Gregory Urman - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Live at Cervantes Ballroom, February 10th, 2008
Currently: I am a writer with considerable published material -- much of my work started as poetry that I later put to music. I've completed three albums without the help of a record label and have done plently of open mikes and small gigs around town. I've often been compared to Billy Corgan and look up to him and Elliott Smith as great influences. I also have a great admiration for Peter Gabriel. My music is mostly acoustic since I don't have a band and my name is known fairly well on Metro's campus and at the Mercury Cafe.
Background: I've lived in Denver since '93 and came here from Russia that year when I was ten. I live with a roomate in middle Denver. I have a Bachelor's Degree in History with a minor in Psychology (from MSCD). I am Jewish, my family came to Denver after the fall of the Soviet Union. My father lives in Israel. I belive in God though often not in people. I attended religious schools for a large portion of my life but remain an individual. I believe in a strong sense of honor and kindness and that different backgrounds should not separate people as long as we act with mutual respect and open-mindedness toward each other.
... Click on the link below to see the website that I built myself. "Gregory Urman Online" (earthlink) includes a full set of lyrics to my work, poetry, a bio, links to publications and weekly quotes.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/8/2005
Band Website: home.earthlink.net/~gurman
Band Members: mostly just me (Greg Urman), occasional guest musicians, small shows for now.
Influences: Nine Inch Nails, Elliott Smith, Beth Orton, Hole, Pearl Jam, Nirvana. ... John Lennon. Lots of 90's stuff and indie stuff. NIN's "The Fragile" and Elliott Smith's "Figure 8" are among my favorite albums. My tastes in music have definitely calmed down -- less NIN and Nirvana, more Beth Orton and Bright Eyes. I think basically that anything that has a degree of depth is worthy of listening to. Dark music is sometimes quite necessary simply because it lets me get these destructive feelings out of me and makes me feel understood. I Love classical music -- "Claire de Lune" and "The Blue Danube" other calm/melodic pieces -- and have been very much influenced by it's sense of timing and flow. "Pop" music is good as long as the performers aren't some producer's handpuppets and they write their own music and/or play their own instruments: i.e, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, etc. Something's gotta balance out the Nine Inch Nails albums, right?
Sounds Like: Billy Corgan, Elliott Smith, Kurt Cobain, Bright Eyes, a male version of Aimee Mann, Dave Matthews.
Record Label: self-released records
Type of Label: None

My Blog

End of Summer 2008 Blog

This summer has not flown by as slowly as I thought it would. I haven't finished everything I wanted to but I did get a few things done. I could not find a second job for the summer so I've been livin...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:20:00 PST

March 2008 Blog

Well, it's been a long while since I tried to record my thoughts or reflect on my life. I can look back on the last few months and feel happy about some events and especially my friends but in general...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:39:00 PST

end of the year update

Well it's another winter break. Working for a Public School means I don't have to work for another week or so after New Year's. There are worse things in life than free time but too much of it isn't g...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Sun, 30 Dec 2007 08:36:00 PST

Mid-October Update

My life has improved since my last blog, thank God, but not at the point where I want it to be. Getting what you want can sometimes be a slow process. Still, I figured I'd give my readers an upda...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 04:44:00 PST

Return to Denver

I came back to town at the end of June, on the 26th. It took me a few days rest to get my sleep cycle readjusted and to simply recover from the 12 hour flight from Israel to JFK and then from the flig...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 10:04:00 PST

UPDATE / GOING OUT OF TOWN

The past few months have been extremely busy and stressful. I wanted to tell you guys that I'm going to be out of contact for about two weeks because I'll be going to Israel on a student group trip th...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:32:00 PST

Mid-Spring Update

[imitating Russian accent] Cccccchhhello dear readers the few, the proud, the nerdy. I have decided to keep a promise to myself and write a comprehensive blog of my life while I still have the free ...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 09:26:00 PST

Sick, sick and annoyed (Part II)

Well I'm sick for the second time this winter. I've been stuck at home doing homework and playing computer games since Tuesday night. So I ...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Sun, 11 Mar 2007 09:18:00 PST

October/November Recap

On Sunday October 29th, I had my first BIG local gig in Denver. I competed in a Battle of the Bands at Cervantes Ballroom (26th and Welton). I went on at 7:30 instead of 6:00pm, this was later than an...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Thu, 23 Nov 2006 08:57:00 PST

Top Ten and Top Twenty Albums

I was cleaning out old stacks of notebooks and folders and found a Top Ten Albums list from sometime in 2003. I decided to contrast it with what is roughly my Top Twenty Albums today. The newer list ...
Posted by Gregory Urman on Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:40:00 PST