What a time it was. When Los Straitjackets founding member Danny Amis got sick back in 2010, I was more than happy to step in and help out. Little did I know the incredible run it would turn out to be. Thank you Danny for putting your trust in me way back when. Wishing you continued good health always.

I want to thank Eddie Angel, Pete Curry, and Chris Sprague for the great times and great music. Whenever we hit the stage, we gave it everything we had. I'm very proud of the shows we put on together.

I especially want to thank Los Straitjackets fans for making me feel welcome from the beginning. Every night it was a blast to play for you all. I'll still be doing occasional shows with the band and Nick Lowe, so I'm sure we'll meet again down the line. I look forward to it.

Thanks everyone for your support over the years. I can't wait to share what I have in the works with you.

Here is a photo of my very first show with the band. Jason Smay was on the drums. I remember this night well. With no rehearsal, in an outdoor amphitheater in front of about 2000 people, I played songs I'd never played before, with a guitar I'd never played before, with a band I'd never played with before, did choreography I'd never done before, all while wearing a mask!

Working with Los Straitjackets only got more interesting from there.

Much love,
Greg

Thanks Mickey ODonnell for the photo. by @gregtownson

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7 months ago

New Year’s Resolution: Wear a hat.

In case you’re wondering: This is Sam & Dave running through a song with the Stax Records studio house band (i.e. Booker T & the MGs) in Memphis Tennessee in 1967 - (L-R) drummer Al Jackson, Isaac Hayes on the piano, songwriter David Porter, singer Sam Moore, trumpeter Wayne Jackson, bassist Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn there in the back, singer Dave Prater, guitarist Steve Cropper and, interestingly, Booker T Jones not on the Hammond here but on the sousaphone. “Booker T played sousaphone?”, you ask. “On which song?” Well, my learned friend and walking rock’n’roll encyclopedia @gregtownson informs me that it’s likely to be the Sam & Dave song “My Reason for Living” written by Isaac Hayes and Sam Porter, both of whom are in the photo.
Isn’t this the coolest shot ever?

#holdonimcoming #samanddave #staxrecords #memphissoul #60sstyle

📸 Bill Carrier Jr. taken in Stax Records by @gregtownson

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9 months ago