Guitarist Elgin Park was a guest on the July 18 edition of Greasy Tracks where he discussed Como De Allstars (Knowledge Room Recordings), the just-released album by The Greyboy Allstars.
Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.
The album, which is the fifth studio effort by the band, marks its first in seven years. In August, they plan to re-issue their 1994 debut, West Coast Boogaloo, which was recorded live in a single day and featured the legendary J.B. Horns trombonist Fred Wesley on three tracks.
Although they have been together since 1993, when the band started playing weekly gigs in their hometown of San Diego and making the trek north to San Francisco for weekend appearances, side projects have long been a constant for members.
Park, who focuses on film scoring, gained a lot of attention for his work on Donnie Darko in 2001 and more recently, Pete Davidson’s The King of Staten Island. Saxophonist Karl Denson records and tours with his band, Tiny Universe, and has been a touring member of the Rolling Stones since 2014 when he replaced Bobby Keyes. Keyboardist Robert Walter records and tours with 20th Congress as well as rounding out Phish bassist Mike Gordon’s band. Bassist Chris Stillwell and drummer Aaron Redfield are in-demand studio players.
Denson and Walter were guests on Greasy Tracks in the past. Click here and here to listen to archives.
Due to hectic schedules related to their respective projects, the Allstars appear together only a few times a year on stage. Such was the foundation for what would become their new offering which took only three days to record.
During a weekend of concerts in Texas, an Allstars appearance in Dallas was canceled due to poor weather. Not to let the opportunity to play slip away, they found some rehearsal space and challenged themselves to write new material for the first time in five years.
“Getting the physical bodies together is almost impossible, given our schedules,” says Park, “but it immediately feels like it did back then (in early days of the band). We have such a great time.”
Denson captured the Dallas jam sessions on his laptop and shared the tracks with the rest of the band. A while later, they gathered for a writing session in San Diego and determined that getting into the studio and properly recording the material would be the best approach, albeit as soon as possible and by not overthinking the project.
“This band has such chemistry that it was never hard work,” says Walter. “So it’s never that hard to get back to it, even if we haven’t played for a year.”
Apparently, the moment the band finished a take of the final song on the third day of recording, the tape machine died. “That’s a sign!” Walter remembers. “That’s it!”
The band came up for the album title based on the Spanish phrase “como de costumbre” or “as per usual” – given the Allstars’ ability to take care of business in short order.