PREMIERE: Eli Greenhoe Unveils “Public Eye”

You would never immediately make the connection that a born and raised son of Brooklyn would go on to become enamored with the American folk tradition, but for artist Eli Greenhoe there’s a deep well of the genre’s and his own personal history to explore therein. Although better known as a composer, Greenhoe is getting ready to release his debut as a more traditional songwriter, This Time When It Rained, with GroundSounds bringing you the premiere of its first single, “Public Eye,” today.

The stunning track finds Greenhoe employing a powerful yet tender delivery as his acoustic strums set the scene for an exploration in staying true to one’s self.

To celebrate the release of “Public Eye,” we sent Greenhoe some interview questions to get to know him better. Stream “Public Eye” below and look for it on Spotify here.

https://soundcloud.com/eligreenhoecomposer/02-public-eye/

Hi, Eli! Congrats on your new single. Can you tell us a little more on who you are and how you first got into making music?

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY into a family of passionate music lovers and amateur musicians. Both my grandmothers were very proficient pianists. My mother is a lawyer and an amateur soprano. My father is a writer and has dabbled in many instruments – saxophone, clarinet, and flute to name just a few. A few years after I was born, he began devotedly practicing classical guitar. My earliest musical memories are of that instrument’s sound. However, I didn’t take music seriously until I was about 9 years old when after months of begging, my dad bought me an electric bass so I could start a rock band with my best friend who had just started electric guitar. The band needed songs so I wrote some, and haven’t stopped since.

What’s your songwriting process like? Who are some of your biggest influences?

I’m pretty picky as a writer, and most of the ideas I have don’t get completed. However, the ones that I do finish usually stay in my repertoire forever. Public Eye was written when I was 13, and all the other songs on the record span my teenage years, from ages 12 to 19. The record itself is a snapshot of the way I was writing music during that time. Around the time I started recording the album I was listening to a lot of Archie Fisher, The War on Drugs, Frank Ocean, and John Prine.

What is “Public Eye” about?

“Public Eye” deals with (among other things) the misguided notion that one must give up or bury something intrinsic about themselves in order to be loved. I think the song is both an exploration of that notion, and an indictment of it.

4) Any new NYC-based artists/venues/purveyors of the arts you could turn our readers onto?

Too many to count! I’ll start by mentioning Stimmerman, the equal parts deeply-moving-and-totally-bonkers solo project of bassist and songwriter Eva Lawitts. Eva is one of my oldest, dearest friends, and if it wasn’t for her amazing musicianship and tenacious cajoling my record wouldn’t exist. I recorded my upcoming record at the magnificent Wonderpark Studios – which she runs with her longtime musical partner Chris Krasnow.

Two other amazing New York musicians featured prominently on this record are brothers Adam and Zack O’Farrill, who I have also known for most of my life and who haven’t stopped inspiring me since the day I met them. Their quartet, Stranger Days, is one of the most consistently innovative, arresting, and delightful bands you can go hear.

I’ve also recently been really digging a New York-based trio of Piano, Bass, and Percussion called Bearthoven, who just released “American Dream”, a record exclusively featuring the music of a composer named Scott Wollschleger. Scott’s music is bewildering and beautiful and Bearthoven absolutely slays it.

Where can we follow you and where can our readers catch you live next?

I’m on Facebook at facebook.com/eligreenhoemusic. My (extremely new) Instagram is instagram.com/eligreenhoe. I have a little EP up on Bandcamp right now at eligreenhoemusic.bandcamp.com, and if you want to check out my classical music, it’s all over at soundcloud.com/eligreenhoecomposer.

I’ll be having a release show for the full record in late May, but till then you can catch me playing guitar with the wonderful folk-rock band Dirty Bird on April 21st at Mercury Lounge and May 2nd at the Knitting Factory. Also, on April 16th at a venue called Areté in Brooklyn. I’ll be conducting a performance of a classical piece of mine as part of a series curated by trombonist and composer Will Lang.