Greg Cartwright
Encyclopedia
Greg Cartwright, also known by his stage name Greg Oblivian, is an American
singer, songwriter
, and guitarist
from Memphis
, Tennessee
. He currently fronts Reigning Sound and lives in Asheville, North Carolina
. He is a founding member of the Memphis '90s garage bands The Compulsive Gamblers
, The Oblivians
and Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops.
Aside from also playing occasional solo performances (including one that led to his solo record "Live at Circle A") Cartwright also plays in The Parting Gifts, a band also featuring Lindsay "CoCo" Hames of The Ettes
and Patrick Keeler of The Raconteurs
and The Greenhornes
, and a guest appearance from Dan Auerbach
of the Black Keys. The band's debut album, "Strychnine Dandelion," is due out in September 2010 on In the Red Records
.
http://www.blurt-online.com/features/view/657/
Cartwright has also played in a handful of other bands, including guitarist in The Detroit Cobras
and as drummer
for '68 Comeback
. He has also collaborated with The Deadly Snakes
, contributing to their album I'm Not Your Soldier Anymore. http://www.thecrutch.net/interviews/gregcartwrightinterview.html
In 2007 he wrote songs and co-produced "Dangerous Game," a comeback
album by Mary Weiss
of the The Shangri-Las
.
- a neighborhood located on the north side of Memphis. His last two years of high school were spent in the suburbs after his family relocated outside of the city. His father was a factory worker, employed by the Firestone
tire company in Memphis. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
With his parent's busy work schedule, Cartwright spent his summer vacations and weekends at his grandmother's Memphis home. This is where he was first introduced to musical instruments. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
At six years old, Cartwright already owned a portable record player, and was introduced to rock and roll
music by his father's record collection, which included a huge catalog of British Invasion
albums and other '50s and '60s rock bands. Around this time he also inherited his aunt and uncle's 45rpm collections, which according to Cartwright, included a lot of "oddball Memphis stuff you wouldn't hear on the radio." After becoming exposed to music, Cartwright began writing songs and forming bands as early as seventh grade. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
By his teens, Cartwright was becoming drawn to other, more abrasive and on-the-fringe genres of music. He also began going to punk rock shows at the Antenna Club, a now defunct Memphis music venue. At the Antenna is where he first saw a Tav Falco's Panther Burns
show when he was 16 years old. Panther Burns is fronted by Tav Falco
, a '50s-style Memphis rocker who blends blues
with rockabilly
and soul music
- a mix that most touring punk bands were not playing in the 1980s. That show nudged him in the direction that would ultimately lead him toward the garage-punk, soul and country sound he is known for.http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
Cartwright recalled that Tav Falco show in a 2009 interview with Turn it Down Interviews.
"It instantly clicked with me," Cartwright said. "Although it was chaotic, there was definitely a wild, almost punk element about Tav Falco & Panther Burns. Tav was into all the kind of stuff that really turned me on. That was Tav’s thing - blues, rockabilly, country, odd R&B. Suddenly I thought I’ve been wasting my time trying to like hardcore punk
and here’s this thing that was in my own backyard that I was totally unaware of. From there on I started looking for more bands like that. Then you get into The Cramps
and all of these other things that kind of ride that line, that are really good, gritty rock‘n’roll, but are also on the outside of culture, like punk. So that was a real eye opener. I continued to hunt records in thrift stores and junk shops." http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
After that show, Cartwright would begin heavily collecting rare garage, country, soul and doo-wop
records - and also formed a few high school bands. It was at that point his style began to take shape. Shortly after finishing high school he would meet Jack Yarber
and form his first notable band, The Compulsive Gamblers. Cartwright and Yarber would also form The Oblivians in 1993, along with another Memphis musician, Eric Friedl
, who now owns Goner Records
. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
, released in 1995 by Sympathy for the Record Industry
. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/compulsive_gamblers/bio.jhtml
During the summer and fall of 2009 The Compulsive Gamblers played two reunion shows in Memphis, TN. One show was an Antenna Club Reunion Show (a tribute to the defunct Memphis rock venue). The other show was at GonerFest 6, an annual punk rock
festival hosted by Goner Records.
