Greg Gilmore came to Reno with the band The Kanes seven years ago, and various musical projects have kept him here ever since. He currently helms the band Silver as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, composing music to fit the band’s slick rock ’n’ roll ethos. But from his recording studio at the Potentialist Workshop, he has recently begun recording and releasing music under his own name—and for his own sensibilities.
“With Silver, it’s really easy to know if something will fit,” Gilmore said. “The stuff that I put out with my own name is any other off-the-wall kind of shit—so stuff that would be a stretch for Silver.”
Gilmore references as inspirations some of the giants of rock: Cake, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Nirvana and Tom Petty. His most recent single, “Who Am I,” marks a departure from his usual hard rock style. It’s a wistful ballad featuring Gilmore’s single staccato guitar underscored by sweeping strings and a refrain commenting on the transience of life: “on and on it goes / like the wild wind it blows.”
“I usually do, like, more rock ’n’ roll kind of stuff, Gilmore said. “It was a little different, going to the more orchestral side of things. That whole song I started recording at the beginning of August. I finished it by the end of August. So it took like a month to get all the cello tracks, the fiddle tracks, my tracks.”
“Who Am I” features cello accompaniment by Mike Grover of Pushbox and Alan Lyons of Actors Killed Lincoln. It is receiving airtime on local radio station 100.1 The X.
In publishing his own music, Gilmore finds the creative control that can be compromised in a group project.
“I get to be more of a producer on my solo stuff,” he said.
As a booker and promoter for Pignic Pub & Patio, Gilmore became involved with the Loud as Folk showcase founded in 2011 by Spike McGuire—which has since taken on a life of it’s own as a record label. Lately, he’s been exploring his passions as a producer in a rented a studio in the basement of the Potentialist Workshop.
As a producer and audio engineer, Gilmore is committed to polishing Silver’s first EP for release in the near future but hopes to record a full EP of his own solo efforts, which will include “Who Am I,” as part of his goal to remain on the tour circuit.
“While Silver is my focus, it’s kind of tough to tour a lot with five members,” Gilmore said. “So when those stars don’t align, I can have something to tour on my own with.”
Gilmore hasn’t set any release or tour dates just yet, and he’s in no rush to press the issue. As someone with close ties to the music community, he feels like he’s in the right place. All he needs is time.
“It all comes together, but it’s weird—you’ve got to take time to smell the roses too,” Gilmore said. “That gets hard when you get too involved in too many things. But, luckily, I work with a lot of really cool people, and I love the music scene here. It all comes around.”