East to West, and Back

JUPITER, FL – April 26, 2017 – When I first heard of musician/producer Greg Hvnsen I was confused about the pronunciation. “So, Greg HAnsen is playing at Double Roads tonight. He’s really good,” a mutual acquaintance uttered at said point in time. I heard the vowel loud and clear. Then, I’d look at the flyer and there seemed to be a “V” where the “A” is supposed to be in his last name. It wasn’t a typo – the flyer makers had not dropped the ball. That’s how he spells it. And as an entity of the arts, in which creativity and uniqueness are always encouraged – the upside down “A” fits like a glove.  

“It may sound silly but I really did it for search engine purposes – so it would be easier to find me on the Internet,” admits Hvnsen. “There are at least a dozen or more Greg Hansen’s; all with an Internet presence: A few producers, a sports columnist, a model, real estate brokers, etc. I wanted to make it easy to find me while still letting people know it was me. So, that’s where Greg Hvnsen came from. And yes, some people do try to pronounce the V; it’s always hilarious.”

Hvnsen recently talked to InJupiter about his musical style; his producing role; his impact on the Jupiter music scene; and the importance of enjoying his craft as he bounces around between California and South Florida sauntering through an array of live gigs.

InJupiter: What kind of music would you say you play, if it can be categorized?

Greg Hvnsen: To keep it simple, I would say Singer/Songwriter. That spans many genres but I’m interested in the song. Good lyrics, good melody, and good music. It would be up to someone else to say which Pandora station to put it on (laughs).

InJupiter: What musical genres do you incorporate in your music?

Hvnsen: Everything! I know a lot of people say that, but as a producer, it really spans from jazz to world music. Recently, I’ve been into the swampy blues and trap hybrid that’s going on. My personal favorite though is a singer/songwriter and reggae hybrid style. It’s amazing how a one-drop reggae beat puts everyone in a good mood.

InJupiter: Any heavy and direct influences in terms of artists?

Hvnsen: My biggest influences are The Beatles, Phish, The Grateful Dead, and the Talking Heads. All of those bands have spanned multiple genres and that has definitely rubbed off on me. I’m all over the place (laughs).

InJupiter: You’re what’s known as a looper – a one-man band. Is this always the case or do you play with other musicians on your shows?

Hvnsen: I do play with other musicians, but I would say that’s the case 90 percent of the time. I also play guitar and sing in a local band called “Girlfriend Material,” which I absolutely love. I started as a guitar player, so any time I get to fill that role in a band setting, it feels like home.

InJupiter: Can you take us through your instrumental set up. What do you have on stage for a regular performance?

Hvnsen: I have a Taylor 310 acoustic guitar that I put custom .15-.60 gauge strings on and tune CFBbEbGC… sort of a DIY baritone guitar. The heavy strings allow me to access frequencies that are too low for a standard acoustic. I can also play more realistic bass lines for when I’m looping. After that, I run into a tuner, a boost for leads (Analog Man KOT), a DL4 Delay pedal, a reverb pedal, and an RC-30 2 channel looping pedal. Into the looper, I run a separate microphone for beat-boxing and looping back-up vocals. Lastly, I have a Roland Sample Pad. I love the sample pad because I can load whatever “sample” or sound I want. From 808 kicks and trap samples to hand percussion, steel drums, vocals, you name it. I normally stick to three or four kits that I’ve built over the years with samples I’ve collected. Access to all those sounds gives me the freedom to play whatever I want, whenever I want with zero bulk on stage. When it all gets going together, it’s so much fun!

InJupiter: You kind of bounce back between L.A. and South Florida. Why Jupiter specifically? And when do you usually pop back up here?

Hvnsen: Well, Jupiter is my second home. I love Jupiter so much. Anytime I can, I come back to see family and friends. To play shows. Jupiter is truly an amazing place. I love the people, the sense of community in Jupiter, and the pace. The beaches here are amazing, especially when there’s waves. The fishing is always on in one form or another. The quality of life here is second to few.

InJupiter: What Jupiter-based venues have you played at and do you play at regularly?

Hvnsen: I think I’ve played them all. Jumby Bay on a Friday night has been a staple of mine for a while now. It is the greatest happy hour on Earth and don’t take my word for it! Little Moirs Maxi’s Line-Up and Leftovers are both amazing. Mike Moir is a living legend in the way he supports local music in Jupiter. I’ve also played Guanabanas, Square Grouper, The Brewhouse Gallery, Double Roads, Tiki 52, Tequesta Brewing Company, and Craft Bar Kitchen. I’ve played Seabreeze Ampitheare, Harbourside Place maybe once or twice. I’ve played all those venues along with a bunch of places that no longer exist. I’m sure I’m forgetting a few.