, was the garage-rock outfit, The Oblivians. Formed in 1993 out of the ashes of the Compulsive Gamblers, the Oblivians took a more primitive, punk-influenced approach to rock and roll. Each member served as singer, guitarist, and drummer, switching between instruments and vocal duties during performances. In 1995 the band released its first album, Soul Food
. This was followed in 1996 by Sympathy Sessions
, a compilation album featuring a collection of songs recorded with Doug Easley for the record label Sympathy for the Record Industry
. http://www.furious.com/PERFECT/oblivians.html The Oblivians released their second album, Popular Favorites
, in 1996, and their third and final album, ...Play 9 Songs with Mr Quintron, in 1997. In 2009, The Oblivians reunited for a European tour with The Gories
. The bands kicked off the tour in their hometowns, Memphis and Detroit, they also played at the VICE Garage Fest in Lawrence Kansas in Oct of 2010.
, is a lo-fi record that featured the first, more mellow version of The Oblivians fan-favorite "Bad Man." The song "Twice as Deep" is featured in the cult zombie film Wild Zero
. http://www.scaruffi.com/vol5/oblivian.html
. With the addition of keyboardist Brendan Lee Spengler and bassist Jeff Meier, the group released the studio album Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing
and the live album Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago
before again disbanding. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/compulsive_gamblers/bio.jhtml
The band also reunited for two shows in Memphis, TN during the summer and fall of 2009.
-focused act. The original version of the band consisted of Cartwright, Alex Greene (guitar/keyboards, vocals), Jeremy Scott (bass, vocals), and Greg Roberson (drums). With the Reigning Sound, Cartwright released the 2001 album, Break Up, Break Down
and the 2002 album Time Bomb High School
. http://www.scaruffi.com/vol5/oblivian.html In 2004, the Reigning Sound released Too Much Guitar
, an album recorded live at Cartwright's Memphis record store Legba Records
, which harkened back to Cartwright's earlier, harsher Oblivians sound.
http://www.thecrutch.net/interviews/gregcartwrightinterview.html
2005 saw the release of three non-studio albums. There were two live album
s: "Live at Maxwells" (Spoonful) and "Live at Goner Records" (Goner). The other release was an outtakes compilation, Home For Orphans
(Sympathy) - which was mostly slower, moodier versions of tracks from Too Much Guitar
.
In 2007 he co-produced and wrote nine out of 14 songs for "Dangerous Game" - an album by Mary Weiss of the '60s girl-group the Shangri-Las. It was released by Norton Records.
http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2006/08/reigning-sounds-carol-schumacher.html
Reigning Sound released Love and Curses (In the Red Records) on August 10, 2009. This was the first studio album featuring the new lineup of members, and was mainly recorded in Asheville, NC. In 2010 Reigning Sound contributed a cover of "Mind Over Matter" for the Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos
(The Wind Records / Norton Records). Cartwright, a Nolan Strong fan, previsouly covered "I Want to Be Your Happiness," another Strong cover, on The Compulsive Gamblers "Crystal, Gazing, Luck, Amazing" LP.
Catwright, along with CoCo Hames of The Ettes
, collaborated and formed The Parting Gifts. The band shares songwriting duties and recorded an album, "Strychnine Dandelion" (In the Red Recordings). The band's debut single, "Walking Thru The Sleepy City," a Rolling Stones cover, was released in October 2010 by Norton Records.
came accompanied with a free vinyl 7-inch, featuring The Goodnight Loving acting as Cartwright's backing band. http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=27075
, Mary Weiss
, Mr. Airplane Man, Porch Ghouls, The Cuts]], Detroit Cobras, The Horrors
, The Deadly Snakes
, Goodnight Loving,http://www.blurt-online.com/news/view/3358/ and Andre Williams
. http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2005/0824reigningsound.php
store, home to the independent record label of former Oblivians bandmate Eric Friedl. http://www.thecrutch.net/interviews/gregcartwrightinterview.html
'EP's'
track: As Long As You Come Home
track: Straight Shooter
track: Medication
track: I'll Cry
track: Drowning
track: Mind Over Matter
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
from Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. He currently fronts Reigning Sound and lives in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
. He is a founding member of the Memphis '90s garage bands The Compulsive Gamblers
Compulsive Gamblers
Compulsive Gamblers were a garage-rock group formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1990 by Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber, both future members of the Oblivians.-First incarnation:...
, The Oblivians
Oblivians
The Oblivians were an American punk rock trio that existed from 1993 to 1998. In the 1990s, their blues-infused brand of bravado, crudely-recorded music made them one of the most popular and prominent bands within the underground garage rock scene....
and Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops.
