If I Were A Man by Gregory Douglass

Douglass' evocative amalgamation of contemporary folk, pop, and rock have been compared to Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley, Patty Griffin & Peter Gabriel, while he has been equally impacted by his love for underground female singer/songwriters. His intense, high-energy performances as both a solo acoustic artist or with his full band are consistently solid. Most recently, his accolades include being a Finalist for the 2005 International Songwriting Competition and the 2004 Independent Music Awards. He was also the winner of the 2003 GrammyFest in New York City, as well as the inaugural performer on the American Red Cross 2003 "Save A Life Tour." Douglass actively appears at listening rooms, clubs, festivals, and on campuses throughout the U.S., has toured with They Might Be Giants, and been co-billed with Tracy Chapman, Jason Mraz, and Norah Jones, among many others.

Douglass was born and raised in rural Vermont, winning local talent shows in his early teens. He taught himself to play the piano & guitar and began writing his own songs during junior high. He wrote and recorded the material for his first two albums If I Were A Man (1998) and Gregory Douglass (2000) while attending Brewster Academy, a college-prep boarding high school in New Hampshire. On graduation day, the schools' Headmaster presented him with a music award publicly announcing that Gregory was the first student he would ever encourage NOT to go to college, advice that convinced him to immediately pursue music full-time. In 2001, Gregory firmly established himself as a serious musical talent with the release of his third album, Teeter, building a diverse fan base in intimate listening room. A darker, more experimental album followed in 2004 with Pseudo-Rotary.

In August 2005, Douglass releases Stark. Inspired greatly by the parting of ways with loved ones, Gregory used significant life events that unfolded around him to create his most personal collection of songs to date. This is no more apparent than in the symphonic waltz, "Where Did The Music Go?" In this song, Douglass bravely confesses, "it always comes down to yourself in the end / always." Other songs like "Crazy Love" reach out for a greater universal hope pleading "come on crazy love / they say that you come in disguise from above / now I feel you coming in close / if you think I'm crazy then come on." Stark features guest performances from 2005 Grammy Award Winning Guitarist, Will Ackerman (Founder of Windham Hill Records) and Cellist, Martha Colby of The October Project. "It was an honorable experience collaborating with such incredible musicians and friends on this record," says Douglass. Stark is intimate, raw, and charters both familiar and new terrain for the prolific artist. Without much more than his piano, guitar and voice, Douglass' Stark boasts lingering melodies & lyrics and travels through poignant, haunting soundscapes.

"As a full-time independent artist, it is important to come up with new ways to remind people your still there," Douglass proclaims. With five years of personal experience, Douglass has mastered the art of grassroots promotion with the help of his fan base. Both Pseudo-Rotary and Stark were financed almost entirely by the support of his fans pre-ordering records and contributing donations directly through his website. House Concerts hosted by fans make up a large portion of his national touring; "nothing has more of a profound affect on people than performing in their very own living room," says Douglass. He is touring extensively in support of the new record, and quickly gaining national attention.

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