“My producer Jim Reilley (The New Dylans) pushed me to co-write and to have guests play and sing on these tracks,” Greta says of the making of Bird Before Light, “He brought in a community of creative collaborators who were so willing to play and sing with me that it gave me the inspiration and drive to finish another full-length album. The writing brought me to deeper connections with those people, and I am so grateful for their investment in the process and the music that was created as a result.”

 

Bird Before Light was produced by Jim Reilley, mixed by Eric Fritsch  and Mill Logan and recorded at Ken Coomer’s Cartoon Moon and Eastwood Studios in East Nashville In addition to Greta herself on guitars, the album features drummer Ken Coomer (Wilco), Jim Reilley on bass, Eric Fritsch (Marty Stuart) on electric guitar, piano, keyboards, Tim O’Brien (Grammy winning artist) on fiddle, Adam Ollendorff  (Kasey Musgraves) on pedal steel, Kevin Roentgen (Buckcherry) on electric guitar, and Raul Malo (The Mavericks), Dan Bern (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) and Tim O’Brien on harmony vocals. 

 

She’s earned the praises of the pundits as well. Rolling Stone reviewed her song “Empty Spaces” from the last album Pale Star, and wrote “Gaines sings in a clear tone reminiscent of Aimee Mann, while the music blooms from a sturdy folk-rock arrangement into a psychedelic swirl of pinging keys and brass. It’s a cavernous sound that reverberates with the ache of loss.”  Americana Highways shared their raves, “with a voice that reflects the most soulful side of modern life, she is able to mix genres in a way that really hasn’t been done before. The singer-songwriter knows that with loss comes new life, and that the only way to overcome the sadness is to look for the light. Greta Gaines is truly a spiritualist and sounds like she is still just getting started.” A UK print outlet, Maverick, described her efforts as “grown-up, cool Americana music aimed at people who actually appreciate lyrics and musicianship.”

 

In addition to making music, she was the first Woman’s World Extreme Snowboard Champion; the originator of Freeride, a series devoted to lifestyle, music, extreme sports, and the environment; an advocate for NORML; and former on-air commentator for MTV, ESPN and Oxygen Media. the owner and operator of her own record label, Big Air Records.

 

Nevertheless, Greta refuses to rest on her laurels. “This album, Bird Before Light, gave the gift of self-discovery. It’s guided me on letting go while embracing what’s to come.”