Greenwich Resident was formed naturally and with that comfortable feeling you get when everything happens with ease and purpose.

In late 2004, Tom Grant moved from the suburbs of Canada to Liverpool, England, to study music at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts. Having written a handful of charming songs and with no one to sing them to, he began playing open mics. This is where Andrew “DC” Grevey (bass) and Jostein Austvik (drums) enter the picture.

DC and Jostein, from Washington DC, USA and Norway, respectively, also moved from their home countries to study at the art school in Liverpool. The three boys met and immediately developed a strong musical connection, despite varying degrees of musical influences and tastes.

They started playing together almost instantaneously, finding each other’s style and learning to compliment it with their own. Then along came Ben Cannings (the only homegrown Brit in the band) who took a liking to Greenwich Resident but felt he could add something special. He went out and found a lap steel guitar at a car boot sale for £27, and was welcomed with open arms.



Tom, DC, Jostein and Ben. This is the Greenwich Resident we see today.

Their sound is hard to place, but feels endlessly familiar upon first listen. Tom’s vocal style has been compared to Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens, Stephen Malkmus, Appleseed Cast and Modest Mouse. Some people even liken him to Lou Reed and Bob Dylan. As a band, the four members have such a wide variety of influences and backgrounds- Johnny Cash, Frank Zappa, The Unicorns, Elliott Smith, DJ Shadow, Tool and Pavement just to name a few!

Their sound may be reminiscent of various bands and artists, but at the end of the day, only sound like themselves. Asking them, they have a hard time placing themselves in a genre- and instead offer descriptive words: distinctly un-British. Volatile. Haunting. Jarring. Sparse. Uplifting. Defiantly optimistic. Loud and soft dynamic. But entirely evolving…

Since Spring 2005, together they have recorded in bathrooms, bedrooms and churches, only now finding a comfortable studio in remote mid-Wales, to record their first official release under Liverpool indie label Robot! Records. Robot! was one of the earliest supporters of Greenwich Resident, who watched their progress from singer-songwriter to fully functioning band lineup- but the real attraction came at In The City, Manchester, in September 2005, where the Greenwich Resident showcase blew everyone away. Complete with lap steel, mandolin, cello and violin, the band broke from the typical “indie” profile, turning themselves into a varied mix of rock, country, folk and pop- with soaring strings to boot. They are constantly improving their live show, writing for themselves and playing for a rapidly growing fan base.

Since In The City, an impressive list of accomplishments only reinforce their staying power and impact on people. In February, the band was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play an exclusive Jack Daniels event where they had an invite-only crowd come to a disused railway arch in London that had been converted into the perfect club. After an hour long set and a free bar for everyone all 100 people left smiling. From the JD Set, they were personally picked to appear on the ‘2006 Watch This Space’ compilation to be released in June 2006, as well as having 2 tracks on a split compilation (Siamese Flowers- The story of Robot! & Pastel) between Korean label Pastel Music and Robot! Records.

To add to this, Greenwich Resident have been a permanent fixture on Manchester’s main Indie Chart- staying for weeks at a time at number one and not leaving the chart in over four months!

Buy their timeless debut EP for the ridiculous price of £3.99 inc P&P

www.myspace.com/greenwichresident