Aside from also playing occasional solo performances (including one that led to his solo record "Live at Circle A") Cartwright also plays in The Parting Gifts, a band also featuring Lindsay "CoCo" Hames of The Ettes
The Ettes
The Ettes is a garage rock revival band consisting of Lindsay “Coco” Hames, Maria “Poni” Silver, and Jeremy “Jem” Cohen. The band formed in 2004 in Los Angeles, California and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.-History:...
and Patrick Keeler of The Raconteurs
The Raconteurs
The Raconteurs is an American rock band that was formed in Detroit, Michigan, featuring four members known for other musical projects: Jack White , Brendan Benson , Jack Lawrence , and Patrick Keeler .-Formation:The...
and The Greenhornes
The Greenhornes
The Greenhornes are an American garage rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Craig Fox, bass guitarist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. They released their debut album Gun For You in 1999, followed by a self-titled album in 2001. A third studio album, Dual...
, and a guest appearance from Dan Auerbach
Dan Auerbach
Daniel Quine Auerbach is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the guitarist and vocalist for The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. He is married to Stephanie Gonis, with whom he has a daughter, Sadie Little Auerbach, born in 2008.- Childhood and early...
of the Black Keys. The band's debut album, "Strychnine Dandelion," is due out in September 2010 on In the Red Records
In the Red Records
In the Red Records is an independent record label in Los Angeles, CA formed in 1991 by Larry Hardy. It is known for hosting garage punk related bands on its label....
.
http://www.blurt-online.com/features/view/657/
Cartwright has also played in a handful of other bands, including guitarist in The Detroit Cobras
The Detroit Cobras
The Detroit Cobras are an American garage rock cover band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1994.-History:The Detroit Cobras signed with Sympathy for the Record Industry and released their first full-length album, Mink Rat or Rabbit, in 1998...
and as drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for '68 Comeback
'68 Comeback
68 Comeback is an American garage rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1992 by singer, songwriter, and musicologist, Jeffrey Evans. For the purposes of the band, Jeffrey Evans is frequently billed as either "Monsieur Evans" or "Monsieur Jeffrey Evans." The group contains a revolving cast of...
. He has also collaborated with The Deadly Snakes
The Deadly Snakes
The Deadly Snakes were a Canadian indie rock band influenced by garage rock, punk, folk rock, and early r&b.-History:Formed in Toronto in 1996, the band's final line-up consisted of Andre Ethier on vocals and guitars, Matthew Carlson on guitar, trumpet and bass, Chad Ross on guitar, bass and...
, contributing to their album I'm Not Your Soldier Anymore. http://www.thecrutch.net/interviews/gregcartwrightinterview.html
In 2007 he wrote songs and co-produced "Dangerous Game," a comeback
Comeback
A comeback is the return of a person of public interest, a style or fashion in the mid-point of media interest. The term is predominantly used in politics, sports and pop music. In the case of a band, the term reunion is used...
album by Mary Weiss
Mary Weiss
Mary Weiss, born on December 28 in Queens, New York, found fame in the 1960s as the lead singer of The Shangri-Las. She then vanished from the music scene for decades, returning in 2007 to record her first solo album with Norton Records....
of the The Shangri-Las
The Shangri-Las
The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 they charted with often heartbreaking teen melodramas, and remain best known for "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember ".- Early career :...
.
Early years
Born in 1970, Cartwright was raised in Frayser, MemphisFrayser, Memphis
Frayser is a community in North Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Frayser is the western tip of a peninsula created by the Loosahatchie and Wolf Rivers as they converge into the Mississippi River just north of Downtown Memphis. Mud Island is the peninsula's southwest tip...
- a neighborhood located on the north side of Memphis. His last two years of high school were spent in the suburbs after his family relocated outside of the city. His father was a factory worker, employed by the Firestone
Firestone
-Harvey Firestone family:*Harvey Samuel Firestone , founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company*Harvey Samuel Firestone, Jr., son of Firestone founder*Elizabeth Parke Firestone, daughter-in-law of Harvey Firestone and mother of Martha Firestone...
tire company in Memphis. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
With his parent's busy work schedule, Cartwright spent his summer vacations and weekends at his grandmother's Memphis home. This is where he was first introduced to musical instruments. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
At six years old, Cartwright already owned a portable record player, and was introduced to rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music by his father's record collection, which included a huge catalog of British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
albums and other '50s and '60s rock bands. Around this time he also inherited his aunt and uncle's 45rpm collections, which according to Cartwright, included a lot of "oddball Memphis stuff you wouldn't hear on the radio." After becoming exposed to music, Cartwright began writing songs and forming bands as early as seventh grade. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
By his teens, Cartwright was becoming drawn to other, more abrasive and on-the-fringe genres of music. He also began going to punk rock shows at the Antenna Club, a now defunct Memphis music venue. At the Antenna is where he first saw a Tav Falco's Panther Burns
Tav Falco's Panther Burns
Tav Falco's Panther Burns, sometimes shortened to Panther Burns, is a rock band originally from Memphis, Tennessee, United States, led by Tav Falco...
show when he was 16 years old. Panther Burns is fronted by Tav Falco
Tav Falco
Tav Falco is an American-born musical performer, performance artist, actor, filmmaker, and photographer. He has led the psychedelic rock-and-roll group Tav Falco's Panther Burns since 1979...
