One or the abiding memories of the #TEAMw21 Nashville Tour was that of seeing artists playing their hearts out to an audience at times paying little attention or for one band we saw a Jason Aldean's bar playing to an almost empty room. Each act just hoping for a tiny slice of luck to edge them in front of their rivals.
#TEAMw21 came across Grayson May at The Row after our Southern Rounds extravaganza at Analog and fancying something further to eat. It was 10:30 at night, most of the patrons at the bar were it is fair to say, some way into their evening and a little boisterous, but they were more appreciative than some audiences we witnessed on our stay as Grayson fired out his set of covers His tip jar bucket like every other performer was placed at the front of the stage and he just happened to note our logo on our way out - and for that reason alone he became the one random artist from the many we saw that we'd choose for a quick look at - made all the more timely by him having a new single out - "Square Peg"
Grayson hails from Louisiana, and his gigging schedule seems split between there and Nashville, sometimes playing two gigs in the same night, so his work ethic is beyond question. He was entertaining at the Row, keeping our attention which was not always the case with all of the artists we would come across,
"Square Peg" is Grayson's latest single, a slice of classic country honky tonk, with a wry set of lyrics that make you smile and elevate it above a lot of what arrives at #TEAMw21 towers. Admittedly they were written by Terry Thompson but they seem to fit Grayson like a glove as far as we can tell. He also has an admirable quality of listing everyone that plays or writes on his releases which scores highly with us as well.
The opening almost allows everyone that is playing to announce themselves before getting fully into the honky tonk groove. Grayson's singing voice has the required Louisiana twang to pull the whole thing together.
"Way back in my High School days, I used to have a lot of rowdy friends
We've all got good stories about the troubles that we got in
Well now they're Doctors, Lawyers and Engineers and they've all got a real good life
While I'm playing for drunks, in honky tonks, I'm looking for my next ex wife"
The chorus and later verse only plays further on emphasising the differences between Grayson and his friends
"I'm a square peg in my circle of friends, they're rock solid and I'm loose ends
I've never been much of a suit and tie, I'm just a blue jeans and boots kind of guy
I never could hold on to the money , they're all rolling in
I drive a pick up truck, they drive a Mercedes Benz
I'm a square peg in my circle of friends!"
At this point it would have been a fun song but it would have been a little unresolved as to quite why all these well to do folk were hanging out with their "Square Peg" but that gets neatly resolved in the bridge
"I'm still a little rough around the edges now, but my friends all treat me good
They all envy me because I'm doing what they wish they could".
It's all good fun, and good to see that Grayson has invested his tip money wisely. Next time we're over perhaps we'll try to catch a set of originals and see how he has fared in between times.