The Gray Havens

Year 1 Part 3: First EP and Tour

We released our first EP (Where Eyes Don’t Go) for free on Noisetrade in January 2013 and were shocked by the number of downloads it received in the first few weeks. After a month or so, we emailed everyone who had downloaded and asked if we could do a run of house shows in some of their homes (we had never been to a house show ourselves - but our role models, Jenny and Tyler, had played them so we at least were sure it was an actual thing people do). We received lots of generous responses and set out on our first “tour” in our Ford Taurus (which we named “Tina”). It took a lot of rehearsing at home to get ready (this picture is of Licia learning how to use shakers while listening to our songs around the house). It was a blast - not only performing but especially getting to know the families that hosted us was really special.

Year 2 Part 1: We have no clue what we’re doing...⁣

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At this point, we have so many questions... What are the next steps? How do we get more shows? What is Spotify? Much of year 2 we are reaching out to anyone that might be able to advise us on how to proceed. Intro Jenny and Tyler (a husband-wife duo). These guys were our heroes.
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We reached out to them to see if we could grab coffee before one of their shows in Naperville, IL. I included one of our songs in the email (Gray Flowers) as proof that we were a real band… They agreed to meet before the show. ⁣
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Shortly after pleasantries, I pulled out a list of questions I had prepared, which I then proceeded to ask in rapid-fire succession over the course of an hour (in probably a slightly panicked, please-help-us-understand way). I was probably thinking something like “This is my one chance to glean some insight from people who have done what we want to. Make it count.” I have since done this with many others (still do). ⁣
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They made us feel like the meeting mattered, patiently answered each of our questions, and became a major lifeline moving forward. Bottom line: these guys were/are trailblazers, and gave us a blueprint for getting started. ⁣
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Other artists who have been absolutely instrumental for us are Andrew Peterson and Dave and JJ Heller. These guys have also sat with us and answered tons of questions, helping us think thru the many questions we’ve brought them over the years. So so thankful for these guys.
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Year 2 Part 2: Dueling Pianos

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Licia is just leaving her job as a Starbucks barista (any Starbucks peeps in the house??) so she can be more flexible. ⁣
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During the week I’m part-time trying to get The Gray Havens off the ground. I’m also teaching voice lessons at a couple of high schools. But my main gig is playing in a dueling pianos company that my friend and I sort of accidentally started (My stage name was “Felix”).⁣
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The short story is that me and my soon-to-be friend were randomly paired together at a fundraiser to do an hour or so of jazz standards (Frank Sinatra and co.). That turned into a steady gig in Lake Geneva, WI at a place called The Baker House. It was cool.⁣
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Anyways, the owner says they want to expand to dueling pianos (and I don’t really play piano super well). So my friend, Mike, teaches me how to play and I sort of pull enough songs together to be able to gig with. Then the owner says she doesn’t want dueling pianos anymore and now we have this “show” with nowhere to play…⁣
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We end up playing a LOT of clubs, weddings, and corporate events. As someone who JUST learned how to play piano in a semi-passable way, this was craziness. However, my time spent there learning how to play the piano and start a small business from my friend was invaluable. I learned SO much. ⁣
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How do you play to a bunch of people who don’t know who you are and have zero interest in hearing you play? While there’s a sports game on above your head? For the next four hours? What do you do when you walk out of a bathroom at a gig and you see a flock of flamingoes walking down the hallway and into an elevator?…(that one has come in super handy…)⁣
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There was this one time, at a random fundraiser in Eau Claire, where we were sound checking before the show. We had still only put out one EP and I soundcheck by playing a song of ours called “Silver” on the piano. A college student proceeds to burst out from the kitchen and say “You know The Gray Havens?!” - My friend and I just stared in utter disbelief. After a slight pause of shock, Mike yells/stutters “He IS The Gray Havens!!!” - it was amazing. Thank you @felixandfingers :)

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