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Singer/songwriter Greg Cardinal, born and raised in the Minneapolis suburbs, picked up the guitar in middle school and never put it down. Playing predominantly12-string acoustic and mixing his own backup with synthesizers and other instrumentation, Greg's music has garnered noteworthy acclaim from critics and fans alike.
Cardinal's music has been described as having the 'Minneapolis sound.' But drawing from more than thirteen years of moving around the country, recording and playing shows, meeting girls and breaking up and living life. Greg has developed a style unique in its own right. He has not only played with countless musicians, but he's found engaging subject matter along the way that's woven itself into his songs.
In 1995, while in Minneapolis, Greg started the band, Crown Victoria's. The next year, the band signed with a manager and moved to New York. There they played the NYC Club circuit, especially CB's Gallery, and recorded a full-length record. The Crown Victoria's broke up in 1997 and the members moved back to Minneapolis. Greg stayed in New York, playing as a lounge act in Queens.
During the years that followed, Greg moved from New York to Austin, Hollywood, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and back to Minneapolis to start the band, Best Red, then back to New York - playing the music scenes along the way and writing.
His musical influences are the likes of Mark Eitzel, Nick Drake, Paul Westerberg and some Moody Blues. "And," he laughs, "when I first picked up a guitar, I'd say heavy metal. The usual dark stuff. But I'd also say church hymns and listening to the choir." Greg says, "I've always been attracted to the darker, moodier side of music. I'm pretty much influenced by a lot of things, but I'm influenced more by music that hits on the darker side."
But Greg's songs, while tapping into experiences we identify (finding ourselves, love gained and love lost, drifting,) are deeply retrospective. Honest lyrics tell stories of the hard times, but they don't ultimately dwell in the negative. Greg says, "I usually end my songs on a hopeful note. I delve into the darker side of how things are sometimes, but then there's the possibility of changing things around."
Greg's introspective lyrics and ironic realisms funnel directly from experience. "Like the song, Met You Too Soon," he says. "The whole reason I went out there (to Los Angeles.) My whole plan was to totally woo this chick. I lived with her in New York, but I didn't want to date her. Then she moved to L.A. and I was totally in love with her, so I followed her. And she wouldn't have anything to do with me." He laughs.
"I wrote "Homelesson Hollywood" about that whole thing. I had to deal with this element of cruelness from her and her friends, the whole time I was pining for this woman. But I also wanted to experience the L.A. music scene, which I did."
When asked which songs are his favorites, he says, "They all mean something to me in one way or another. I can't really pick a favorite. But I'd say anything off the Greg Cardinal CD are definite favorites. But right now? Most of my favorite songs are not recorded yet. So I guess I'm pretty much focused on those."
About writing, Greg says, "there's no telling when a song will come through. It used to be early in the morning. But now it's whenever. Usually at the most inconvenient times. Like just the other night, I cooked a huge meal for myself and was getting ready to sit down, and poof! A melody hits me out of nowhere." He laughs. "So much for home cooking."
In 2000, Greg left Hollywood and returned to Minneapolis, where he started the Greg Cardinal Band. The band played the Minneapolis bar scene and recorded an E.P., Greg's fourth. After a year, the band broke up and Greg chose to go solo.
"I needed a break from band thing. The personalities, the personal issues," he says. "I needed to concentrate on my song writing, and I knew I needed to go at it alone for a while."
What followed is his 5-song solo E.P., named for the title song, "I'd Rather Be Lonely." The song's lyrics tell the allusive story of a guy who's happier after breaking things off with his girlfriend, when actually, the song's about Greg's separation from the band.
About working solo, Greg says, "I've matured in my writing. I've gotten older. You change. You keep having experiences that are different from past experiences, and you write about them. Sometimes you have to let old songs rest for a while. Sometimes you just don't feel them. But they all have a place in my heart.
"I'm totally experiencing a new side of my life right now. I have a new perspective. It's all a bit of a mystery to me, which keeps life interesting."
Greg and his bands have opened for national acts such as Tegan and Sara, Old '97s, The Bottle Rockets, Jeff Klein and T.C. Boyle, to name just a few. Knowing Greg's songwriting, there are a whole lot of poignant, clever, compelling shows and releases yet to come.
-- Elka Olsen
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