Roger Greenawalt
Encyclopedia
Roger Greenawalt is an American
music producer and musician known for discovering singer Ben Kweller
. A story on Greenawalt's efforts to get Kweller signed to a major label appeared in the New Yorker on April 7, 1997.
in Boston from 1978-1980. In 1980 Greenawalt formed the "Post Punk No Wave
Death Disco" band The Dark who gained a loyal following and drew the interest of Ric Ocasek
, lead singer and guitarist of The Cars
. Ocasek produced The Dark's second EP, Darkworld, in 1982. A single, "Judy", became a local hit in Boston.
Since relocating to New York in the early 1990s, Greenawalt has produced a wide variety of music, including records by bands such as Ben Kweller, The Pierces
, and Julian Velard. He currently operates Shabby Road Studio in Williamsburg. Recent productions include recordings by The Pierces
, Julian Velard
, Thinking In Pictures, Electric Child, Lovely Liar, and Love Crushed Velvet.
, The Naked Brothers Band, The Pierces, Adam Green
, Ryan Miller of Guster, Jeremiah Birnbaum
, and Freedy Johnston. Greenawalt has an accompanying web site where he is rerecording original Beatles songs on ukulele. He releases a new track each week with an original essay about the song. http://www.beatlescompleteonukulele.com
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music producer and musician known for discovering singer Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Early life:Ben Kweller was born in San Francisco, CA in 1981. In 1982, his family relocated to Emory, Texas, where his father, Howard Kweller, became the town's first doctor. In 1986, the Kwellers moved to a much larger city,...
. A story on Greenawalt's efforts to get Kweller signed to a major label appeared in the New Yorker on April 7, 1997.
Background
Greenawalt studied at Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston from 1978-1980. In 1980 Greenawalt formed the "Post Punk No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
Death Disco" band The Dark who gained a loyal following and drew the interest of Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
, lead singer and guitarist of The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
. Ocasek produced The Dark's second EP, Darkworld, in 1982. A single, "Judy", became a local hit in Boston.
Since relocating to New York in the early 1990s, Greenawalt has produced a wide variety of music, including records by bands such as Ben Kweller, The Pierces
The Pierces
The Pierces are an American New York-based band consisting of sisters Allison Pierce and Catherine Pierce .-Childhood:...
, and Julian Velard. He currently operates Shabby Road Studio in Williamsburg. Recent productions include recordings by The Pierces
The Pierces
The Pierces are an American New York-based band consisting of sisters Allison Pierce and Catherine Pierce .-Childhood:...
, Julian Velard
Julian Velard
Julian Velard , is an American pianist and singer-songwriter, born and raised in New York City.-Biography:Velard was born and raised in New York City, New York. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, where...
, Thinking In Pictures, Electric Child, Lovely Liar, and Love Crushed Velvet.
Beatles Complete on Ukulele
On December 8, 2004, Greenawalt first performed his Beatles Complete on Ukulele concert by playing all 185 original Beatles songs in one day on ukulele with 60 guest singers at Elizabeth Streb's SLAM Action Lab in Brooklyn, New York. In 2008, he did the same show again at Brooklyn's Spike Hill. Since then, Greenawalt has performed the marathon show twice more at Brooklyn Bowl and twice at SXSW in Austin, Texas (2010, 2011). He performed an abridged version near San Francisco at The McEvoy Ranch Harvest Festival in November 2010. Performers at these various concerts have included Nellie McKayNellie McKay
Nellie McKay , is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and former stand-up comedienne, noted for her critically acclaimed albums, and for her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera , for which she won a Theatre World Award...
, The Naked Brothers Band, The Pierces, Adam Green
Adam Green
Adam Green may refer to:*Adam Green , writer/director of Hatchet*Adam Green , staff cartoonist for the New Art Examiner, early 1990s...
, Ryan Miller of Guster, Jeremiah Birnbaum
Jeremiah Birnbaum
Jeremiah Birnbaum is a singer/songwriter falling mostly in the Americana vein; in press his music has also been described as a combination of folk, blues, country, and compared to such artists as Sheryl Crow, Mark Kozelek, John Mayer, Johnny Cash, Jim Croce and Van Morrison...
