The Greyboy Allstars have no time for idle hands. The San Diego five-piece chose to use the shutdown to lock-in wisely and broadcast a live-stream series, which notches up their own jazz-funk and boogaloo narrative. Originally aired as Soul Dream—a four-part, episodic series on Nugs.net in the summer of 2021—Get a Job: Music from the Original Broadcast Series Soul Dream is a 10-song set of unique, never-before-released covers that have become an integral part of the band’s famed live set for nearly three decades.
Don't miss them at The Madison Theater on Saturday!
“We keep a running master list of around 70 tunes. From those I picked a mixture of tried-and-true live staples and songs that weren’t always in common rotation,” says band keyboardist Robert Walter of the Get a Jobset. “Usually, for gigs I propose a list and then the other members edit and tweak it. For the taping, we wanted each episode to have a theme: two of them focused on originals and the other two were covers: live favorites, and music that came out on Prestige Records. The tunes on this release are the best of the covers.”
There is a generosity of spirit that runs through Get a Job. The band’s decision to take the tragedy of Covid-19 lockdown and open their studio space for a kind of digital communion with their fans is evident in the resulting collection. Yet even in the playing of these covers, both classic and obscure, there is an ease of playing that gives service to the song, rare in a band of such heavyweight soloists. “The more we play together, the more I enjoy listening to the other guys,” offers Park. “It seems like a simple idea but finding a place in the mix is what’s important: not the solo. Weave a thread inside the fabric.”
Get a Job: Music from the Original Broadcast Series Soul Dream drops on April 1 and will be available as a streaming, digital download and vinyl release.
The tour will essentially in support of a live album that documents a “live stream tour.” It’s 21st-century paradox—fitting for The Greyboy Allstars, a band that continues to remain prolific and potent whether on stage, in the studio, or on the laptop screen.
