ADVERTISEMENT

    Concert Preview: Ethan Gruska

    There’s something patently special about Ethan Gruska’s debut album, Slowmotionary, that immediately surfaces in the first few notes of compressed upright piano on the set’s stark opening track “The Valley.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Plenty of artists have crafted records that contain songs akin to Gruska’s beautifully understated little movements. But yet, it’s been awhile since an album has appealed to me so emotionally on the first listen – where words and music and voice merge in such a way that you find yourself just a little lost in them. Perhaps the state of my heart these days has something to do with it, but one would be hard pressed not to make some sort of affectionate connection to this bundle of musical sketches that are so purely intimate.

    Gruska has also managed to create melodies that are compelling in a not-so-traditional pop sense, although they’re still memorable and have movement. The chugging folk pulse of songs like “Recurring Dream” and “Time Is The Healer,” and the drips of harmony on “Me Who Wasn’t Trying” are neat little diversions from the primarily keys-driven track list. But Gruska’s ivories are perhaps his most intriguing companions, and “Grand Lies,” “Crowded City Street,” and “Illuminate” are inspiring mini-concertos that fuse pop, folk, and classical seamlessly.

    If Gruska’s namesake seems at all familiar, it’s because you’ve likely heard him perform as one half of the acclaimed pop vocal duo, The Belle Brigade, alongside older sister Barbara. While Slowmotionary isn’t a complete abandonment of Brigade’s mellifluous sound, whittling down arrangements and stripping away the sheen of synths and percussion for his first solo turn is actually rather risky and adventurous from a commercial perspective. That isn’t lost on Gruska.

    “I mean, it’s crazy because if you look at my record on paper, from my perspective, who would ever see a business interest in that?” he explains during our phone interview from earlier in the month. “…It’s a quiet, introspective, vulnerable thing. And that’s not necessarily what’s cool or hot these days.”

    The good news is that Gruska is being given opportunities to bring Slowmotionary and its residual momentum into some rather distinguished venue. He and co-producer Tony Berg recently turned out Smoke Signals, a debut album for fellow Los Angeleno Phoebe Bridgers. First single “Motion Sickness” is slick 70s R&B that’s much closer to Brigade’s sunny Cali pop than anything on his own effort, but Gruska also admits that it’s important for him to be versatile and transcend the album’s insular vibe.

    “There’s [a] part of me that feels that, on next projects or on current ones with other people, there’s definitely a middle ground to be found where there’s an immediacy while still having a vulnerability.”

    But for now, Gruska is taking Slowmotionary on the road, sharing a bill with renowned singer-songwriter and longtime friend Ray LaMontagne. On Wednesday, they’ll be on stage at the Palace Theatre in downtown Columbus, a place in which Gruska feels confident the personal nature of his new solo work will translate well.

    “Ray is a good friend of mine and I’m a huge fan of his music, and I know for a fact that his fans are music people, and I don’t necessarily have to worry about how many vocal runs I can do. It’s more about the soul of song. I’m super excited about this tour.”

    You’ve already received some comparisons to Paul Simon as a songwriter, and I think one of the reasons I was really drawn to this set of songs is because, like him, you weave such intricate stories into these almost classical melodies. The lyrics are much closer to narrative than they are typical chorus-and-verse, but there’s still a pop sensibility that surfaces. Was that a conscious choice you made as you wrote?

    “The musical goal for some of these songs was to create a piano piece inspired by somebody like Debussy or Ravel – sort of the French impressionist stuff, and musically just draw from there. And then melodically and form wise try to be more in a modern pop area. Of course, that’s not really what happened, but that’s sort of was the original thought: how can I take a classically inspired piece and make it a more accessible, formulaic song? With the lyric, a lot of it was counteracting how amorphous the music was — you know, I was kind of feeling like ‘if the music was less so, should I try to be more straightforward with the lyric, or vice versa?’

    Funny enough for me on this record, for some of these songs I was trying to be not narrative, because I felt it was something I do rely on and I love lyrics that are sort of cloudy and where you could sort of take a minute to see what’s going on. But yeah, it’s funny. Looking back on writing these songs, it’s been so long that it’s hard to remember the exact mindset. It all started with the music and the lyrics came later, so the lyrics were a response to the music, which is not always the case.”

    I’m really excited to see that you worked with Tony Berg, who’s a really phenomenal producer and was at the helm of one of my very favorite albums: Michael Penn’s March. I know he’s a family friend and you’ve been associated for quite some time. How did he push you in your creative process – or perhaps where were the places in which he didn’t have to push you so much?

    “Well, he definitely pushed me. But first of all, bringing up Michael Penn — it’s such an incredible record and he’s such a deliberate songwriter. Tony is sort of like…one of [his] idols is Max Perkins, the editor, and [he] always sort of thinks of himself as trying to aspire to that legacy of helping artists deliver their most clear statements. And so Tony, for me, it was life changing working with [him] because he is extremely opinionated. More so than maybe anybody I know. If you agree, it has to be for a reason – and if you disagree, it even more so has to be for a good reason. Anytime we would be talking philosophically, it really forced me to have a clear understanding of what I was going for. Which…that’s really hard when you’re working on an artistic thing because it’s not always right in front of you.