, and Freedy Johnston. Greenawalt has an accompanying web site where he is rerecording original Beatles songs on ukulele. He releases a new track each week with an original essay about the song. http://www.beatlescompleteonukulele.com
Discography
- 1980 - Personalized Tapes The Dark DarkWorld Industries Custom Tapes made for and about notable music business personalities
- 1981 - You Are In No Danger The Dark DarkWorld Industries 3 song EP featuring "Judy" about Judy Grunwald of The Maps
- 1982 - Darkworld, The Dark (Ambiguous Records, Produced by Ric OcasekRic OcasekRic Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
) - 1982 - Beatitude, Ric Ocasek (Geffen RecordsGeffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
) - Guitar - 1983 - Don't Feed The Fashion Sharks, The Dark (Relativity RecordsRelativity RecordsRelativity Records, often branded just Relativity, is an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his company, Important Record Distribution in metro New York. Early on, as an indie label, Relativity released music in a variety of styles, including dance, jazz, punk, and...
) - 1984 - Love Is Bigger Than Both Of Us,, Frank Jargon And The Photo Opportunity, (Self Released Composer, Lead Vocals, Guitar
- 1987 - Times De Are Changing Soweto Soleil, (Jah Jah Music)Recorded at Tuff Gong Studios Kingston, Jamaica, Producer, Bass
- 1988 - Willi Jones, (Geffen RecordsGeffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
) Guitar, Composer, Producer - 1991 - The PoppiesThe PoppiesThe Poppies may refer to:in music bands:* The Poppies * The Poppies * The Poppies * The Poppys * Pop Will Eat Itself are sometimes referred to as The Poppiesin football teams:...
, (Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - Co-Founder, Producer, Composer, Guirtar, Bass Vocals, Programming, Percussion - 1992 - Eve's PlumEve's PlumEve's Plum was a New York City-based alternative rock band who recorded in the 1990s. The band was fronted by Colleen Fitzpatrick. Eve's Plum released two albums and numerous singles on 550/EpicRecords, before breaking up in 1998.- Forming :...
(Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
) - Producer, Engineer, - 1992 - The Manson Family, An Opera, John Moran, featuring Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
and Terri Roche (Point Records) - Producer, Engineer, Bass, Programming - 1993 - "Damn I Wish I Were Your Lover", Sophie B. HawkinsSophie B. HawkinsSophie Ballantine Hawkins is an American singer, songwriter, musician and painter. Her biggest hits are "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover", "Right Beside You", and "As I Lay Me Down".- Career :...
(Columbia Records) - Guitar - 1992 - FrankenhookerFrankenhookerFrankenhooker is an American black comedy horror film that was released in 1990. Very loosely inspired by Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, the film was directed by Frank Henenlotter and stars James Lorinz as medical school drop-out Jeffrey Franken and former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen as the...
(Glickenhaus Films) - Composer - 1994 - The Murmurs (MCA Records) - Producer, engineer, bass
- 1995 - "Damaged Goods," Nils LofgrenNils LofgrenNils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock music recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
(Rounder RecordsRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
) - Producer, engineer, bass - 1997 - Don't SpeakDon't Speak"Don't Speak" is a song by the American rock band No Doubt. It was released in 1996 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Tragic Kingdom...
(remix), No DoubtNo DoubtNo Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
(Interscope RecordsInterscope RecordsInterscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
) - Engineer, Guitar - 1997 - RadishRadishThe radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...
, led by 15-year-old Ben KwellerBen KwellerBen Kweller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Early life:Ben Kweller was born in San Francisco, CA in 1981. In 1982, his family relocated to Emory, Texas, where his father, Howard Kweller, became the town's first doctor. In 1986, the Kwellers moved to a much larger city,...
(Mercury RecordsMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
) - Producer, Engineer - 2003 - Ashley MacIsaacAshley MacIsaacAshley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
, (London RecordsLondon RecordsLondon Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
) - Producer, Engineer, Composer - 2004 - Want TwoWant TwoWant Two is the fourth album by American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. The album was released on November 16, 2004. Four of the tracks on this album were released in the summer of 2004 as the EP Waiting for a Want on the iTunes music store.Want Two is, according to Wainwright, the...
, Rufus WainwrightRufus WainwrightRufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
(Dreamworks RecordsDreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
) - Banjo, Ukulele, - 2005 - Ben KwellerBen KwellerBen Kweller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Early life:Ben Kweller was born in San Francisco, CA in 1981. In 1982, his family relocated to Emory, Texas, where his father, Howard Kweller, became the town's first doctor. In 1986, the Kwellers moved to a much larger city,...
