We’ve all heard the Cinderella stories of musicians leaving their little hometowns for the big city and becoming rock stars overnight. This isn’t one of them.
This is the story of a determined kid from Raytown Missouri who loved playing guitars and singing in a rock band. Shortly after this Midwestern-bred singer packed up his guitars and moved to L.A., he got songs in feature movies like Burden of Proof and he placed in the Top 10 of Fox TV’s Best Unsigned Band Contest out of 6,000 entries.
“Just before I was about to go and perform live for my first TV performance (Fox), I was sitting in the prep room backstage and people were fixing my hair and putting makeup on us. I looked around and looked at the other guys in the band and I thought 'I'm in Hollywood, I'm about to go on TV--I've made it!'" All I had to do was wait for the phone to start ringing off the hook from Hollywood!”, Greg jokes.
While Greg was waiting for “the phone call from Hollywood”, (still waiting...) he put together a collection of original demo songs and made them into a CD, ironically titled, Can You Hear It?. “I had no idea what I was doing”, says Nicholson. “All I know is the songs were good and honest, and I guess people related to that.”
Things started moving after radio stations put his first 2 singles into airplay rotation. Greg secured the opening spot for Foreigner’s Mr. Moonlight tour, which enabled him to perform in front of thousands of people. Despite a humble start, Can You Hear It? was named as “One of the 10 Best Albums of the Year” by Entertainment Today in 1996, putting Greg right next to Alanis Morrissette and Joan Osborne.
Greg didn’t waste any time and recorded his follow-up CD, Half a World Away. By the time that Music Connection raved “We’re quite sure you’ll be struck by this artist”, this limited-release CD was sold out of copies and Nicholson entered what he calls “2 dark years of hell.” Greg will only say he was working with a top music industry professional and the experience left him a little scarred and very frustrated.
Fortunately for us, Greg turned his misfortune into pure music pleasure. His latest CD, The High Trapeze, is a breathtaking collection of 12 new songs that pound, pulse, and jump out of your speakers and right into your heart. From the huge wall of guitars and irresistible groove of You’ve Got a Way to the dreamy and atmospheric cool of Grace, The High Trapeze is a pop masterpiece.
ECE Worldwide got a sneak preview of the new CD and wrote “...genius...across-the-board pop perfection...he has the kind of voice that women want to hear and men want to have...very unique, sexy, and passionate...this is a star in the making.”
“I just want to make the best music that I can, music that really speaks to people and makes people feel good. Anything beyond that is just icing", says Greg.