Douglas Greer

To understand Austin, Texas-based Alternative Country/Americana singer/songwriter Douglas Greer, it’s best to look at where he came from. Growing up in Port Arthur, Texas, a refinery town in the heart of Texas Cajun country and hometown of Janis Joplin, being in a band or playing a guitar was a way of life.

With roots in equal parts East Texas redneck and Cajun, he couldn’t avoid being heavily influenced by the rootsy, rural music favored by his elders and the rock and hippie country of the younger set. As music critic for his high school newspaper, Greer went to every concert that came through the area. He loved to read song lyric magazines and dissect his favorite songs. "To me, the most important thing was, what’s the song about, what’s it say," recalls Greer. Early songwriting influences were Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin, Hank Williams, Sr. and Rod Stewart. "Those guys could paint such a picture, tell such a story, all in about four minutes or less, well, I wanted to be able to do that."

The economic decline that hit Port Arthur ("It wasn’t Flint, Michigan, but it was close") gave Greer plenty of pictures to paint. He saw his town change from a place where a man could always find a good job at the refinery to a shell of its former self, with empty buildings and prostitutes taking up areas where families kept storefronts and homes. He saw how this erosion of the American dream could drive a man to be less than perfect. Seeing some of his role models driven to alcoholism and betrayal broke his heart. Writing about it was the best therapy: "I was the only guy I knew who kept a diary," laughs Greer.

Attending the University of Texas Law School in Austin in the early 90’s, Greer was befriended by neighbors Mark Lyon and Keri Leigh of the local blues group the Blue Devils, and received a musical education just as much as a legal one while in Austin. "We went to all the best shows," says Greer. "John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers at the old Liberty Lunch, John Hammond at the Cactus Café, South by Southwest in its formative years, we saw a lot of good music then." Seeing so many performing songwriters who could turn their experiences into art inspired Greer. While practicing law in Beaumont in the 90’s, Greer set up a music booking agency and developed friendships with various local acts that soon led him to the stage. He became lead singer and songwriter for Amos Moses, a roots rock band with a sound somewhere between the Old 97’s and Son Volt. Several club dates over the years earned Amos Moses regional success, but the group eventually disbanded for personal reasons.

In 2004 Greer relocated to Austin to get serious about his passion for writing and music. While still new to town he was introduced to local producer Michael Ramos, who came to produce Greer’s debut album, "Just A Man." In "Just A Man" Greer presents rich stories and articulate character sketches examining the plight of the average flawed man, largely drawn from his days in Port Arthur. The delivery has a feel similar to Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, James McMurtry or Joe Ely, but with a musical twist largely influenced by Ramos.

"Michael and I discovered there was a lot of common ground between his Latin and my Cajun musical roots, specifically the use of accordion and keyboard," says Greer. "On this album we decided to stay true to that, to leave out the fiddle and pedal steel and use more accordion, keyboard and piano, to sound more like where I came from. Its alternative country rock, but run through the grinder of Southeast Texas."

The album was mixed and mastered by Mark Hallman at Congress House Studio in Austin, and after taking a personal interest in the project, Hallman has helped guide Greer through his new musical town. "To move to Austin and meet guys like Michael and Mark, and to have all of these accomplished musicians buy into what I’m trying to do, its been a thrill and an honor," says Greer.

Douglas Greer’s 2006 debut album "Just A Man" features appearances by Ramos (John Mellencamp) ..boards, accordion and percussion, Hallman (Carole King) on piano and backing vocals, David Grissom (the Dixie Chicks) on lead guitar, Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan) on bass and Michael Longoria (Patty Griffin) on drums.

Greer briefly toured the Netherlands in November 2006 to support the album, and spent much of late 2006—mid 2007 playing both full band and acoustic shows at clubs in Austin including Antone’s, Saxon Pub, Momo’s, Jovita’s and Room 710, where he had a successful three-month run of the weekly "Douglas Greer’s Americana Happy Hour."

Douglas Greer took a short break from performing during the last half of 2007 to start an Austin-based music business and to help produce a solo country album for Johnny Solinger, current lead singer of the rock group Skid Row. The Solinger debut album is scheduled for a May 2008 release, and the first single from the album, "Too Well to Go to Work," will be released on Texas country radio and the entire Red Dirt circuit including Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas, on February 26th.

Greer also took a day job with Justice Records, based in Houston and Austin. At Justice he works on the tours and album releases of Justice artists such as Ian Moore (new album "To Be Loved") and Bobbie Nelson (new album "Audiobiography"). He’s also busy working with several new acts releasing CDs under the Justice label in ’08, including Electric Touch, nelo (in conjunction with Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Records) and Greta Gaines. "I’m really excited to be able to focus on music full time now, both with my day job and my career as a recording and performing guy," says Greer.
Douglas Greer will record his second album in early summer 2008, and will play a short mini-tour of Finland and Sweden with Jartse Tuominen in September ’08, as well as various dates in Austin, to initially support the project.