, Albert Hammond, Jr. "Wait" This Bird Has Flown The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Rubber SoulRubber SoulRubber Soul is the sixth studio album by the English rock group The Beatles, released in December 1965. Produced by George Martin, Rubber Soul had been recorded in just over four weeks to make the Christmas market...
, (ATO RecordsATO RecordsAccording to Our Records was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews , Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli, and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA Records...
) - Producer - 2006 - What I Like About Jew Rob Tannenbaum/Sean Altman - Producer, Engineer
- 2006 - I Think I'll Move", AberfeldyAberfeldy (band)Aberfeldy are a band formed by the singer-songwriter Riley Briggs in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2002. The band is named after the Scottish town.-History:...
(Rough TradeRough Trade RecordsRough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
) - Producer, Engineer, Mix, Slide guitar - 2006 - Call An Ambulance, Albert Hammond, Jr. (Rough Trade) - Ukulele
- 2007 - The Movies Without You, Julian VelardJulian VelardJulian Velard , is an American pianist and singer-songwriter, born and raised in New York City.-Biography:Velard was born and raised in New York City, New York. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, where...
(EMI UK) - Producer, Engineer, Mix - 2007 - Thirteen Tales of Love and RevengeThirteen Tales of Love and RevengeThirteen Tales of Love and Revenge is the third full-length album by The Pierces.Both "Three Wishes" and "Secret" appeared on the popular TV show Gossip Girl in the episode "Hi, Society", where The Pierces made a cameo appearance as well; the music video for "Boring" appeared on the DVD of season 1...
, The PiercesThe PiercesThe Pierces are an American New York-based band consisting of sisters Allison Pierce and Catherine Pierce .-Childhood:...
(Lizard King) - Producer, Engineer, Mix, Composer, Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Mandolin, Percussion, Programming - 2008 - These Bricks Are Bleeding, Rex Moroux - Producer, Engineer, Mix, Composer, Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Percussion
- 2008 - Alan Cohen Experience, Alan Cohen Experience - Producer, Engineer, Mix
- 2009 - Jessie Murphy In The Woods, Eight BellesEight BellesEight Belles was a thoroughbred racehorse owned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms. She finished second to winner Big Brown in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby held at Churchill Downs, a race run by only thirty-nine fillies in the past...
- Producer, Engineer, Mix, Guitar, Bass, - 2009–Present The Beatles Complete On Ukulele - Creator, Producer, Engineer, Mix, Ukulele, Bass, Programming, Percussion
- 2009 - Eat the Peace, Alan Cohen Experience - Producer
- 2010 - Spinning In Time, Craig Greenberg - Producer, engineer, Bass,
- 2010 - The Lonely Crowd, EtherEtherEthers are a class of organic compounds that contain an ether group — an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups — of general formula R–O–R'. A typical example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether"...
- Producer, Engineer, Mix, Bass - Recent work with Albert Hammond, Jr., Rhett MillerRhett MillerStewart Ransom Miller II , better-known as Rhett Miller is the lead singer of the alternative country band Old 97's and a successful solo musician. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas, a private boys' school in Dallas in 1989 and briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College on a creative...
, Adam GreenAdam Green (musician)Adam Green is an American singer-songwriter.Green's off-kilter style has achieved a moderate college radio following in the United States, and enjoys increasing popularity in a number of European countries, particularly Germany.-Career:Green attended Emerson College for one semester in 1998 before...
, Electric Child, Olivia Mancini, Lovely Liar, Thinking In Pictures, Trevor Exter
External links
- http://www.booknoise.net/johnseabrook/stories/culture/bigben/index.html A profile of Greenawalt’s role in the discovery of Ben Kweller. From The New Yorker April 7, 1997.
- http://www.myspace.com/rogergreenawalt Greenawalt's Myspace page
- YouTube Video - Greenawalt and band Supergene perform a Beatles song
- Ukuleledisco.com - Greenawalt plays ukulele in 1969
- Beatles Complete on Ukulele - blog
- http://originalhipster.net/2010/11/17/shabby-road-svengali-interview-with-record-producer-roger-greenawalt/ Interview with Roger Greenawalt. From Original Hipster.net Nov. 17, 2010.