ALASTAIR GREENE: Press & Interviews

Blues rocking guitarist Alastair Greene has the right tone for the Alan Parsons Live Project. Read the interview HERE!

Bill Locey talks to Alastair about playing with Alan Parsons, the new CD Through The Rain, and more HERE!

Interview with Alastair for Bman's Blues Report. Read it HERE!

Alastair wrote a tribute to the late Gary Moore that was posted on the American Blues News Website. Read it  HERE!

2010 interview with Alastair at rockwired.com  Read it HERE!

June 2010 article on Alastair in the Santa Barbara Independent. Read it HERE!

April 2010 interview with Alastair for American Blues News. Read it HERE!

November 2009 Orange County Examiner interview with Alastair HERE!

Another good blues rock CD has come my way. Right from the start I dig the guitar playing of Alastair Greene and the subtle Skynardesque undertones. The guitar sound is full bodied with a grinding lived in quality, with hints of unfiltered tobacco and whisky as smooth as 40 grit sandpaper. The guitar solos are expressive saying “yeah, check out these cajones!” Reading the credits on the disc, Greene handled much of the instrument playing, except where noted, and aside from being impressed with his 6 string capabilities, I really dig his low-mid range vocals and how perfectly they fit the tone and character of all the instruments. Truly an excellently mixed collection of songs. My one negative though is that I’m not hearing that “one” song that puts it all together for marketing purposes, but maybe I’m just missing it. Rating 4 (the live set is where this stuff will shine)

At least once a year an album crosses my path that simply blows me away. For 2011, Alastair Greene's "Through The Rain" was that album. Quite simply "Through The Rain" is the way Rock, with just a tinge of the Blues, is meant to be played. Wow, Wow, and did I mention Wow. Alastair Greene's "Through The Rain" enthusiatically gets my highest rating of 5*****, and I wish I had a higher rating to give it, cause it certainly would deserve it. Highly Recommended and Thoroughly Enjoyed... If you like Rock Edged Albums, "Through The Rain" is a must have.

As those in the know will tell you, there’s a hotbed of musical talent roaming our streets, from trained session players to some of the industry’s most indispensable touring musicians. At the head of that pack is Alastair Greene. The S.B. guitarist may best be name-dropped as Alan Parson’s right-hand man, but as his solo records (and live shows) prove, Greene’s also a star in his own right. OnThrough the Rain, Greene morphs his signature blues approach into a wailing rock ‘n’ roll hybrid, replete with searing solos and licks that recall the Stones at their most bombastic. The electric and eclectic bar-ready rock of Through the Rain is sure to dazzle even the most casual of players, but it’s slow-burning instrumental numbers like “Dearly Departed” that remind us why Greene’s talents go far beyond his chops.

Alastair Greene/Through The Rain
LeRoi Records
4.0/5.0 LeRoi Records

Versatile rock and blues guitarist Alastair Greene doesn't seem to slow down or sit still for any length of time. Coming off this side gig as the lead guitarist for The Alan Parsons Live Project as well as playing several blues festivals, Greene has found time to record this third solo album, Through the Rain. While generally recognized for his exceptional blues work, he take these licks and blends them with his love of classic hard rock.

Certainly, Through the Rain accomplishes this goal. Through the Rain, By the Way (Ty Tabor of King's X helps out on guitar), Madman, Stoneroller, and You Will Remember are only several examples of gritty and edgy blues laced hard rock. Sometimes the songs have a definite Southern feel as on Get Your Evil On or Take Me With You, a song with an historic Allman Brothers feel. T'other Way offers a quick pace with a more traditional rock n roll sound. For more traditional blues, this arrives in All of This Time.

Greene's guitar credentials are undisputable throughout, making this a delight for the fan, peer, or the next aspiring fret star. Too short examples apply: the simple earthy electric blues shred at the start on Before the Storm, and the fine acoustic work of Dearly Departed.

With Through the Rain, Alastair Greene applies his daredevil blues guitar work to his hard rock influences. The result is some blistering rock, with fiery fret work. Recommended.

Well what do we have here...? A new Album by Alastair Greene. Oh boy, I've been looking forward to listening to this... I did a CD review a couple of years back for his “Walking In Circles” Album and what a fine Blues CD that is. However, what I'm hearing from my speakers this time is more in the guitar rock swing of things.

