Graymatter is:
Brad Gray: vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
Barry Gray: vocals, acoustic guitar
Bev Gray Gude: vocals, 12-string and high-strung acoustic guitars, bodhran, percussion, flute
Dave Gude: vocals, acoustic guitar, tenor banjo, harmonica, mandolin
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| Left to right: Dave, Bev, Brad and Barry |
Brad, Barry and Bev (brothers and sister) and Dave (Bev's husband) have been singing, harmonizing and strumming together for more than 30 years.
Full Bio/Bio for Press
The Gray family has been singing and strumming various instruments together as long as anyone can remember. Bev and her younger brothers Barry and Brad and two more siblings soaked up the folk music of the 1950s and '60s that their father played and sang to them. Family dinners often ended with the clearing of the plates, gathering of the instruments and the singing would begin. In high school, Bev brought her then boyfriend (now husband) Dave home for dinner and he immediately joined in the family music fun.
Now take the four singer-songwriters with a passion for re-imagining and re-creating the songs of their youth, mix in the swirling, 4 part harmonies that result from the close-knit chemistry of family voices and you’re describing Graymatter. The harmonies and unique song arrangements set them apart from other bands. Whether it’s tender ballads, folky Americana or driving rock & roll, Graymatter puts across an intensity, energy and vision that keeps fans coming back for more. A Graymatter show is chock full of memories for people who grew up in the 60’s, 70’s and beyond, and the band loves introducing those dynamic classics in a fresh, new way to younger audiences who have never heard the songs before. Their originals are folk/rock/Americana style pieces woven together with those same dynamic harmonies and often steeped in personal storytelling. Graymatter is Barry Gray (acoustic guitar), Brad Gray (acoustic & electric guitars), Dave Gude (acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica, mandolin) and Bev Gray Gude (12-string & high-strung guitars, flute, tambourine and bodhran).
Range of Songs
Depending on the venue, Graymatter is ready to put on a show of all originals, all covers, or a unique mix that is the best of both worlds. Originals by all four members, plus "Graymatterized" arrangements with harmonies never heard before on songs from the 60s, 70s and beyond.
Artists covered include:
Creedence, Beatles, Rolling Stones, CSNY, Pure Prarie League, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, The Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Mamas and the Papas, The Monkees, Simon and Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, The Byrds, Badfinger, The Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jim Croce, James Taylor, Bob Dylan.
Contact information:
e-mail: graymatternc@gmail.com
phone: 336-263-6997
Video Sampler
"Kodachrome" - Graymatter video featured in Doodad Farm tribute concert: The Sounds of Simon, September 2020
"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" - Graymatter Live at The Rusted Bucket Tavern, Burlington NC
"Cloud 9" - Graymatter original song by Brad Gray and Barry Gray.
For more videos, check out our Videos page.
Quotes from Venues and Press
"A dark and stormy night. A heartfelt thank you for your music and spirit last Friday night. We were anticipating a cancellation or at best, a hot, stuffy, unmiked music experience in the Store. Instead, you came in, set up, started playing and transformed the whole deal into a "you-should-have-been-there" experience for the audience and for the Bynum Front Porch team. Thank you! Friday night with GrayMatter will always be one of my favorite Bynum Front Porch memories."
Phyllis Fleming, Bynum Front Porch Board Member, Pittsboro NC
"When Graymatter hits the Lucky 32 stage, they are full tilt, rock 'em sock 'em, non-stop entertainers for the next three hours. Exquisite three- and four-part harmonies, superb musicianship, and a song selection that produces both singalongs and pin-drop silence and includes all the crowd favorites from the '60s to the present. You seriously do not want to miss this show!"
Ogi Overman, Talent Booker, Lucky 32, Greensboro NC
"A quartet of siblings (including a sibling-in-law), you’d be hard-pressed to find a band with a more close-knit chemistry than GrayMatter. The band’s members have been playing together for more than 30 years, and offer soulful, focused folk-rock music with beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping rhythms. Having soaked in the folk music of the 50’s and 60’s, the four singer-songwriters are equally as capable of breathing new life into folk/rock classics as they are of creating brilliant, original works of their own."
