The New Grey was solidified as a band in August of 2017. However, its roots began in 2013, when bassist, Jake Rieboldt, and Luis Santana (drums) disbanded from a previous project, deciding to move in a different musical direction.

After one year of songwriting with multiple guitarists, Mike Hartl (guitar) was discovered through a Craigslist ad. Mike’s clean blues rock style and Reggae flair were a welcome addition to the group, adding a different dynamic to the Indie Rock foundation that Rieboldt and Santana had already established. In what seemed like a futile effort, the band continued to audition one singer after the next. This went on for nearly four years until Hartl walked into an open mic night and heard Johnny Helm, an R&B solo artist. Helm had been releasing singles on his own, working the open mic circuit in Racine, Wisconsin.

While it was no doubt that Helm had talent, Santana was not convinced that his R&B style would gel with the instrumentation. This assumption was quickly dispelled, when Johnny easily freestyled over an open jam, revealing that he was not only a talented R&B vocalist, but could also bring an aggressive, yet powerful Hip Hop element to the table. Johnny’s unique blend of Hip Hop and R&B, along with the band’s instrumentation, proved to be a long awaited breath of fresh air.

After only four months together, the band hit the studio, producing a five song self-titled EP. They then hit the ground running to promote it, playing both local and regional venues ranging from basements and bars to colleges and festivals. Less than a year from conception, they began receiving radio play, reviews, and were asked to perform on the Emerging Artist Stage at Summerfest. With two EPs under their belt, and plans to return to the studio to begin work on their third, there is no telling what is ahead for The New Grey’s musical endeavors.