Rave review for "essential" new album

First major review is in for the new record and it's a good one.

This from Elsewhere's always incisive Graham Reid - full review here

"Fleming's lyrics of Liquor Store should appear in any new collection of contemporary New Zealand poetry... Because within 3.32 he tells us more about the pathetic and stupid “kids from around here” doing a dumb robbery with a “Made in China” plastic gun than any uni-poetry post-grad could ever do.

A not-even-news story delivered acoustically from within a character: “Closing time they break in the door . . . third time, six months . . . this ain't no ATM, you want money then try working on the weekend . . . I do what they say, name-tag on my shirt, they start calling me Sanjay, till's open . . . I live up on the second floor, my mother, my brother, my wife and three kids . . . TV came out to the store . .”

The final song Our Little Gang For Sophia is another miniature: this about a friend who committed suicide. In this instance it is a famous friend (“You know her name”) but he underplays the connection to give it universal meaning: “Our little gang . . . will never be the same . . .”)

And it just, tellingly, falters to a halt because the silence beyond is incomprehensibly sad.

Very rarely is the personal so poetic, the poetic so personal  . . . and the personal so political.

These are postcards from a place you don't want to be.

But they are from where you and I live.

And Fleming/Working Poor bring them home . . . uncomfortably.

Essential."

The record is available now on Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes and all streaming services...

New album - To Hell with These Streets - complete

Can't wait to get this out - we're just waiting on mastering and hope to have it ready late October... and we'll be playing the album in it's entirety live around then (details to follow).

To Hell With These Streets is produced by myself, Working Poor drummer Wayne Bell and guitarist Andrew Thorne. It's a ten tracker - and covers a lot of musical ground - names thrown around in the studio included Stevie Wonder, Bailter Space, R L Burnside, Future, Lou Reed, James McMurtry, Vince Staples, The Hold Steady, Iggy's Stooges and Steve Earle - some tracks revisit characters from earlier records (Lucille from 2012's Edge of The City Recent Hire pops up again) - there's acoustic-based narratives, one-chord drones, elegies for lost friends, rockers and noir confessions. To Hell With These Streets takes place in bars, hotel rooms, liquor stores, street corners, coffee shops and bathroom cabinets often long after the sun's set.

The first track Life Is Short is out now.

Cheers

Greg

To Hell With these Streets

First track off Greg Fleming and The Working Poor's new album To Hell With These Streets released

"I love albums but today it's all about tracks. So the challenge for this record was to make each track strong enough to stand on its own, " says Greg.

Life Is Short is a collaboration with producer Andrew Thorne (Working Poor guitarist and member of rock duo Modern Chair).

The full album - To Hell With These Streets - will be released in September on Forget The Past Records.

But fans wanting a more immersive listening experience will be pleased to hear the record's concept - a day-in-the-life of a city.

"Some will pick up on characters from earlier albums (2014's Forget the Past and last year's critically acclaimed Stranger In My Own Hometown), who are still rattling around the mean streets. I approached this album one like a crime novel - but with songs instead of chapters."

On the production process Greg says -

"I sent Andrew a few songs and this was the one he chose to work with. I love what he came up with - catchy, dark, and a little dirty - definitely an album highlight."

 

Life Is Short - produced, mixed and mastered by Modern Chair's Andrew Thorne.

Music and lyrics - Greg Fleming

Greg Fleming - vocals, dobro

Andrew Thorne - elec gtr, slide, bass.

 

Cover art and design Andrew B. White

Greg to open up for Ed Kuepper at Tuning Fork Show

Greg will play a short solo set on Saturday April 16 at Australian artist Ed Kuepper's show at the Tuning Fork. Expect a couple of new songs in the set. Greg and The Working Poor are currently preparing to go in the studio in June to start work on what will be Greg and the band's third album together - following the critically acclaimed Forget The Past (2014) and Stranger In My Own Hometown (2015).

Tickets here

Tuning Fork

Great gig last month at The Tuning Fork. Thanks to all who came out.

Set list

Working Poor

Stranger In My Own Hometown

Cities In The Distance

Corporate Hill

Down On The Corner

Honeysuckle Love

Broken Lights, New Mexico

Edge of the City

Look Where We Ended Up (Killer’s Town)

Megan Moss was there taking pics.