Summer Grill & Chill
to
East Madison Community Center 8 Straubel Court, Madison, Wisconsin 53704
Ray Hartl
The New Grey (left to right): Johnny Helm, Mike Hartl, Luis Santana, Jake Rieboldt.
press release: Join us in the EMCC courtyard located behind our building at 8 Straubel Court as we celebrate summer with FREE live music from Make Music Madison and the crowning of our first EMCC BBQ King in a Grill-off Competition! Bring your lawn chair, blanket, and/or pack a picnic to enjoy the event.
*All performances made possible by Make Music Madison*
Xander Anim – 1pm – 1:45 pm Hip-Hop Soul R&B
Raine Stern – 2:30pm – 3:15 pm Pop R&B Rock
Beni Daiko – 4pm – 4:30 pm Japanese Taiko Drumming
The Folk Service – 5pm-5:45pm Jam Jazz Americana/Bluegrass
Madison Brass Band – 6:30pm – 7:30 pm Swing Classical Brass
The New Grey – 8pm-9pm R&B Hip Hop Indie-Rock
Interested in competing in the Grill-Off?
Contact Mitch @ 608.259.1606 ext. 205 or De’Kendrea @ 608.249.0861 for registration details.
More on the New Grey: The New Grey was solidified as a band in August 2017. However, its roots began in 2013, when bassist, Jake Rieboldt, and Luis Santana (drums) disbanded from a previous project, deciding to move in a different musical direction. After one year of songwriting with multiple guitarists, Mike Hartl (guitar) was discovered through a Craigslist ad. Mike’s clean blues rock style and Reggae flair were a welcome addition to the group, adding a different dynamic to the Indie Rock foundation that Rieboldt and Santana had already established. In what seemed like a futile effort, the band continued to audition one singer after the next. This went on for nearly four years until Hartl walked into an open mic night and heard Johnny Helm, an R&B solo artist. Helm had been releasing singles on his own, working the open mic circuit in Racine, Wisconsin. While it was no doubt that Helm had talent, Santana was not convinced that his R&B style would gel with the instrumentation. This assumption was quickly dispelled, when Johnny easily freestyled over an open jam, revealing that he was not only a talented R&B vocalist, but could also bring an aggressive, yet powerful Hip Hop element to the table. Johnny’s unique blend of Hip Hop and R&B, along with the band's instrumentation, proved to be a long awaited breath of fresh air. After only four months together, the band hit the studio, producing a five song self-titled EP. They then hit the ground running to promote it, playing both local and regional venues ranging from basements and bars to colleges and festivals. Less than a year from conception, they began receiving radio play, reviews, and were asked to perform on the Emerging Artist Stage at Summerfest. With two EPs under their belt, and plans to return to the studio to begin work on their third, there is no telling what is ahead for The New Grey’s musical endeavors.