Just A Man

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Damn Sure Gone	3:36	Play
2		People Person	3:42	Play
3		Black Train	4:06	Play
4		Heaven Into Hell	2:46	Play
5		Capitol Hall	3:46	Play
6		Road to New Orleans	4:36	Play
7		Dry Creek Cafe	4:58	Play
8		Kill Me Again	3:26	Play
9		California	4:41	Play
10		Nineteen Ninety-Nine	3:14	Play

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Description

"Just A Man"
Number One on September Euro Americana Chart
Number Two on October Euro Americana Chart
Number Fifteen on August FAR (Freeform American Roots) Chart
Number Thirteen on September FAR Chart
AmericanaOK Album of the Month for September 2006

"Brilliant debut album...
"Ingenious character sketches that could have come straight out of a bestseller...
One of the best Alternative Country Rock CDs of the year."
REAL ROOTS CAFE -- August 2006

"Just A Man is what roots country music is all about."
ROOTS MUSIC REPORT -- August 2006

A real beauty
Alternative Southeast Texas country rock molded into ten great songs that create the same atmosphere for which musicians such as Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, James McMurty and Joe Ely are famous.
ROOTSTIME -- August 2006

"Incredibly strong material
A classic example of how, in our opinion, Americana is supposed to sound [Greer is] a master of telling stories and drawing character sketches
CTRL ALT COUNTRY -- August 2006

To understand Austin, Texas-based Alternative Country/Americana singer/songwriter Douglas Greer, its best to look at where he came from. Growing up in Port Arthur, Texas, a refinery town in the heart of Texas Cajun country and hometown of Janis Joplin, being in a band or playing a guitar was a way of life. With roots in equal parts East Texas redneck and Cajun, he couldnt avoid being heavily influenced by the rootsy, rural music favored by his elders and the rock and hippie country of the younger set.

As music critic for his high school newspaper, Greer went to every concert that came through the area. He loved to read song lyric magazines and dissect his favorite songs. To me, the most important thing was, whats the song about, whats it say, recalls Greer. Early songwriting influences were Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin, Hank Williams, Sr. and Rod Stewart. Those guys could paint such a picture, tell such a story, all in about four minutes or less, well, I wanted to be able to do that.

The economic decline that hit Port Arthur (it wasnt Flint, Michigan, but it was close) gave Greer plenty of pictures to paint. He saw his town change from a place where a man could always find a good job at the refinery to a shell of its former self, with empty buildings and prostitutes taking up areas where families kept storefronts and homes. He saw how this erosion of the American dream could drive a man to be less than perfect. Seeing some of his role models driven to alcoholism and betrayal broke his heart. Writing about it was the best therapy: I was the only guy I knew who kept a diary, laughs Greer.

Attending UT Law School in Austin in the early 90s, Greer was befriended by neighbors Mark Lyon and Keri Leigh of the local blues group the Blue Devils, and received a musical education just as much as a legal one while in Austin. We went to all the best shows, says Greer. John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers at the old Liberty Lunch, John Hammond at the Cactus Caf, South by Southwest in its formative years, we saw a lot of good music then. Seeing so many performing songwriters who could turn their experiences into art inspired Greer.

While practicing law in Beaumont in the 90s, Greer set up a music booking agency and developed friendships with various local acts that soon led him to the stage. He became lead singer and songwriter for Amos Moses, a roots rock band with a sound somewhere between the Old 97s and Son Volt.

Several club dates over the years earned Amos Moses regional success, but the group eventually disbanded for personal reasons.In 2004 Greer relocated to Austin to get serious about his passion for writing and music. While still new to town he was introduced to local producer Michael Ramos, who came to produce Greers debut album, Just A Man.

In Just A Man Greer presents rich stories and articulate character sketches examining the plight of the average flawed man, largely drawn from his days in Port Arthur. The delivery has a feel similar to Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, James McMurtry or Joe Ely, but with a musical twist largely influenced by Ramos.

Michael and I discovered there was a lot of common ground between his Latin and my Cajun musical roots, specifically the use of accordion and keyboard, says Greer. On this album we decided to stay true to that, to leave out the fiddle and pedal steel and use more accordion, keyboard and piano, to sound more like where I came from. Its alternative country rock, but run through the grinder of Southeast Texas.

The album was mixed and mastered by Mark Hallman at Congress House Studio in Austin, and after taking a personal interest in the project, Hallman has helped guide Greer through his new musical town.

To move to Austin and meet guys like Michael and Mark, and to have all of these accomplished musicians buy into what Im trying to do, its been a thrill and an honor. I cant wait to get out there this summer and add another flavor to country rock in Austin, says Greer.

The Douglas Greer 2006 debut album Just A Man features Ramos (John Mellencamp) on keyboards, accordion and percussion, Hallman (Carole King) on piano and backing vocals, David Grissom (the Dixie Chicks) on lead guitar, Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan) on bass and Michael Longoria (Patty Griffin) on drums.