, a '50s-style Memphis rocker who blends blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
with rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
- a mix that most touring punk bands were not playing in the 1980s. That show nudged him in the direction that would ultimately lead him toward the garage-punk, soul and country sound he is known for.http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
Cartwright recalled that Tav Falco show in a 2009 interview with Turn it Down Interviews.
"It instantly clicked with me," Cartwright said. "Although it was chaotic, there was definitely a wild, almost punk element about Tav Falco & Panther Burns. Tav was into all the kind of stuff that really turned me on. That was Tav’s thing - blues, rockabilly, country, odd R&B. Suddenly I thought I’ve been wasting my time trying to like hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and here’s this thing that was in my own backyard that I was totally unaware of. From there on I started looking for more bands like that. Then you get into The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
and all of these other things that kind of ride that line, that are really good, gritty rock‘n’roll, but are also on the outside of culture, like punk. So that was a real eye opener. I continued to hunt records in thrift stores and junk shops." http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
After that show, Cartwright would begin heavily collecting rare garage, country, soul and doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
records - and also formed a few high school bands. It was at that point his style began to take shape. Shortly after finishing high school he would meet Jack Yarber
Jack Yarber
Jack Yarber, also known by his stage name, Jack Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist based in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the garage-bands The Compulsive Gamblers, and The Oblivans and currently fronts Jack O & the Tennessee Tearjerkers.Yarber has also been...
and form his first notable band, The Compulsive Gamblers. Cartwright and Yarber would also form The Oblivians in 1993, along with another Memphis musician, Eric Friedl
Eric Friedl
Eric Friedl, also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian, is the founder and owner of Goner Records, an independent music label and record store located in Memphis, Tennessee.He is also an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and entrepreneur...
, who now owns Goner Records
Goner Records
Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and is based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk and garage rock bands such as the King Khan & BBQ Show and the late Jay Reatard...
. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/07/greg-cartwright-interview-reigning.html
Compulsive Gamblers
Cartwright started taking his music more seriously in the late '80s when he formed the Memphis garage-rock outfit "The Painkillers." Fellow Memphis native Jack Yarber was the other key figure in the band. After the addition of keyboardist Philip "Flipper" Tubb, drummer Rod "Bushrod" Thomas, and fiddler Greg Easterly, the new lineup was rechristened "The Compulsive Gamblers" and work began on their first four-song EP, Joker, which was recorded in 1991 in a friend's kitchen. The album was released a year later, and was followed by two further vinyl singles, "Church Goin'" and "Goodtime Gamblers." By 1995, after the relocation of Thomas and Easterly to New Orleans, the band was finding it difficult to stay together and was forced to split up. Their recordings were compiled on CD under the title Gambling Days are OverGambling Days are Over
Gambling Days are Over is the debut album by the Compulsive Gamblers. It was released in 1995 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album, with the exception of the last three songs, was recorded on an 8-track recorder in vocalist Jack Oblivian's apartment...
, released in 1995 by Sympathy for the Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by record industry anti-mogul Long Gone John...
. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/compulsive_gamblers/bio.jhtml
During the summer and fall of 2009 The Compulsive Gamblers played two reunion shows in Memphis, TN. One show was an Antenna Club Reunion Show (a tribute to the defunct Memphis rock venue). The other show was at GonerFest 6, an annual punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
festival hosted by Goner Records.
Oblivians
Cartwright's next band, again with Yarber, and with the addition of Eric FriedlEric Friedl
Eric Friedl, also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian, is the founder and owner of Goner Records, an independent music label and record store located in Memphis, Tennessee.He is also an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and entrepreneur...
, was the garage-rock outfit, The Oblivians. Formed in 1993 out of the ashes of the Compulsive Gamblers, the Oblivians took a more primitive, punk-influenced approach to rock and roll. Each member served as singer, guitarist, and drummer, switching between instruments and vocal duties during performances. In 1995 the band released its first album, Soul Food
Soul Food(album)
Soul Food was the Oblivians' first garage punk album. It was recorded at Easley Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and released on May 23, 1995 by Crypt Records.-Track listing:#"Viet Nam War Blues" - 2:37#"And Then I Fucked Her" - 1:20...
