DAVID Gray, a singer/songwriter from Manchester, England, is no overnight success by any means. But he must be nearing worldwide fame because his legend is beginning to build.
After three commercial flops on EMI, the story goes, the 32-year-old Gray, who decided to be a musician at age 16, considered giving up music altogether.
“It’s been rather over-dramatized – the epic battle for survival,” says Gray, although he admits he hit a low point.
To get away from a label-induced focus on album sales, radio play and hit singles, he and his drummer begin experimenting with a groove box and a sampler in a bedroom studio, blending synth samples into Gray’s acoustic folk.
“We were just enjoying ourselves,” he says.
The experiment paid off, leading to “White Ladder,” which Gray released on his own label in Ireland, where it’s now certified platinum 10 times over. Dave Matthews caught on and released the album here on his ATO label.
“These recordings had character,” says Gray, explaining the songs have a homegrown sound rather than the hi-fi sound of recording studio.
“The beats are a backdrop. We didn’t use posh equipment so what comes across is the songs,” he says.
Gray goes on his own nostalgia trip with his cover of Soft Cell’s “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.” “It reminds me of kissing girls and throwing up,” he jokes.
It’s all part of the myth.
Gray plays at Roseland Ballroom (239 W. 59th St., at Eighth Avenue; [212] 777-1224) Saturday.
TONIGHT: As part of the defunct Uncle Tupelo, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy helped create the category of alt.country/no depression music. Then, with Wilco’s third album “Summer Teeth,” the band redefined the genre by adding Beatle-esque pop harmonies and lush layers of sounds to poignant lyrics.
Wilco will transport you to bittersweet times then return you to the land of the living when it plays at Irving Plaza (17 Irving Place, at 15th Street; [212] 777-6800).
Warm up for that with Matthew Ryan, a gruff-voiced Nashville singer/songwriter from Pennsylvania who’s been compared to gods of rock such as Dylan, Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, etc. He’s perfect listening for the fall season, with songs such as “Heartache Weather” on his new album “East Autumn Grin.” He plays an early show at the Fez (Time Cafe, 380 Lafayette St., at Great Jones Street; [212] 533-2680]
THURSDAY: For an eclectic mix, just camp out at the Mercury Lounge (217 E. Houston St., at Essex Street; [212] 260-4700) all week with a lineup including singer/songwriter Richard Buckner, Tuesday, and The Glands, a enigmatic pop band from Athens, Ga., Wednesday.
Thursday, it’s Mister Jones, a band which cuts hip-hop with pop on its “Hail Mary,” and Caviar, which rose from the ashes of Chicago’s Fig Dish to create its own sound inspired by Brian Wilson, as well as The O and Butterface.
FRIDAY: Remember when Rat Pack meant Sinatra not Survivor.
“The Beat Goes On,” a continuing series at the Bottom Line (15 W. Fourth St., at Mercer Street, [212] 228-7880), tries its luck with a Vegas tribute to the land of singers, swingers and crooners.
A group of mostly local artists, an all-star band and Vegas dancers celebrate the wild and swinging guys of the Rat Pack (Frank, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Dean Martin) with highballs and high notes in homage to the likes of Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Ann-Margret, Wayne Newton, Elvis, Louis Prima, Buddy Greco.
MONDAY: Sleater-Kinney, a trio of three punk-grrrls from Washington, returns to tear up Bowery Ballroom (6 Delancey St., at the Bowery; [212] 533-2111), continuing the tour de force for their latest “All Hands on the Bad One (Kill Rock Stars).”
