With the release of Cathexis, Greg found himself without a new project to work on for the first time in several years. His previous project, the Sigmund Blue album Long Distance Mixtape, had led fairly immediately to the conception of Cathexis, so that the years between 2008-2011 were fairly occupied with these two projects. Expecting his first child in early 2012, Greg hadn't the time to write and record another album before the due date but wanted to stay limber.
Greg decided to challenge his good friend Brandi Parker (Sigmund Blue, Tella) at her own game. Brandi had asked Greg some time before for permission to cover one or more of his songs. Clearly thrilled and humbled by this, Greg wasted no time in assenting. But then, with no other projects to occupy him, Greg decided to turn the tables and record a cover of a Tella song. Brandi, too, was more than willing to provide permission. Greg selected Tella's song "Souvenir," which is not currently on an album (a shame indeed!). Here is Greg's version of "Souvenir" by Tella:
Next, Greg tackled a song by Andy Goodson entitled "The Voice." Andy and Greg had played in Sigmund Blue together, and Greg knew Andy to be an extremely talented songwriter and vocalist. This song, which appeared on Goodson's debut solo album, A Red Among Greens, seemed a perfect choice for a cover.
Moving beyond Sigmund Blue members, Greg asked his oldest friend John Daly if he could cover one of his songs. John is an extremely prolific singer/songwriter in Vermont. The song "Frame" struck Greg as a particularly perfect selection for a cover. John's version can be heard here. And here is Greg's version:
Then Greg asked an old high school friend named David Michael Tafe for permission to cover one of his songs. Tafe had written a seven-part suite, part VI of which is entitled "Sun on Fire." Greg was enamored with Tafe's writing and thought this piece would be perfect for a cover. The original can be heard here. And here is Greg's cover:
Greg's last addition (as of this writing) was a little different. For this one, Greg obtained a poem from a longtime friend, Lezlee Ware, called "The Colors Bleed," and converted it into song lyrics. He wrote backing music and a melody around the lyrics. So in this case, he "covered" Lezlee's poem. Here is the result: