We had the absolute pleasure of talking to David (vocalist) and Mikey (drums) of NJ/Philly based band Heather Grey about their new EP, “Oh, What a Concept”!
Give us a little backstory of the band; how you met, how Heather Grey got started, all that fun stuff!
David: Prior to Heather Grey, we all were very close friends, but we all were in separate bands/musical endeavors. Mikey and Jorge were in a Breaking Tradition, Conner was in Rich People, Glenn was in an assortment of different musical endeavors, and I was in Bike Routes. The idea of forming Heather Grey started about a year and a half ago. Mikey and I both had songs that we wanted to put to use, but we both wanted a fresh start. So, Breaking Tradition and Bike Routes both ended, and Heather Grey began to form.
Congratulations on the release of “Oh, What a Concept”! What was the writing process like? Was it a collaborative effort? If so, how did everyone’s ideas come together to create the cohesive flow of the EP?
David: The writing process for ‘Oh, What a Concept’ was a lot of fun and I feel like everyone brought something very important to the songs. Mikey and I both had a few half written songs that we used as starting points for the EP. From there we just took off and really made each of the songs our own. The flow of the EP came along naturally. Once we had all the songs written, it was very easy to see how they should go in order on the EP. The first half of the EP is meant to be sort of playful and teasing, whereas the second half is a bit more serious. God Complex and Clever have some tongue-in-cheek, but aren’t supposed to be taken too seriously. Karma Cut on the other hand, is more focused and serious. And Mosaic really helps the whole EP come full circle.
What was the hardest song to write and why?
David: Clever was definitely the hardest song to write because all we had written at first was the chorus. So we had to write the rest of the song solely around the chorus and try to piece it all together. It took us a while, but in the end it came out exactly how we wanted it to.
What’s your favorite song on the EP? Why?
David: Personally, my favorite song is probably God Complex. However, I am a bit biased because that is a song that I had originally written for Bike Routes. So to see it grow into what it is today is truly amazing to me. It would not have been possible if not for Mikey, Jorge, Glenn, and Conner.
Tell us a story about one of the tracks.
Mikey (drums): When we first got the idea to start this band, one of the first songs we worked on together was ‘God Complex.’ The first time I heard the chorus I was jealous. I wished that I wrote it! But I was more amazed with how well the lyrics matched with the chorus of Karma Cut, a song I was working on prior to starting the band. ‘Oh what a concept to have a god complex’ and ‘I’ll watch you play god. Damn us all before we start’ set the tone for the rest of EP. It was like we were on the same page before even realizing it.
You recently played a hometown/local show in celebration of your EP release- how did the crowd react to the new songs live? What made the show so special for you as a band/individuals?
David: Our release show was amazing and we cannot thank everyone enough for all the love and support. Hearing everyone sing along to these songs after a year and a half of hard work was an awesome payoff. The show was really special for us because it was just filled with loved ones. We had some of our best friends playing that night too. It was truly the best way to celebrate after finally releasing the EP.
How has the Philly/South Jersey local scene helped you grow as a band/musicians?
David: The Philly/South Jersey music scene has helped us all grow as musicians separately since we were all in different bands growing up. That’s how we all met and became friends. It’s truly the reason we are a band. There are always multiple shows a week, so there’s always time to see friends and see some new bands. Everyone is super loving and supportive of each other too and that has always meant the world to us. We are very lucky to be a part of this scene and very grateful to all of our friends and family that have helped us get this far.
What do you hope to achieve with this EP and what have you already achieved because of it?
David: What we hoped to achieve with the EP was to just get our foot in the door. We just wanted to make an impression and put something out that we were all proud of. The response we have gotten from it is already far greater than we ever could’ve imagined. We cannot thank everyone enough for listening. It means the world to us.
What are Heather Grey’s plans for the future?
David: We plan on playing a lot more shows in the coming months. We have one show at the end of September and another in October. This weekend we are actually going to record our first music video so keep an eye out for that. We also hope to start writing a little bit now that the EP is finally out.
Anything else that you’d like to add?
David: Thank you so much to everyone again for all the love and support and thank you so much for taking the time and interviewing us.
Heather Grey has just gotten started and I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon! You can stream “Oh, What a Concept” on Spotify and follow the band on their socials below to keep up with shows and music videos!
