Hailing from NYC, the city's acclaimed post-millennial piano man and Singer/Songwriter Craig Greenberg releases a single with a sound message through his recent hit, "Face the Fire."
Craig Greenberg has been an essential Manhattan club performer over the past fifteen years, capturing elements of greats like Billy Joel, Ben Folds, and Randy Newman.
Listeners can instantly recognize a piece from Greenberg, as his larger than life personality and soulful musical twists are a staple in his sound.
With his recent single, "Face the Fire," we hear Craig Greenberg's profound message come to light through his in-depth lyricism surrounding equality and the consequences of irresponsible and reckless actions. Through soulful mid-tempo instrumentation and Craig Greenberg's passionate and hearty performance, we encourage listeners to delve deeper into his lyrical concept, as we're doing some analyzing of our own.
"Face the Fire" opens with soft piano melodies and Craig Greenberg's clear and warm vocals. While he begins depicting scenes of a harsh being who has lost their followers through unjust actions and decisions, we're starting to recognize who Greenberg might be singing about with this single.
As the song continues, the instrumentals swell to be incredibly lively and light-hearted, that is, until the scorching hot bridge with magnetic, electric guitar whaling away and the exploding drum patterns that heighten the song's energy.
Craig Greenberg's performance is genuinely exhilarating, as we can't help but preach and relate to his lyricism regarding the lack of leadership our country has seen these past four years.
Ending the song off with passion and enthusiasm, we highly appreciate Craig Greenberg's single "Face the Fire," as it reminds listeners to think twice of who they should trust and who/what they should avoid.
Listen to "Face the Fire" here.
We're very appreciative of the reality pie you serve within your single, "Face the Fire." Could you take us through what inspired the song?
Well, it was basically a rage-filled songwriting session that came a few weeks into Trump's daily coronavirus briefings in late April. I've never been a fan of this president, but his handling of COVID-19 (while NYC was going through hell) was my breaking point. It was definitely one of the quicker lyrics I've written. It just poured out.
Were we correct when analyzing your lyrical concept?
Yes, reality pie served with a side of condemnation fries.
Regarding the hefty and soulful instrumentals within "Face the Fire," why did you want the song's instrumentals to offer such dynamic range, from the song's gentle intro to the heated bridge/outro?
Sonic range is one of my favorite things in music, and something, sadly, that has been lost in much of what's currently considered popular. I really can't listen to so much modern music because my ear gets fatigued when there's no dynamic range. On the record, I’m really proud of how the very soft touch of the string section leads into the in-your-face guitar solo... it may be my favorite thing on the recording.
Speaking on your creative process for "Face the Fire," did you have any session musicians or producers help craft the song's instrumentals?
Hiroyuki Matsuura, who's been performing with me for the last few years, played drums, and Wayne Silver, who co-produced it with me, played a couple of the rhythm guitars. I did everything else. I probably shouldn't give away the secret, but the instrumental string section was all done on a synthesizer. And actually, this recording is the first time I've ever played bass on one of my own songs.
Was this an in-person process, taking the world's circumstance into account?
Yes, it was in-person. Fortunately, Wayne (at his studio The Ice Plant) is currently a one-man operation, so other than the day tracking drums, it was just the two of us there.
What did your songwriting process look like when crafting your lyricism for "Face the Fire"? What did you want listeners to grasp from your lyrical content, and did you want to encourage anything in particular with your lyrics?
I wanted it to be very straight ahead, actually, I've written several political songs in the past, but this one is definitely the most direct and the most transparent as to who and what it's about. I don't want listeners to grasp anything other than my own discontent with Trump. I'm definitely not trying to persuade listeners, nor do I care about them agreeing with my take, I just want my take to be clear (and hopefully hummable).
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020 and what can we expect to see from you as we enter 2021?
Well, even though it's been a tough year, it's also been a very productive and creative time for me, in part b/c of the increased amount of free time I've had. After my album 'Phantom Life' comes out on Dec 4th (“Face The Fire” isn't on the album incidentally.. those tracks were recorded prior to the pandemic), I'm gonna start planning the next release—probably an EP of the songs I've finished since COVID. And as well for the country, I think we're on the verge of coming out of this very dark period more hopeful and (ultimately) united. If you notice, this song has a happy ending. I guess I'm an eternal optimist.