. This was followed in 1996 by Sympathy Sessions
Sympathy Sessions
Sympathy Sessions is the first compilation album released by the Oblivians. It was released on April 5, 1996 by Sympathy for the Record Industry...
, a compilation album featuring a collection of songs recorded with Doug Easley for the record label Sympathy for the Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by record industry anti-mogul Long Gone John...
. http://www.furious.com/PERFECT/oblivians.html The Oblivians released their second album, Popular Favorites
Popular Favorites
Popular Favorites is the second studio album by the Oblivians. It was released in 1996 on Crypt Records.-Track listing:# "Christina" - 1:59# "Trouble" - 1:57# "The Leather" - 3:10...
, in 1996, and their third and final album, ...Play 9 Songs with Mr Quintron, in 1997. In 2009, The Oblivians reunited for a European tour with The Gories
The Gories
The Gories are an American garage rock trio that formed in Detroit in 1986. They were among the first 1980s garage punk bands to incorporate overt blues influences...
. The bands kicked off the tour in their hometowns, Memphis and Detroit, they also played at the VICE Garage Fest in Lawrence Kansas in Oct of 2010.
Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops
During the breakup of the Oblivians in 1997, Cartwright released 1997's "Head Shop" LP under the moniker Greg Oblivian & the Tip Tops. The album, which featured Cartwright's wife Esther on drums and guest spots by Jack YarberJack Yarber
Jack Yarber, also known by his stage name, Jack Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist based in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the garage-bands The Compulsive Gamblers, and The Oblivans and currently fronts Jack O & the Tennessee Tearjerkers.Yarber has also been...
, is a lo-fi record that featured the first, more mellow version of The Oblivians fan-favorite "Bad Man." The song "Twice as Deep" is featured in the cult zombie film Wild Zero
Wild Zero
Wild Zero is a 2000 Japanese "Jet rock 'n' roll" zombie horror comedy cult classic directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi, and starring the Japanese garage punk band Guitar Wolf...
. http://www.scaruffi.com/vol5/oblivian.html
Reformation of the Gamblers
In 1999, Cartwright and Yarber reformed the Compulsive Gamblers, this time as a three piece, with Rod Thomas on drums. In this incarnation they released the 1999 album Bluff CityBluff City (album)
Bluff City is the second LP recorded by the Compulsive Gamblers. It was released on April 27, 1999 by the independent music label, Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album was recorded after the band returned from a four year hiatus in which members Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber were recording...
. With the addition of keyboardist Brendan Lee Spengler and bassist Jeff Meier, the group released the studio album Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing
Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing
Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing is the third LP recorded by the band, The Compulsive Gamblers. The album was released June 20, 2000 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album's lineup consisted of Gamblers mainstays Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber on guitar and vocals...
and the live album Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago
Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago
Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago is a live album recorded by the Compulsive Gamblers. It is the fourth and final album issued by the band, released on April 15, 2003 by the independent record label Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album contains 16 tracks recorded during two May 2002...
before again disbanding. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/compulsive_gamblers/bio.jhtml
The band also reunited for two shows in Memphis, TN during the summer and fall of 2009.
Reigning Sound
While still a member of the Oblivians, Cartwright had begun to amass a number of songs he deemed too moody or melancholy to be released under the Oblivians moniker. http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=6531 These songs would eventually become the basis for his next band, the Reigning Sound, a more R&BRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
-focused act. The original version of the band consisted of Cartwright, Alex Greene (guitar/keyboards, vocals), Jeremy Scott (bass, vocals), and Greg Roberson (drums). With the Reigning Sound, Cartwright released the 2001 album, Break Up, Break Down
Break Up, Break Down
Break Up, Break Down is the first LP by the Reigning Sound. It was released on May 15, 2001 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album was the band's second release, following their debut 7" single "Two Sides to Every Man," by three months...
and the 2002 album Time Bomb High School
Time Bomb High School
Time Bomb High School is the second album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2002 on In the Red Records. The album featured the original Reigning Sound lineup of Greg Cartwright on lead vocals and guitar; Alex Greene on organ, piano, guitar, and backing vocals; Jeremy Scott on bass, and...
. http://www.scaruffi.com/vol5/oblivian.html In 2004, the Reigning Sound released Too Much Guitar
Too Much Guitar
Too Much Guitar is the third album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2004 by In the Red Records. Originally, bandleader Greg Cartwright toyed with the idea of calling the album PILL-POPPING MOM ONLY TAKING WHAT SHE NEEDS TO GET BY, a headline which he had seen in a Commercial Appeal medical...
