Gregory releases new single

By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter

Local country artist Drew Gregory’s catchy new single “Beer With Anyone” is available for streaming now (Jan. 8) via all streaming services. 

The single is from his upcoming EP, The Barn Session, available for pre-save now on all streaming devices.

Recorded over a weekend in July 2020 in a barn at Coulee Creek Farms near Cluny, Gregory said it was the “perfect spot” and that the whole crew stayed in cabins on location, had a couple beers, put in some long days, spent some time together after being apart for months after the spring COVID-19 lockdown and “just had some fun, and I think that’s how music should be made.”

In a year where plans have been changed, shows have been cancelled, and writing songs with his band has been done digitally by recording a track and sending it to the next bandmate to add to before passing along again, Gregory said this EP and single has been the perfect “in-between” acoustic project with more of an easygoing tune than other commercial albums. 

“This four song EP was all just recorded acoustically in a barn. It’s not a ready for radio thing, it was just something I wanted to do,” he said. “I’ve had a few of these songs for years honestly and just didn’t have the right project for them … but I wanted to get them out for a long time, and this finally seemed like an opportunity to do it.”

Beer With Anyone is a catchy tune created from Gregory’s own experiences of travelling to Australia before his musical career took off, and then travelling to Nashville and across Canada. During those travels, Gregory met people from different cultures and different backgrounds, and enjoyed being able to talk to them, share experiences and relate, all while throwing back a cold one. 

Since the pandemic started last year, Gregory has been finding different and unique ways to connect with his fans. He has hosted Facebook Live concerts, played song requests, joined the world of Tik Tok and has shared at-home funny videos. 

He said although playing to fans through a computer is much different than playing in front of a crowd, fans are also finding creative ways to engage by chanting and adding emoji’s and text to the comments on live videos. 

Along with playing online concerts and working on his family farm, he has been taking the opportunity to write songs for a full studio album in the future. 

“I’m still trying to keep up with the creative process of everything … I’m always trying to write,” he said, adding he has also been trying to “build my fan base up a little more, so hopefully we’re the first that people think of when they’re looking to book shows when we are able to come back. We want to keep building and get doing (shows) again soon.”