It Might Get Noisy: Getting to Know Greys

Toronto’s post-punk group Greys are coming to Sudbury for what will be the kick-off of a 14-city North American tour, beginning in our own crater, and stopping in Chicago, Vancouver, Portland, Los Angeles and Denver just to mention a few.

In advance of their show on May 27^th at The Asylum (19 Regent St, for those looking), we managed to get a hold of singer/guitarist Shehzaad Jiwani to find out a bit more about Greys!

The first thing we’d like to know, Shehzaad, is, what made you guys decide to come to Sudbury to kick-off your tour? 

We’ve never been around the Canadian Shield before, and it felt like a good opportunity to do so. I’m actually really excited to go around the lakes and out to Winnipeg. Everyone says driving across Canada is boring, but I love it.

How excited are you to be embarking on a North American tour? 

We’re always stoked to drive out west. We get to see all our best friends we’ve met over the years. Every day turns into a fun little friend reunion. I am mostly excited to eat burritos in San Francisco on our day off.

Can you tell us a little more about Greys? How did you come together? What’s your story? 

We started our band when there weren’t that many noisy bands in Toronto, because we felt an absence of that, and so we wanted to hear the music we weren’t seeing in our city. Then we just kept going.

For those who haven’t heard one of your tracks, how would you describe your sound? Furthermore, what can we expect from a live show?  

Maybe bring some earplugs and a change of clothes…

We are pretty excited to host you and Greys in Sudbury! Do you have a message for our readers ahead of your show? 

Neil from Casper Skulls says hi!

What or who are your influences musically?

We really like a lot of droney, noisy music at the moment but also really straightforward pop stuff. I’ve been listening to David Crosby’s solo record, “If I Could Only Remember My Name,” like every night before I go to bed. We all unanimously agree that Portishead’s “Third” is one of the best records of the past 20 years. Brian Eno, Velvet Underground, the first two Iggy Pop records, the new Suuns, Autolux, Spirit Of The Beehive… I guess all of it is stuff that mixes moody noise with big melodies. That’s what we want to accomplish.

Where can we find your tracks and do you have albums to plug?

Literally anywhere with music. We just put out a record called Outer Heaven. It’s, like, so good.

Check out greysband.com, and our Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter!