User talk:SoulGreg

SOULGREG - guitarist, singer, instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, arranger and an artist
www.soulgreg. com

SoulGreg is a musical phenomenon that attracts attention whether he likes it or not, wherever he appears. His musical journey from a child rock guitar genius and later a jazz guitarist to a singer, instrumentalist, a top producer, songwriter, arranger and an artist with a great musical vision as he is today indicates his arrival to the world music scene.

“If you listen to my music and if you understand it then you don`t need to read my story to see who I am.”

MUSICAL ROOTS Gregor Bezenšek - SoulGreg was born 04/29/1983 in Celje, Slovenia. When he was five years old he saw a guitar on television and was mesmerized, he then knew his fate is written and that he will be a musician.“I always knew that I will be a musician and I have never, not even for a moment had a doubt that I could be anything else.”Perhaps this is not unusual as he comes from a musical family. His sense of music is partly inherited from his parents. His father is one of the founders of the well known European White gospel group New Swing Quartet. It is interesting that New Swing Quartet successfully performed black spiritual music for 35 years. Several years later the same type of music subconsciously drove SoulGreg`s soul, as he had never intentionally chosen a special kind of music to which he would be dedicated to. Musically gifted is also his mother. She was offered a singing career at just sixteen, but had decided otherwise.

SoulGreg is not just extremely talented musically, because only talent is not enough to become a great artist, but is distinguished by another feature -persistence. His endurable persistence to what he puts his mind to, has already been evident from his childhood and still follows his every step. SoulGreg will follow threw everything into detail he puts his mind to. Inside of him lives a great perfectionist, especially when it comes to music there is no place for superficiality. “If you`re not prepared to dedicate your life for your art, then most likely you are not a real artist.”UNPROMISING BEGINNINGSThis interesting story started to write itself when he was only six years old. It did not look good for SoulGreg when he enrolled in music school. The first year of school ended dramatically. His teachers were quite sure that he lacked knowledge and talent to pass the grade. His father insisted that his son will follow through and complete ellementery music school education, if not anything else. And how right he was! The very next year everything turned around overnight for Greg. That same year he attended the state competition for guitarists and at that point everything from there went upwards. Through this spirit his talent continued to be noticed and had convinced even the greatest skeptics.“I wasn`t born to be happy; I was born to do what was intended for me to do.”HIS FIRST MUSICAL WORK Greg wrote and arranged his first song entitled Več Ljubezni (More Love) when he was just ten years old. A year later he founded his first rock band by the name Gaad Band, with which he recorded an album (these clips of songs are from this album). Pridi prosim pridi Konec sveta The most enthusiastic by their appearances were teenagers. They particularly noticed and often were amazed at Greg`s incredible guitar playing.

»I have never felt I needed someone to tell me how to play. Everything a person needs to know about music is recorded on media.« SOULGREG

When Greg was fourteen years old he became interested in fusion and jazz music and also in music production. A year later he gathered the courage and made his first musical creation, created by a simple synthesizer with which he made his first guitar song Con-Fusion. Greg programmed each and every instrument for this independently produced piece. At this point in his life it came to a very important and for our standards unusual turn of events.

BARELY SIXTEEN AND AT THE MUSIC ACADEMY He had just started his first year of high school, when he realized it does not have anything to offer him. With the support of his parents he had decided to follow his inner voice, himself and therefore quit his high school education. His mother knew that there are other opportunities for education- an acknowledged music academy in Graz. Many people criticized Greg and his parents that they are being thoughtless by signing Greg out of high school. This was inconsiderable and unusual for most people. Music academy in Graz is a university so they require skills and knowledge of a secondary music school. Greg had only two months to prepare for the entry exams in jazz guitar. When he came before the committee board at the academy he was not taken seriously by the professors because of his youth. They even joked and asked him if he knows how to plug in his electric guitar into the speaker. However they quickly changed their minds and their doubts disappeared as Greg played his guitar. He was accepted. Greg studied and worked hard during his study. He buried himself into jazz music/improvisation. He also had to study and learn a lot of theory, which gave him new knowledge and consciousness that music is not just a feeling but you also must understand it technically in order to use it in ones behalf to have the opportunity to express feelings. Education has taught him to use a more serious approach and this recognition gave him the knowledge he used everywhere- in production, performance, arrangement and composition.HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH A NEW MUSICAL GENRESoulGreg’s next breaking point in his life occurred during his study of jazz when he first met with the modern R&B, soul and gospel music. “At that time it wasn`t possible to hear this kind of music here in Slovenia,” he says. At the same time R&B and pop production and performance began fascinating him.

At only twenty one he had successfully graduated from the Graz Academy and returned to Slovenia. Then once again he had declined all opportunities that had been offered him, and went on to follow his heart. Instead of following up for what he worked and studied so hard for, he put jazz music and his guitar aside for several years. »Learning about jazz improvisation is equal to learning about life. More you know about it, more freedom you have.«LOCKED UP IN HIS STUDIO FOR SIX YEARSHe began this story with producing and recording his first song made in English “Feelin so Bad” on his home computer and performed on an old weak microphone. He shaped and sharpened this piece for four months, because he knew exactly what he wanted and again insisted for as long as it took to achieve the desired sound.

SoulGreg had received confirmation that he is on the right track from several well known producers who had noticed his songs on the web. Soon after that he boarded on a plane for Los Angeles and got closer acquainted with some of the production teams. He had several opportunities to remain in Los Angeles, New York or London and to cooperate with many famous names in the pop and the R&B industry, but today as he says himself: ”I didn`t feel it in my heart to stay so I didn`t. When the time will be right for me I will. There are always enough opportunities in the music industry if you are aware of yourself, of what you are doing and of where is your place.”.

For the next six years SoulGreg literally closed himself into his home studio. In that place all by himself away from the world he studied and worked on developing his singing, producing and music capacities. His intention was to precisely learn about and examine the contemporary American production scene. “In these six years, away from everything in my studio I earned a PhD from writing, producing, performing and arranging,” making a serious remark. At that time he was so devoted to music that he focused on developing his musical abilities, being such a perfectionist he didn`t want to perform or do anything else for the next six years. For this reason, again he declined all offers and opportunities as a musician. Although he did accept a few projects in Slovenia and abroad with other artists but these projects never really attracted him.

In this learning solitary study period Greg was struggling within himself uncertain about his music, where it is going and uncertain about his life as a musician. A question if he is leading his life in the right direction appeared many times. But in the end he knew, he must go through this hard lonely learning experience in order to really learn about all aspects of modern music and to get to the point where he will find and create his own music. And so hid, he was persistent and had reached the desired stage. One of the major realizations to which he came to threw creating his music is:”I don`t listen to music anymore, I just feel its vibration,” he says.This six year period did not only bring him knowledge and experience in music but it also brought him conscious personal growth. Through this period many questions had been raised not just about music but also about life itself. And SoulGreg needed them to be answered. Today he says, with a smile on his face:“Do not try to describe me with three words, not even a couple of sentences; I needed 27 years to figure out who I am.”

Recently, SoulGreg entered a new period in his life, where he came to a new musical and artistic vision in which he will, like always, follow out and conquer the goals he has set for himself. Because he has big plans, he is aware that everything does not just depend on him, but nevertheless is not worried about his future. He is not burdened of how, where and when these plans are going to happen, but is certain they are meant to be realized.“If you are real and if you truly have something new to say to the world, the music industry will find you or the other way around. It doesn’t matter where you are, what really matters is-who you are!”I MISS YOUIt is the first single which had been created during this period. I Miss You is a compilation of his audio, video and his production music vision. This song, of which he is particularly proud of, indicates originality of SoulGreg’s unique sound, which according to many critics will bring a breath of fresh air and new energy. This point of his life, with his musical knowledge, is a new beginning and a continuation.