InJupiter: Why did you choose to make the move to Los Angeles from Jupiter?

Hvnsen: I’ve always wanted to live in L.A. Even before I knew I wanted to, it was always on my radar. Two years, ago I signed a deal with a publishing company that was based out of L.A. I took that as an opportunity to make the move. Sometimes you have to live life like you’re telling a story to your grandchildren, and when I tell my story, I want to tell them about the time I followed my dreams and moved to L.A.

InJupiter: Why is Jupiter a good town for budding musicians?

Hvnsen: Jupiter has everything a budding musician needs. So many great places to play and places to hone your craft. The beach and ocean are endless sources for songs and inspiration. There are tons of young talent here, as well as veterans who’ve been doing it forever; both with a wealth of energy and perspective. You have easy access to West Palm and Miami for getting into studios and networking, etc. Rent is affordable; depending on where you look. What more can you ask for?

InJupiter: When will you be here next?

Hvnsen: We’ll see. I’ll be back in October for sure but hopefully once or twice before then. I’ll keep you posted!

InJupiter: What is happening with you between now and your return to Jupiter? What is your main focus?

Hvnsen: These days, I’m a music producer; which was the natural progression for a singer/ songwriter with no budget. I invested in myself and run my own studio. I basically live in the studio. I’m writing and recording 10 hours a day. I’m constantly working with different songwriters, artists, and producers. I’ve never been so busy and it’s incredible. I’ve also got a few new ideas for solo projects, so I’m fitting that in as well.

InJupiter: Your producing role and live performances aside, how can people listen to your music?

Hvnsen: I’ve only released maybe two or three EP’s worth of material. And most of it you can’t find anymore just because I’m hyper critical of myself. But what I have out is available on iTunes, Spotify, etc.

InJupiter: How long have you been a musician? What made you go into the direction of a one-man band?

Hvnsen: I’ve been playing in bands since I was 18. Oddly enough, I never thought of myself as a musician. But it hit me the day I handed my landlord rent with money earned from sweat and broken guitar strings. That day happened about five years ago.  The one-man band was a natural progression. I was playing gigs with a great local singer named Ginny Miller. Phenomenal singer! We were playing as a duo but  one day she couldn’t make it and it was too late to get a replacement. So, completely unprepared and having never played solo before, I just showed up and just went for it. Sometimes in life, you have to do that. I had a looping pedal that I kept at home for practicing purposes. So I brought it out and did the show solo. And the gig went great! That is to say, I ran out of songs 45 minutes into the show and had to learn more songs during set break (laughs); but it was fun. People enjoyed it and nobody threw anything at me, so I took it as a great success! The rest is history.

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InJupiter: Can you tell us an anecdote that stood out to you as a musician in Jupiter?

Hvnsen: Just one? (laughs). The last gig I played before I moved to L.A. was amazing. It was at Jumby Bay. And it was a party! Everyone was there: My family, my friends... the energy was great! Now I’ve been producing and releasing music for years now. Putting songs on SoundCloud and reaching out to blogs. But normally, I’m reluctant to play too much original music at my gigs, mainly because, in my opinion, these gigs aren’t really about me. Nobody paid a cover. Nobody works for a label, so I’m not trying to impress anyone. Most people who don’t know me don’t care, and neither do I. I just want to make sure everyone is having fun. It’s about the vibe and the party. I want to play music that people know and I want to play it well enough that people don’t even think about it. They just have fun, sing and dance and leave with a great feeling. But my last gig, my good friend Mike O’Malley was begging me to play original music. He does that sometimes. So with zero rehearsal, but my own knowledge of the music I just went for it. And it was great. He totally made the party, like he normally does and the songs went off great. It was an amazing night.

InJupiter: Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future?

Hvnsen: To keep things simple. I hope to stay happy and to keep growing as a creator. I’ve been doing a lot of songwriting and producing over the last two years specifically. It consists of stuff I wrote for myself, along with other music that I intended to put in for TV shows and film, which is an idea I absolutely love. But I want to work with an orchestra one day. I want to put down a piece of music and have 30 incredible musicians play it back to me. That’s a day I look forward to.

For more information on Greg Hvnsen, please visit his Facebook at www.facebook.com/greghvnsen.