Yeah, from arena rock to singer-songwriter music this albums shines with genuine creativity and flair. No wonder why the infamous Alan Parson Project has Alastair as their Lead Guitarist and second vocalist. It's called pure talent mixed w/ years of workin' the barz, nite clubs, and large music venues playin' in front of thousands of screamin' rock fans.

Alastair Greene my not be a household name yet but he's definitely working on it with music like this. If you like Joe Bonamassa and guitar players like that, then I know you will totally groove to this fine production of 12 stellar tunes. The rock’n tune “By The Way” is also a collaborative effort w/ King’s X well-known guitarist Ty Tabor.

As a guitarist Alastair Greene has been compared to some of the greatest players of all time. This record, while featuring some of his most impressive and extended guitar work to date, also reveals him to be a strong singer/songwriter in the blues/rock genre. Between Alastair's rock solid song writing, husky vintage blues voice and stellar guitar playing you won't be disappointed. 

I just got a copy of Alastair Greene's new recording "Through The Rain". This is a pretty interesting recording... a definite change up from his last recording, "Walking In Circles". This is definitely not your daddy's blues recording. It has a lot more connections to the sons of the blues than the fathers. The guitar riffs that you have come to expect and the slide solos are there but the format is totally different. The first thing that hits you that is different is the off beat rhythm and possibly even funk/metal bottom but with more ethereal writing on the fill behind the melody of the recordings. Kind of like throwing Living Color in a bag with Molly Hatchett, The Dregs, some NW Grunge, Lindsay Buckingham, Marshall Tucker, Black Sabbath... It has all of the polish of the best of the bunch, the snappy guitar solos that you'd expect from AG and a whole lot of rock!

I found the recording a lot of fun to listen to and I expect that you will to!

ALASTAIR GREENE TAKES A WALK "THROUGH THE RAIN"

Alastair Greene’s career path has taken some interesting turns over the last couple of years. Between accepting the enviable job as lead guitarist for The Alan Parsons Live Project in 2010, and being the only unsigned act invited to play the 2010 Sonora Blues Festival, Greene has been performing a wide variety of music on stages the world over. Greene also recently signed to LeRoi Record to release his newest recorded offering. THROUGH THE RAIN may come as a bit of a shock to those who only became aware of Greene’s music via his Blues-based live band and previous CD releases. If his 2009 record WALKING IN CIRCLES was a musical tribute to Greene’s Blues heroes, then THROUGH THE RAIN would be his tribute to his hard rock upbringing.

From the Led Zeppelin-style riffing of the title track, to the Hendrix-meets-Pearl Jam of closer ‘You Will Remember’, Greene spends the majority of his new release in old-school hard rocking territory. THROUGH THE RAIN is even more eclectic than his 2002 debut A LITTLE WISER. ‘Take Me With You’ conjures up laid back Americana sounds that will be familiar to fans of The Black Crowes, while ‘The Real You’ mines a deep Funk Rock groove with extended solos reminiscent of heavier jam bands such as Gov’t Mule. Greene has not abandoned his love for the Blues and its early Rock n’ Roll off shoots, as up-tempo barnburner ‘T’other Way’ and the mid-tempo retro-rocker ‘Stoneroller’ prove. THROUGH THE RAIN also touches on a wide variety of lyrical themes, including stories of love lost and won, songs that question political motives, and introspective topics such as what happens after this life is over.

“My goal for this record was to combine my love of Blues with my Hard Rock influences and make a record that pushes the boundaries and challenges the perceptions of what is considered Blues Rock.” – Alastair Greene

The musician line-up on THROUGH THE RAIN gives the album a wide variety of feels and grooves. The drumming is split between long time Alastair Greene Band drummer Tom Lackner (who has been touring with Jeff Bridges) and former Dishwalla drummer George Pendergast. AGB bassist Jim Rankin, former Summercamp bassist Misha Feldmann and Greene himself share bass duties. As a special treat for guitar fans, Ty Tabor (guitarist for the legendary King’s X) engages in a guitar solo trade-off with Greene on the first single from the record ‘By The Way’.

“Alastair should be playing with the biggest bands in the world. I believe it’s just a matter of time.” – Alan Parsons

(Posted content is AG's one-sheet for Through The Rain)