NEW ALBUM I AM IN IT, VOL 2 out JUNE 20, 2024.
AVAILABLE ON VINYL, CD, and STREAMING.
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WHO IS GREG ORRĒ?

ARTIST BIO: Greg Orrē (pronounced greg-ory) expresses his creativity through songwriting, poetry, visual art, and video. In 2020, the multi-disciplinary queer Saskatoon-based artist began sharing his multi-genre, multi-volume project, I Am In It. A solo album I Am In It, Vol. 1 and a handmade poetry art collection I Am In It: a collection of poems were released in late 2020. His solo releases have been called “an exercise of mind over matter” (Cups N Cakes) and “soft sermons [that] take unexpected turns” (New Feeling). His most recent release is live album I Am In It, Vol. 1: Live at the Sound Castle. The live album is a front-to-back piano & vocal performance of the Vol. 1 album recorded on the final day of Greg’s 2022 four day residency at The Sound Castle. The album was mixed & mastered by Josh Palmer and released on August 28, 2022 – two years after the original I Am In it, Vol. 1 studio album.

The I Am In It project is a study of consciousness, and explores how thoughts & words influence our reality. By using poignant but playful self-examination, Greg Orrē explores themes like compassion, self-worth, interconnectedness, consequence, appreciating nature, and being present. Greg creates approachable and commercial music, but also pushes boundaries and enjoys experimentation like two of his favourite artists: Prince and Lady Gaga. The I Am In It project allows the artist to flow with inspiration, overcome fears, and break away from his longtime perfectionist tendencies. The majority of the project was written between 2018-2020 and consists of three connected solo albums, two poetry collections, live music & spoken word albums, music videos, visual art pieces, and an illustrated children’s book based on Vol. 1 song “Be Nice to the Geese”. Over the next few years, Greg Orrē will produce and release the remainder of the project.

Debut solo album I Am In It, Vol. 1 was mostly recorded and mixed by Greg in his apartment at the beginning of the pandemic using an 8-track TASCAM recorder. Four songs on the album include musical contributions from Greg’s wife & creative partner Kristen Boyé (including rhythmic sneezes on “Will I Be Sad in Summer?”), and the album’s opening three songs were recorded and mixed by producer Josh Palmer. Upon release, lead single “Yesterday” was added to the notable Exclaim! “The Eh! List” Spotify playlist featuring the best new Canadian songs, and the music video for "Always Carry" (filmed & directed by Kristen, edited by Greg) premiered on Cups N Cakes. “I Got a Call from God” is included in an episode of Shaman Durek's podcast: Ancient Wisdom Today. The album received airplay on CBC Radio One, and community radio stations across Canada.  

With an innate call to share his gifts and wisdom, Greg found himself in a classroom teaching lessons and facilitating inquiry as an elementary school teacher. After a few years of full-time teaching, he quit in 2016 to pursue his goals in music, and now sees the world as a massive school. Greg learns through his past & present life experiences while sharing his inspired insights with audiences. As a classically trained pianist and self-taught guitarist gifted with a sharp tongue, his music is an enchanting mix of singer-songwriter pop/jazz/rock along the lines of Fiona Apple, Jack White, Lauryn Hill, and Joni Mitchell.

His writing explores the connections between nature, art, and spirit in styles similar to Mary Oliver, Leonard Cohen, and Aldous Huxley. As a wordsmith, he also makes time to write album reviews, live show reviews, and artist interviews for online music publication Cups n Cakes, and has published pieces for Tourism Saskatoon. In addition to his two self-published poetry books, Greg’s poetry has been published by Labyrinth Anthologies and in medias res. Throughout 2021-2022, Greg participated in online poetry workshops with Di Brandt, as well as a four-day SK Writers’ Guild facilitated retreat with Katherine Lawrence. These writing workshops and retreats renewed Greg’s artistic spirit, and he learned a lot from the two celebrated writers.

Near the end of 2020, Greg wrote and self-produced an original Christmas song, and released a music video for "I Might Not See You This Christmas" filmed by Kristen Boyé during a wild prairie snowstorm. In early 2021, he released a music video for Vol. 1 single "Always Carry", plus a cover of Alanis Morissette's "You Learn" recorded & mixed by Josh Palmer. In late 2021, he released a new single "Blood Moon", and filmed a music video for the song with film students from the Recording Arts Institute of Saskatoon. The Fosse / Cabaret inspired music video received an exclusive premiere on Cups N Cakes. In the spring of 2022, Greg Orrē received financial support from Creative Saskatchewan’s Sound Recording Grant program for the production of his sophomore album, and began recording I Am In It, Vol. 2 in May 2022 just prior to the birth of Sunny, his first child with Kristen.

As the former lead singer of Too Soon Monsoon, Greg released one LP, three EPs, toured western Canada multiple times, and performed at notable festivals including Winterruption, Ness Creek, SaskJazz, Breakout West, Big Winter Classic. The band's 2019 album Waves: We Provide What We Absorb, We Absorb What We Provide was named SaskMusic's 2019 #9 album of the year. “Too Soon Monsoon have created a record that dares the listener to consider what existence truly means, while never failing to deliver on a catchy pop hook or danceable beat…. an album for a party that’s thrown to celebrate the end of existence."  - Cups N Cakes Waves album review.

TSM also received 2020 Saskatchewan Music Award nominations for Rock/Pop Artist of the Year, and Indigenous Artist of the Year. The band released two live-off-the-floor singles "Be Easy", and "Man on the Moon", plus a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Storms" in the lead up to the planned release of a live-off-the-floor full-length album, Sound Castle, which was recorded at The Sound Castle over the course of 3 straight days in September 2020. Greg Orrē left Too Soon Monsoon in the fall of 2021 with their finished sophomore album in the vault, and will continue sharing the I Am In It project over the next few years.

As a continuation of the I Am In It project, Greg Orrē released a self-produced 14-track spoken word album (Nov 2021), and a second self-published poetry collection - I Am In It: Isolation (Apr 2022). The prolific artist is currently writing multiple new poetry books and continuing to record his sophomore album I Am In It, Vol. 2 - once again working with producer Josh Palmer.

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