, an album recorded live at Cartwright's Memphis record store Legba Records
Goner Records
Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and is based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk and garage rock bands such as the King Khan & BBQ Show and the late Jay Reatard...
, which harkened back to Cartwright's earlier, harsher Oblivians sound.
http://www.thecrutch.net/interviews/gregcartwrightinterview.html
2005 saw the release of three non-studio albums. There were two live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s: "Live at Maxwells" (Spoonful) and "Live at Goner Records" (Goner). The other release was an outtakes compilation, Home For Orphans
Home for Orphans
Home For Orphans is a compilation album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2005 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album features the original Reigning Sound lineup of Greg Cartwright on lead vocals and guitar; Alex Greene on organ, piano, guitar, and backing vocals; Jeremy Scott on...
(Sympathy) - which was mostly slower, moodier versions of tracks from Too Much Guitar
Too Much Guitar
Too Much Guitar is the third album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2004 by In the Red Records. Originally, bandleader Greg Cartwright toyed with the idea of calling the album PILL-POPPING MOM ONLY TAKING WHAT SHE NEEDS TO GET BY, a headline which he had seen in a Commercial Appeal medical...
.
In 2007 he co-produced and wrote nine out of 14 songs for "Dangerous Game" - an album by Mary Weiss of the '60s girl-group the Shangri-Las. It was released by Norton Records.
http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2006/08/reigning-sounds-carol-schumacher.html
Reigning Sound released Love and Curses (In the Red Records) on August 10, 2009. This was the first studio album featuring the new lineup of members, and was mainly recorded in Asheville, NC. In 2010 Reigning Sound contributed a cover of "Mind Over Matter" for the Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos
Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos
Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos is a vinyl-only tribute album released by The Wind Records and distributed by Norton Records....
(The Wind Records / Norton Records). Cartwright, a Nolan Strong fan, previsouly covered "I Want to Be Your Happiness," another Strong cover, on The Compulsive Gamblers "Crystal, Gazing, Luck, Amazing" LP.
Catwright, along with CoCo Hames of The Ettes
The Ettes
The Ettes is a garage rock revival band consisting of Lindsay “Coco” Hames, Maria “Poni” Silver, and Jeremy “Jem” Cohen. The band formed in 2004 in Los Angeles, California and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.-History:...
, collaborated and formed The Parting Gifts. The band shares songwriting duties and recorded an album, "Strychnine Dandelion" (In the Red Recordings). The band's debut single, "Walking Thru The Sleepy City," a Rolling Stones cover, was released in October 2010 by Norton Records.
Solo performances
Cartwright began playing periodic solo performances at venues around 2003. http://www.gomemphis.com/news/2009/apr/03/stepping-back-into-the-light/ A 2006 performance at the Circle A, a small club in Milwaukee, was recorded and released by Dusty Medical Records in 2009 as Greg Cartwright: "Live at the Circle A". The album, like many of his performances, features songs from each of Cartwright's bands, and some cover songs. The album came about by chance after Cartwright was already in Milwaukee recording an album for The Goodnight Loving. The vinyl album, which is also available for digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
came accompanied with a free vinyl 7-inch, featuring The Goodnight Loving acting as Cartwright's backing band. http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=27075
Producer
Cartwright has acted as producer for a number of bands since his solo career began. He has produced albums by The EttesThe Ettes
The Ettes is a garage rock revival band consisting of Lindsay “Coco” Hames, Maria “Poni” Silver, and Jeremy “Jem” Cohen. The band formed in 2004 in Los Angeles, California and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.-History:...
, Mary Weiss
Mary Weiss
Mary Weiss, born on December 28 in Queens, New York, found fame in the 1960s as the lead singer of The Shangri-Las. She then vanished from the music scene for decades, returning in 2007 to record her first solo album with Norton Records....
, Mr. Airplane Man, Porch Ghouls, The Cuts]], Detroit Cobras, The Horrors
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...
, The Deadly Snakes
The Deadly Snakes
The Deadly Snakes were a Canadian indie rock band influenced by garage rock, punk, folk rock, and early r&b.-History:Formed in Toronto in 1996, the band's final line-up consisted of Andre Ethier on vocals and guitars, Matthew Carlson on guitar, trumpet and bass, Chad Ross on guitar, bass and...
, Goodnight Loving,http://www.blurt-online.com/news/view/3358/ and Andre Williams
Andre Williams
Andre Williams is an American R&B and punk blues musician who started his career in the 1950s at Fortune Records in Detroit.-Biography:...
