For local band Red Bird, landing on a genre to position their music within has always been a challenge.
As longtime students and lovers of music, they draw from a deep well of influences from opera to R & B. “I actually always struggle to describe our music,” admits band leader and vocalist Bre Gregg. “When we write, we pull from many different genres that we have been exposed to, performed in and studied. My very favorite musicians are hard to put into a single genre, and I think our music is certainly that way. Extraordinarily soulful, yet not exactly soul. Very bluesy, yet not typical blues.”
The result of this exposure is a band that is unabashedly soulful with elements of blues and roots. Gregg’s formal vocal training—she has a degree in music—is evident in her ability to trade in both tenderness and sheer force.
In addition to Gregg’s powerhouse vocals, the band features Dan Gildea (guitar) and Charlie Doggett (drums), both jazz professors and genre-benders in their own right. The final piece of the puzzle is Jeff Langston on bass, who has performed with the likes of Shawn Colvin and brings an alternative influence to the group. Together, they celebrated the release of their album All My Love in October of this year.
Currently, they are building on the momentum from All My Love, harnessing inspiration to write new music in preparation to record in the spring.
Though her influences might pile high, Gregg’s ultimate goal as a songwriter is to stay open and grounded. “Nobody needs another band that thinks they are too cool,” she says. “I am just trying to share a bit of my heart on stage. I think basically humans go through the same feelings, and if we are honest and open about those feelings, somebody will relate to them.”
