With iconic garage-punk trio the Oblivians, with the Parting Gifts (his collaboration with the Ettes’ Coco Hames and Jem Cohen), with a legion of other one-offs and defunct projects, and, for the past 13 years with driving rock ‘n’ soul revue the Reigning Sound, Greg Cartwright has chased various traces of American rock and pop to arrive at something singularly his. Still, with his legacy perfectly well cemented among garage-rock aficionados and discerning vinyl-heads, Cartwright is still chasing the unexpected. The Reigning Sound’s latest album, Shattered, is the band’s sixth proper full-length, a follow-up to 2009’s Love And Curses, and its debut for Merge. Cartwright will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on him.
Cartwright: This is my last post. I’m cutting to the chase. I’ve been supposed to be writing about my favorite things, and the thing I like most is really two things. I love being with my family and navigating all the pitfalls with my wife, who is incredibly patient and supportive. Our kids are so wonderful and really bring a lot of joy to me. It may be the only thing that keeps me making music because seeing them in predicaments and watching them figure it out gives me faith in humanity and reminds me what I’m singing for and why it is so important for me to communicate with people through songs. That leads me to the other thing. Playing music and singing songs for people. Being in a band is a lot like being a long-haul truck driver, and I embrace that part of it, but it’s really all about getting to the gig and playing for people. Those same people take us to their favorite restaurants and out looking for records. Joking with the guys on a long drive and becoming a better band as we roll down the road playing our songs for you. Does that sound corny? Sorry if it does, but that’s pretty much how I feel. Thanks for reading my posts. I’ll see you around!
