According to an unscientific survey of the Internet, many people admit to singing in the car. This isn't very surprising, considering nothing complements a good drive like an infectious beat and a chorus that sticks in your head like an old wad of gum under the seat. But it takes a really catchy tune to make you start 'car dancing' -even more so to admit you've done it. And that's exactly what Greg Sczebel does. He creates seriously catchy music. And he car dances too.
The Journey Thus Far
Hailing from the Shuswap region of British Columbia, a prime vacation destination just south of Banff National park, singer/songwriter Greg Sczebel (pronounced seh-bell) is just your regular guy-next-door (if that guy was obsessed with music, ridiculously talented and had a heaping helping of ambition). See, Greg's never been content to just cruise around his beautiful hometown dancing in the driver's seat. Instead, he set himself the small task of making music history. And then he started doing just that, intently staying within the indie music scene and still collecting all kinds of accolades. Not only has he won the John Lennon International Songwriting Contest twice but also a Juno Award (Canada’s Grammy) for his debut album "Here To Stay". No hyperbole there, obviously.
On The Road Again. And again.
Not content to stay in the studio, Greg's also struck out across the nation repeatedly. One important companion to his travels has been multi-platinum selling artist Paul Brandt, the most awarded male Canadian Country artist in history. In fact, over the last two years Greg has become a regular member of Brandt's touring band, performing as backup vocalist and keyboardist. In his own words "Touring with Paul has been a blast. I've never been much of a country fan myself, but his talent and artistry have won me over. Aside from that, he's become a good friend and his support and wisdom have been invaluable." Along the way he's also performed with Grammy Award-winning producer, David Foster, Jazz crooner Michael Buble and Blues rocker Colin James. All our road trips should be so memorable.
Take A Ride In My Cube
Everyone loves a free set of wheels - even award-winning artists. Which helps you understand why Greg's most recent success is more in the automotive scene. Greg was one of 500 finalists in Nissan's Hypercube contest, having created an online canvas that was both a peek inside his mind and a showcase for his talents. Proving that inspiration can come from anywhere, he put together two hilarious homemade music videos, featuring songs written exclusively for the contest, both dedicated to the object of his desire: a brand new Nissan Cube. The videos show the depths of the humourous side of Sczebel; one is a sweet and silly fairy tale romance, the other a surprise self-skewering take on Pop/Dance stereotypes. And obviously the effort paid off since his ride is now a lot squarer (and it has mood lighting!).
Next Stop: Love. And The Lack Thereof.
Probably not in the sense that you're thinking, but, 'Love' has been on Greg's mind for a long time. After two years of writing, recording, re-writing and re-recording a collection of songs until they felt just right he's ready to go public with 'Love & The Lack Thereof', his second album. And not unlike a new relationship Sczebel says, "We promised ourselves we wouldn't rush it. And we definitely kept that promise!" he laughs."It was so important for us that we took our time and it was also really important that we didn't create something that had an obvious time-stamp on it. I didn't want to listen to it 20 years from now and say, 'That album was so 2009.’ For the most part we steered away from any super trendy production sounds and just tried to create some really impacting musical and lyrical moments that people can carry with them throughout life." And you can tell he succeeded the moment you hear it. Soulful but modern. Original yet familiar. Without doubt, the car stereo has found its new staple. Greg's sophomore album "Love & The Lack Thereof" releases online and in select stores October 13th, 2009.
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