. http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2005/0824reigningsound.php
Legba Records
For a time, Cartwright was the owner of Legba Records, an independent music store in the Cooper-Young District of Memphis. Legba records served as a makeshift studio for the recording of the Reigning Sound's album, Too Much Guitar. When Cartwright relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, Legba records changed hands and became a Goner RecordsGoner Records
Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and is based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk and garage rock bands such as the King Khan & BBQ Show and the late Jay Reatard...
store, home to the independent record label of former Oblivians bandmate Eric Friedl. http://www.thecrutch.net/interviews/gregcartwrightinterview.html
As the Compulsive Gamblers
'Singles'- Joker 7" (Boiler Room, 1992, cat.no.?)
- Church Goin' 7" (Lemon Peel Records, 1992, LP001 - LP002)
- Goodtime Gamblers 7" (Boiler Room, 1995, BR 002)
- 'Albums'
- Gambling Days are OverGambling Days are OverGambling Days are Over is the debut album by the Compulsive Gamblers. It was released in 1995 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album, with the exception of the last three songs, was recorded on an 8-track recorder in vocalist Jack Oblivian's apartment...
CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1995, SFTRI 372) - Bluff CityBluff City (album)Bluff City is the second LP recorded by the Compulsive Gamblers. It was released on April 27, 1999 by the independent music label, Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album was recorded after the band returned from a four year hiatus in which members Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber were recording...
LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1999, SFTRI 570) - Crystal Gazing Luck AmazingCrystal Gazing Luck AmazingCrystal Gazing Luck Amazing is the third LP recorded by the band, The Compulsive Gamblers. The album was released June 20, 2000 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album's lineup consisted of Gamblers mainstays Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber on guitar and vocals...
LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2000, SFTRI 572) - Live & Deadly: Memphis-ChicagoLive & Deadly: Memphis-ChicagoLive & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago is a live album recorded by the Compulsive Gamblers. It is the fourth and final album issued by the band, released on April 15, 2003 by the independent record label Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album contains 16 tracks recorded during two May 2002...
2xLP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2003, SFTRI 698) - (Appear on one song on): Andre WilliamsAndre WilliamsAndre Williams is an American R&B and punk blues musician who started his career in the 1950s at Fortune Records in Detroit.-Biography:...
Is The Black Godfather LP/CD (In The Red, 2000, ITR 065)
As the Oblivians
- 'Singles'
- Call The Shots 7" (Goner Records, 1993, 2Gone)
- Sunday You Need Love 7" (Crypt, 1994, CR-044)
- Now For The Hard Of Hearing From ... "Blow Their Cool" 7" (Estrus, 1994, ES 756)
- Static Party 7" (In The Red, 1994, ITR 018)
- Go!Pill-Popper! 7" (Drug Racer, 1996, 001)
- Strong Come On 7" (Crypt, 1996, CR-053)
- Kick Your Ass 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 412)
- 'Splits'
- Split CS with Impala (Goner Records/Power Of Bob, 1993, 0Gone/POB 103)
- Split 7" with Two Bo's Maniacs (Hate Records, 1997, hate 7)
- Split 7" with the Crime Kaisers (Active Detective, 1998, active detective record #1)
'EP's'
- Never Enough 10" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1994, SFTRI 304)
- Six Of The Best 10" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 383)
- Walter Daniels Plays With Monsieur Jeffrey Evans & The Oblivians At Melissa's GarageWalter Daniels Plays with Monsieur Jeffrey Evans & The Oblivians at Melissa's GarageWalter Daniels Plays With Monsieur Jeffrey Evans & The Oblivians At Melissa's Garage is a 10" album by Memphis garage-rock band the Oblivians. The album was released in 1995 by Texas record label, Undone. The album features Austin-based harmonicist Walter Daniels and Memphis-based vocalist Jeffery...
10" (Undone, 1995, UDR-0008-10)
- 'Albums'
- Soul FoodSoul Food(album)Soul Food was the Oblivians' first garage punk album. It was recorded at Easley Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and released on May 23, 1995 by Crypt Records.-Track listing:#"Viet Nam War Blues" - 2:37#"And Then I Fucked Her" - 1:20...
LP/CD (Crypt, 1995, CR-055) - Live In Atlanta 8.19.94 LP (Negro Records, 1995, negro records 001)
- The Sympathy SessionsSympathy SessionsSympathy Sessions is the first compilation album released by the Oblivians. It was released on April 5, 1996 by Sympathy for the Record Industry...
CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1996, SFTRI 406) - Popular FavoritesPopular FavoritesPopular Favorites is the second studio album by the Oblivians. It was released in 1996 on Crypt Records.-Track listing:# "Christina" - 1:59# "Trouble" - 1:57# "The Leather" - 3:10...