Greensboro Summer Solstice Festival, Greensboro NC
"Some really great picking. Fun music, easy to dance to & great harmony. I give them a 10!!" - Andrea Gay Ebanks-Whittington, Co-owner, Blue Note Grill in Durham NC
"We are proud to bring back Graymatter, one of the best acoustic quartets in the Triad. These guys put on an awesome show and will not disappoint. Graymatter rocks!
Ryan Moore, Talent Booker, Craft City Sip-In, Greensboro NC
"Graymatter!! If you've never heard of them, you need to look them up. We got a sneak peak of them last night at our studio and everyone loved them. Can't wait to have them back!" - Donna Hill, Co-owner, Warehouse Wired Studios
"Thank you for kicking some major ass on Saturday night. I've received nothing but compliments about the show GrayMatter put on. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!"
- Joel McClosky, Co-owner, Four Saints Brewing Company , Asheboro NC
"It's true that siblings have an unfair advantage when it comes to harmony. Think Mills, Gatlin, Rankin, Everly, King, Andrews, Ames, McCoury, Forrester, and those sweet kids in Flatt Lonesome. And now we can add Burlington's pride and joy, the Gray family. (And the one non-sibling is a husband/in-law, so he counts, too.) Throw in a song selection that highlights all the best harmony tunes from five decades, and you have a top-shelf act. So, no surprise that they are Lucky 32's top draw."
-David Ogi Overman, talent booker for Lucky 32, Greensboro NC
"Great show! Thanks for uniting the room with music that crosses all ages groups. What fun!!"
-Susan Sassman, organizer Summer Solstice Festival, Greensboro NC
"I was so blown away by your awesome music Tuesday night! It touches my heart more than words can express for you all to perform for my event. I am super excited!!!"
-Mary Luper, organizer ALSapalooza at Grove Winery, Gibsonville NC
"Graymatter are our favorite regulars here. We love their music!" - Greg Lewis, Owner and Executive Chef, Pittsboro Roadhouse, quoted in the Raleigh Music Industry Association's website
"Graymatter plays and sings some of the best family driven harmonies you've never heard of!" - Bill West, Owner, Billsborough Live Music Hall, Hillsborough NC
"Graymatter is AWESOME, love the variety of music they play and a they're a really great group of people." - Angie Ball, venue owner, Rusted Bucket Tavern, Burlington NC
"Graymatter has some amazing 4 part harmonies going on!" - Shana Whitehead, venue owner, Muddy Creek Café, Winston Salem, NC
"Inspired by the rock classics of the 60’s and 70’s. Excellent cover songs as well as shiny originals. You can count on these guys to deliver great harmonies and perfectly arranged instrumentals." - Dean Driver, Singer-Songwriter and Venue Owner, Doodad Farm, Greensboro NC
"We probably get more requests to bring these guys back, than any other band!" - Bill Heath, Muddy Creek Music Hall, Winston-Salem, NC
"Loved how you talked to the audience. Loved the harmonies. And you played without a break!" - Anora McGaha, Online Publicity, Pittsboro Roadhouse, Pittsboro NC
"Sweet sounding harmonies. The enthusiasm of the band keeps listeners riveted." - Alamance Magazine
"About 4-5 mo ago I was playing this gig somewhere in NC, I guess it was in Durham [Bull Fest], and this group was on just before I went on and I said to myself “Wow, they’re fanstastic!” so I went up and introduced myself and asked them to come on the show. I was lucky enough to get them onto the last show of the season [season four]." - Tokyo Rosenthal, host of The Tokyo Rosenthal Program, WCHL and 22 national & international affiliates
"When we created Doodad Farm less than two years ago, we envisioned a music community, a place where people could experience art in a very personal way. But we never imagined the kind of relationships that would grow here, and the pure joy that comes from friends and families making music together. Here...is the band Graymatter, with other family members joining in. It just doesn't get any better than this. Thanks to the extended Gray family for being such a key part of the Doodad experience!" - Dean Driver, Singer-Songwriter and Venue Owner, Doodad Farm, introducing his one-minute video clip of a super-sized Graymatter performing Wagon Wheel on the Doodad Farm stage
Photos for press use
Logo for press use
