It comes with the territory I suppose. Picking up experiences and stories like trinkets from roadside attractions and rest stops when you live a certain life. The life of a troubadour. Somerville singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Greg Klyma has lived that life and the stories that he has woven into the fabric of his music as a result is clear evidence of it.
Klyma celebrates the release of his next record this coming Sunday, August 13th at Thunder Road in Somerville, MA. A collection of songs that range from the satirical and dry humored “Ex-Girlsfriends Cost Less Money Than Ex-Wives” to the delicately balanced waltz of “Kristofferson“, the songwriter traverses a variety of sonic landscapes and themes throughout the record’s 10 tracks, but its the dusty and faint cry of the topical and poignant song “Sands” that really locks us into the story and the song.
After the last train left the station
It happened fast, we tore up all the rails
Nothin’ left for the next generation
‘Cept a few old men to sit and tell their tales
Lap steel and an acoustic guitar strum that elicits visions of red dirt roads and expansive western terrain underline a message that is all too timely. It has the attitude and driving rhythm embedded within its parts, but it sees the mostly confident and assertive Klyma in a more pensive and vulnerable kind of a vibe. Perhaps a little worse for wear given the ways of the world and how if we aren’t careful with what we got, there will be nothing left for whoever comes next, because like footprints in the sand…things tend to fade away with time if not preserved.