Greg Brown (rock musician)

For other people by the same name, see Greg Brown (disambiguation).

Greg Brown is a guitarist and founding member of the band Cake.

Biography

Brown played on the Cake albums Motorcade of Generosity and Fashion Nugget before leaving the band in 1998 prior to the recording of Prolonging the Magic. That album's liner notes indicate that some of his guitar arrangements were used. During his years as CAKE's guitar player, Brown primarily used a 1965 Guild Starfire III run through a Pro Co RAT distortion pedal into a Silvertone amp. Brown wrote or co-wrote several songs on Cake's first two albums, including their most popular single The Distance.

After Cake, he joined Deathray, a band where he provided backing vocals and lead guitar. He also wrote four songs and co-penned two more for their 2000 debut album, which was released on Capricorn Records and then re-released on Doppler Records. He also joined the side project of Weezer singer-songwriter Rivers Cuomo, Homie. In 2003, he played piano and guitar and co-produced Puckett's Versus the Country Boy, an EP by Matt Sharp, formerly of Weezer and The Rentals. Deathray recorded their second album (Believe Me) in late 2004 and early 2005 in which Brown played guitar, did backing vocals, and other instruments on. "Believe Me" was released via download later in 2005 and a few copies were available on CD format despite not being signed on any label. He also co-produced the debut album from Golden Shoulders with Deathray bandmate Victor Damiani, and played guitar on Friendship is Deep, the second album from Golden Shoulders released on label, Doppler Records. Greg played guitar on "Bound Away" from Cake's 2011 album, Showroom of Compassion, which was the first appearance of him on a Cake album since 1996's Fashion Nugget.

Since his days in Cake and Deathray, he has crafted a solo EP with a release of June 2023. His eclectic indie-pop style has been compared to the sensitivity of Elliott Smith and Grandaddy while having the intensity and depth of Blur and Beck.