GREG FREEMAN

In the organizer's words:

Presented by laut.de, Messed!Up Magazine and Sounds & Books From the outside, Greg Freeman is one of those musicians whose career seems to have happened almost by accident. No big PR machinery, no constant stream of social media self-promotion - and yet the singer-songwriter from Burlington, Vermont, has long since established himself in the innermost circles of the indie world. His debut album "I Looked Out" was released in 2022 quietly and without accompanying fireworks, but his gripping mix of narrative songwriting, emotional impact and expansive, musical clarity was heard: Stereogum and Uproxx praised it, the tour dates piled up and the band grew. With "Burnover", which will be released on August 22nd on Canvasback Music/Transgressive Records, Freeman is now taking the next step - and perhaps the most courageous one yet. Ten songs that sound like the diary entries of a restless soul, steeped in loneliness, historical burden and the hard-won clarity that love can bring. The title alludes to the "Burned-Over District" in the 19th century - an area in the north-east of the USA that was steeped in religious revivalism, a focal point of spiritual and cultural upheaval. For Freeman, this historically charged place is a foil on which he superimposes personal and collective histories: loss, revival, isolation, belonging. Freeman's lyrics sound as if they were woven from archive material and inner monologue at the same time. His songs are populated by failed utopians, outsiders and quietly suffering seekers. The places where these stories take place are real, tangible: Vermont's forests, the cities of the Northeast, the "blood swept plains" of the interior. It is music that not only remembers history, but lives through it. And it doesn't sound antiquated at all. On the contrary: "Burnover" is explosive, impetuous and ultra-modern, carried by a band that is more than just accompaniment. It is a player in a drama that will probably be even more haunting live. The studio recordings were made at Burlington's Little Jamaica Recordings, together with musicians such as Benny Yurco, Zack James and Lily Seabird. Particularly impressive: "Curtain", a track that transforms from a raw guitar jam to a piano-driven revelation - a testament to Freeman's willingness to relinquish control and trust the music. "Salesman", with its feverish pedal steel and buzzing horns, also unfolds with an almost cinematic intensity. What makes this album so special is its radical openness - both musically and emotionally. Freeman breaks up structures, leaves room for chance without ever losing himself. "Burnover" is a work that does not pander, but demands. And that is precisely where its beauty lies. Greg Freeman will be touring with the new material in the fall, including a stop in Germany. Anyone who wants to experience what American music sounds like when it takes a serious look at its myths and still writes great, immediate songs should not miss this opportunity. 14.09.2025 Cologne - Blue Shell 15.09.2025 Hamburg - Molotow 19.09.2025 Berlin - LARK This content has been machine translated.