Bobbyisms: The Grey Kingdom tells a story
I write about random things a lot. I
write a lot about random things.
Beyond anything else, however, I listen
to music. From rock to hip-hop,
indie to metal, and everything in
between, and, trust me when I say, it
is infrequent that something comes
along that I find so refreshing as to
want to share it.
Such is the case with The Grey Kingdom, also known as Spencer Burton, guitarist from Attack In Black.
The Grey Kingdom is a project that delves into a different style of songwriting, one that puts the focus squarely on storytelling. Not like a ballad, where a couple falls in love over a glance across the barn dance, but deeper, richer stories told through the songs.
"I couldn't really tell you where it stems from, it's just my personality," Burton remarked. "Everyone has their own personality. Some people grew up watching movies or whatever, but I grew up reading comic books and fantasy novels and stuff like that."
"I think even in real life I get wrapped up in the idea of a story," he continued. "I like the idea of getting to know somebody. You want to break that barrier; you don't want to be something just to watch, but rather something to interact with."
I regaled Burton with a story of my own; one year ago, in February of 2010, Burton gave me my first interview one night in London after Attack In Black tore the roof off of Call The Office in performance. I was there shooting a photo essay and let the band in from the cold before the club technically opened, and when I was asked if I was there for an interview, well ... I didn't say no.
Fast-forward to SCENE Fest 2010 in St. Catharines in June. Having just arrived, I was walking down a street and noticed some informal performance happening in a salon. Stepping in, I saw Burton across the room, and went over to say hello.
In hindsight, my two mistakes were that I didn't wait for the young performers to finish before crossing the small, quiet room, and that I shouldn't have called out to Burton as Bob, a name I somehow mysteriously pulled out of thin air.
"You called me Bob?" Burton laughed when I told him. "It was one of those days where I had just played on a patio somewhere — my set at SCENE was outside — and I was just totally sunburned and tired, I didn't know what was going on. So I was probably all like, 'Yeah, my name is Bob, totally.'"
Luckily, Burton was in much better shape — despite having just finished a drive non-stop from Montréal after playing bass for a friend's gig and finding upon arrival that he needed to report directly to work — and happy to talk to me about The Eulogy Of Her And Her And Her, the first Grey Kingdom full-length album, released on March 1.
When I remarked that his preference for songwriting seemed more to echo the likes of authors than musicians, Burton confirmed that he frequently writes literature. "I write all the time, be it really bad poetry, or short stories of stuff. But a lot of my stories are not pre-conceived, you know? It's how I'm feeling at the moment."
"I'll never sit down and write out a script to tell a story, I would rather just talk to people and let them know what's on my mind. The story is different every time, but it's always got the same outcome."
Having tapped into a very Kerouac-esque mindset, Burton described his preference for real interactions with those around him, and all the romance and camaraderie that one stands to gain from interacting with others and experiencing the story of their own lives.
"I don't even have a television in my living room anymore," Burton continued. "I just moved, and I just have a record player in my living room now. So when I have friends over, instead of watching a movie, I'll put on a record. It's less mindless than a television."
The Grey Kingdom will be performing in London on March 12 at The Nite Owl at 353 Talbot St. For more info, check out The Nite Owl on Facebook or follow Burton online via Twitter @TheGreyKingdom or at GreyKingdom.com.
And for more music discovery, including the latest news, views and streams, follow @FSU_Bobbyisms on Twitter or check out the Music Recommendations thread in our FSU social network. I'm out of words.
Such is the case with The Grey Kingdom, also known as Spencer Burton, guitarist from Attack In Black.
The Grey Kingdom is a project that delves into a different style of songwriting, one that puts the focus squarely on storytelling. Not like a ballad, where a couple falls in love over a glance across the barn dance, but deeper, richer stories told through the songs.
"I couldn't really tell you where it stems from, it's just my personality," Burton remarked. "Everyone has their own personality. Some people grew up watching movies or whatever, but I grew up reading comic books and fantasy novels and stuff like that."
"I think even in real life I get wrapped up in the idea of a story," he continued. "I like the idea of getting to know somebody. You want to break that barrier; you don't want to be something just to watch, but rather something to interact with."
I regaled Burton with a story of my own; one year ago, in February of 2010, Burton gave me my first interview one night in London after Attack In Black tore the roof off of Call The Office in performance. I was there shooting a photo essay and let the band in from the cold before the club technically opened, and when I was asked if I was there for an interview, well ... I didn't say no.
Fast-forward to SCENE Fest 2010 in St. Catharines in June. Having just arrived, I was walking down a street and noticed some informal performance happening in a salon. Stepping in, I saw Burton across the room, and went over to say hello.
In hindsight, my two mistakes were that I didn't wait for the young performers to finish before crossing the small, quiet room, and that I shouldn't have called out to Burton as Bob, a name I somehow mysteriously pulled out of thin air.
"You called me Bob?" Burton laughed when I told him. "It was one of those days where I had just played on a patio somewhere — my set at SCENE was outside — and I was just totally sunburned and tired, I didn't know what was going on. So I was probably all like, 'Yeah, my name is Bob, totally.'"
Luckily, Burton was in much better shape — despite having just finished a drive non-stop from Montréal after playing bass for a friend's gig and finding upon arrival that he needed to report directly to work — and happy to talk to me about The Eulogy Of Her And Her And Her, the first Grey Kingdom full-length album, released on March 1.
When I remarked that his preference for songwriting seemed more to echo the likes of authors than musicians, Burton confirmed that he frequently writes literature. "I write all the time, be it really bad poetry, or short stories of stuff. But a lot of my stories are not pre-conceived, you know? It's how I'm feeling at the moment."
"I'll never sit down and write out a script to tell a story, I would rather just talk to people and let them know what's on my mind. The story is different every time, but it's always got the same outcome."
Having tapped into a very Kerouac-esque mindset, Burton described his preference for real interactions with those around him, and all the romance and camaraderie that one stands to gain from interacting with others and experiencing the story of their own lives.
"I don't even have a television in my living room anymore," Burton continued. "I just moved, and I just have a record player in my living room now. So when I have friends over, instead of watching a movie, I'll put on a record. It's less mindless than a television."
The Grey Kingdom will be performing in London on March 12 at The Nite Owl at 353 Talbot St. For more info, check out The Nite Owl on Facebook or follow Burton online via Twitter @TheGreyKingdom or at GreyKingdom.com.
And for more music discovery, including the latest news, views and streams, follow @FSU_Bobbyisms on Twitter or check out the Music Recommendations thread in our FSU social network. I'm out of words.