LP/CD (Crypt, 1996, CR-065) - ...Play 9 Songs with Mr Quintron LP/CD (Crypt, 1997, CR-082)
- 17 Cum Shots LP (Bootleg, 1997, cat.no.?)
- Best Of The Worst: 93-97Best of the Worst: 93-97Best Of The Worst: 93-97 is a two LP/CD compilation album by Memphis garage-rock band, the Oblivians. It was released on September 28, 1999 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album features career-spanning and previously unreleased Oblivians rarities, B-sides, and live cuts...
2xLP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1999, SFTRI 584) - On The Go LP (Goner Records, 2003, 12Gone)
- Barristers 95 [Live] (In the Red, 2009, ITR 182)
As Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops
- 'Singles'
- Pretty Baby 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1998, SFTRI 534)
- 'Albums'
- Head Shop LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 1998, SFTRI 513)
As Greg Cartwright and the Young Seniors
- 'Singles'
- Moola Man 7" (Ghost Highway Recordings, 2010, GHR-07)
As the Reigning Sound
- 'Singles'
- Two Sides To Every Man 7" (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2001, SFTRI 656)
- If Christmas Won't Bring You Home 7" (Norton Records, 2004, 45-121)
- I'll Cry 7" (Slovenly Recordings, 2005, 702-50)
- Reigning Sound In Memphis 7" (Norton Records, 2006, 45-128)
- 'Splits'
- Split 7" with the Henchmen (Norton Records, 2003, 9642)
- 'Albums'
- Break Up, Break DownBreak Up, Break DownBreak Up, Break Down is the first LP by the Reigning Sound. It was released on May 15, 2001 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album was the band's second release, following their debut 7" single "Two Sides to Every Man," by three months...
LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2001, SFTRI 654) - Time Bomb High SchoolTime Bomb High SchoolTime Bomb High School is the second album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2002 on In the Red Records. The album featured the original Reigning Sound lineup of Greg Cartwright on lead vocals and guitar; Alex Greene on organ, piano, guitar, and backing vocals; Jeremy Scott on bass, and...
LP (In The Red, 2002, ITR 084) - Too Much GuitarToo Much GuitarToo Much Guitar is the third album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2004 by In the Red Records. Originally, bandleader Greg Cartwright toyed with the idea of calling the album PILL-POPPING MOM ONLY TAKING WHAT SHE NEEDS TO GET BY, a headline which he had seen in a Commercial Appeal medical...
LP/CD (In The Red, 2004, ITR 107) - Home For OrphansHome for OrphansHome For Orphans is a compilation album by the Reigning Sound. It was released in 2005 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album features the original Reigning Sound lineup of Greg Cartwright on lead vocals and guitar; Alex Greene on organ, piano, guitar, and backing vocals; Jeremy Scott on...
LP/CD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2005, SFTRI 736) - Love and Curses LP/CD (In The Red, 2009, ITR 155)
- Live At Maxwell's LP (Spoonful Records, 2005, LP-SR-005)
- Live At Goner Records 6.26.05 LP/CD (Goner Records, 2005, 21Gone)
Compilations
- Root Damage 2xLP/2xCD (Sympathy For The Record Industry, 2003, SFTRI 713)
track: As Long As You Come Home
- Revolver Sampler Winter 2003 CD (Revolver, 2003, cat.no.?)
track: Straight Shooter
- Broad Daylight Soundtrack CD (Guerrilla Monster Films, 2003, #12300)
track: Medication
- Superfuzz CD (Lowfly Records, 2005, LF 061)
track: I'll Cry
- Static Disaster The U.K.: In The Red Records Sampler CD (In The Red, 2005, ITR 1313)
track: Drowning
- Daddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The DiablosDaddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The DiablosDaddy Rockin Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & The Diablos is a vinyl-only tribute album released by The Wind Records and distributed by Norton Records....
(The Wind / Norton RecordsNorton RecordsFor the Canadian independent record label of the same name, see Matt Minglewood.Norton Records, a New York City based independent record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller, maintains a focus on primitive, retro rock'n'roll, rockabilly, garage punk, garage rock, lounge music...
, 2010, TWR002 LP)
track: Mind Over Matter
Greg Cartwright
- 'Singles'
- Live At Circle A 7" (Dusty Medical Records, 2009, DMR-18)
- 'Albums'
- Live At Circle A LP (Dusty Medical Records, 2009, DMR-18) *accompanied by 7" (same catalog number)