Recorded and Mixed at the House of Vibes by Kurt Reil
Produced by Kurt Reil and CJ Grogan

Musicians:
CJ Grogan: vocals, guitars, keyboards, banjo, sitar
Vince Grogan: bass
Kurt Reil: drums, percussion and backing vocals

Special guests:
Frank Slingerland: Saxophones
Jess Johnson: backing vocals

The Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist from Central Jersey, formerly of the Grievous Angels, is a bit of a musical chameleon. He came to the House of Vibes with a fistful of great power pop songs, which were laid down in summer/fall of '93. He then morphed into a writer of powerful, introspective and very personal folk songs which were recorded acoustically, virtually live, conjuring up images of Tim Buckely crossed with REM. Another change came with the introduction of piano-driven songs, which were duly recorded at HOV with brother Vince on bass and Kurt on drums. As always, the music led him in a new direction, which has now become "newsongtoo". This collection of 12 songs (to be released in 2004) is the culmination of every direction Chris has gone in. Some parts pop, some acoustic, some noisy, some quiet. "NewSongToo is everything that I am," says Chris. "It goes in many different directions, but leads back to one place. It's been a long time for me.... but I don't mind."

R E V I E W

"With all the talk regarding 'the next big this' and 'the trendy new that', what do you say about someone truly talented like CJ Grogan? Well I say 'wow!' A few other words come to mind, like soulful, emotional, diverse and totally rewarding. Newsongtoo, skillfully co-produced as well as powerfully drummed by the Grip Weeds' Kurt Reil showcases Grogan's massive instrumental prowess on guitar and keyboards. But as with all the best rock and roll, it's the singing and the songs that really matter,
and let me tell you CJ Grogan delivers the goods with this stunning debut." - Richard X. Heyman (Journeyman Singer/Songwriter/Recording Artist)

Amplifier
May-June 2004