    Tony really pushed me as an artist in that way, and just as a producer he has an incredible studio and an unbelievable understanding of his own studio. It was sort of easy to just walk in and trust that what we were doing in the beginning of the process was the right foundation. And that’s also not always easy because sometimes you start and the first thing you do is second-guess. I didn’t have to worry about doing that on this record, so that was really cool. Luckily I get to work with him a lot and we’ve been producing together and we work together in a lot of different capacities. I’m lucky to have him.”

    I feel like there’s this idea that what we call “good” pop music now needs to be bold, and shiny, and loud, almost like it’s designed to hit you over the head. It’s very broadly and readily consumable. What I love about Slowmotionary is that it’s still so well crafted, but it requires a bit of work on the listener’s part to take it in. Did that occur to you as you were writing and recording?

    “Yeah, that’s a great question and I’ve thought about it a lot in delivering my record to the world. Because when I was making it, I was very strongly taking the position that I didn’t care if there was a single, or if it would be accessible. I did not care at all while I was making it. And then the minute you start to see that your record is about to be out in the world, then it’s kind of impossible to not think about ‘whoa! How will this be received?’

    The thing about this record is that you sort of just have to listen with your guard down and you have to be in a bit of a quiet environment. You can’t put this on in the car with four other people who want to talk and dance and have a good time. It’s sort of a little bit of a loner’s record. And so there’s a part of me that feels really proud of that and feels good because I took a position and stuck with it.

    But, you know, each project is different, so, I’m far enough away from this record at this point to really like the fact that you have to work for it. That’s what I like in movies, that’s what I like in books, and that’s what I like in music. For me it’s great, but who knows about people who are helping me with the business side of things (laughs). Luckily, things seem to be going just fine.”

    I was reading recently that the head of your label, Sire Records, had commented on how the songs on this record had an appeal for future cover work because of their sensitivity and timelessness. That’s a really phenomenal endorsement, especially at a time when it seems a lot of artists are sort of at odds with the idea of working for a label.

    “Yeah, it’s amazing. It really came down to artistic support from a guy…Seymour Stein is the guy who started and still runs Sire. Coming from that guy who signed The Ramones, The Smiths, and Madonna — that meant a lot to me. But the thing is now, it’s true — all labels struggle, all labels have great things about them. It’s a weird time for the music business, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a weird time for music. And so I’m just sort of trucking along and doing my thing, and I’m very lucky to have that.”

    You’d also mentioned that you were a bit nervous about how these really vulnerable, intimate pieces of music would translate from the studio to the stage. Now that you have some time and some tour dates under your belt, how are you feeling about that now?

    “It was definitely a learning curve, but I feel really good now. I feel like I’ve had enough experience with these songs solo in front various groups of people, and I’ve sort of learned…it’s not something I think you can ever master, but I’ve learned the pacing of the set and how different songs work in different rooms. I feel really good and excited about getting out and performing these songs by myself in front of people because I’ve had a good amount of time to work on it. I definitely was nervous when this record first came out — I was nervous about that exact thing. Luckily, I haven’t met my nightmare audience yet, so I’ll cross my fingers.”

    Ethan Gruska will appear Wednesday night, November 1 at 7 p.m. with Ray LaMontagne at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St., Downtown. Tickets are $49-80 (plus applicable taxes and fees) and are available through TicketmasterEthan’s debut album, Slowmotionary, is available via his official website

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Killer Mike Headlining Nelsonville Music Festival This Summer

    The 18th annual Nelsonville Music Festival unveiled its lineup...

    Photos: Sleater-Kinney at Newport Music Hall

    Long-running alt-punk pioneers Sleater-Kinney returned to Columbus on Wednesday...

    French Bistro Slated for Prominent Downtown Corner

    Another new restaurant is coming to the corner of...

    Photos: GROUPLOVE at KEMBA Live!

    Alt-Rock five-piece GROUPLOVE brought their infectious bounce-around songs to...

    The Confluence Cast: Downtown with Michael Brown

    We're exploring the evolution of downtown with Michael Brown, who has been a cornerstone in the city's development planning and worked both in and outside city government to cheer on its growth. Columbus Underground editor Walker Evans and Mike delve into the city's challenges and triumphs, the synergy between projects, the balance between iconic and neighborhood-level public art investments, and the concerted efforts to address systemic issues like homelessness and affordable housing. Through anecdotes and insights, they highlight Columbus's young, creative energy and the dynamic urban policies that continue to drive its growth.
    Grant Walters
    Grant Waltershttps://columbusunderground.com
    Grant is a freelance writer for Columbus Underground who primarily focuses on music and comedy. He's a Canadian transplant, born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and schooled in Vancouver, British Columbia. Grant is also the co-author of two internationally acclaimed books: "Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1960s" and "Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1970s." He has also penned numerous articles and artist interviews for the nationally recognized site, Albumism.
    ADVERTISEMENT