Blue Monday: Alastair Greene

A native of Santa Barbara, California and now residing in Austin, Texas Alastair Greene has ridden his Blues-soaked rock into the 21st century, traversing a constantly changing global (and musical) landscape. Hes well-equipped for the challenge, carrying the diverse musical interests he developed at an early age, intrigued by his mothers piano-playing and a record collection that included The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John. His father introduced the youngster to the sophistication of Bach and Beethoven, yet it was Greenes grandfather, the late trumpeter Chico Alvarez- a member of the Stan Kenton Band in the 1940s and 50s- who inspired him to pursue a life in music.As a youth, he took piano lessons and played the saxophone before discovering the guitar in high school. 1980s heavy rock icons Van Halen and Iron Maiden brought motivational thunder. Then, a vintage and seminal sound- the Blues- changed Greenes course. Records by B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, The Allman Brothers Band, and Stevie Ray Vaughan exposed the burgeoning guitarist to a trove of musical treasure.He received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied for two years, before returning in the early 90s to Southern California. Greene formed the Alastair Greene Band in 1997 and subsequently released eight solo albums (including two live sets and a compilation record) over nearly 20 years. 2017s studio effort, Dream Team, landed a four-star review and Best Album of the Year nod in DownBeat; 2018s Live from the 805 was nominated for Rock Blues Album of the Year by Blues Blast Magazine, garnering inclusion on many Best of 2018 lists.A much in-demand guitarist and vocalist, Greene traveled the world, touring with the legendary Alan Parsons Live Project from 2010 2017, as well as stints with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and, most recently, (2018-2019) Blues Music Award-winner Sugaray Rayford. His work with Parsons, in particular, sparked a conversation with renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer Tab Benoit at a Las Vegas blues festival. In 2019, Greene signed with Benoits Whiskey Bayou Records label and released 2 records, The New World Blues (2020) and Alive In The New World (2023). Greene toured the U.S. consistently in 2021 and 2022 opening over 100 shows for Benoit.After running into Thomas Ruf on a tour of Germany in 2022 opening for Walter Trout Alastair signed signed with Ruf Records and released Standing Out Loud in May of 2024. Standing Out Loud was produced by Greene. 8 of the albums 11 tracks were recorded in Nashville, TN with JD Simo and the remaining 3 songs were recorded in Greenes adopted hometown of Austin, TX with Hunter St.Marie.With a strong batch of original songs rooted in blues and southern rock traditions, STANDING OUT LOUD builds upon the momentum created by his critically acclaimed solo releases of recent years. Teaming up with Ruf Records for this album feels like a natural and perfect fit for the progression of my career, says the California native and multi-charting Billboard artist that Blues Music Magazine called a major talent in the blues-rock category.