"TOO OLD TO REBEL AND FAR TOO YOUNG TO GIVE IN"
- from My Best Regret
Hailing from southeast Massachusetts, Greg Loftus held his first guitar at 12 years old and dove head-first into writing songs. He spent his adolescence playing in punk bands but Greg's sound eventually matured towards many alt-country groups with punk-rock roots like Drive-By Truckers, Lucero, and Drag the River.
During the fall of 2007, Greg was writing country-tinged acoustic songs while living in Providence, RI. There, he was immersed in and inspired by the DIY folk scene watching local artists like Deer Tick, Brown Bird, and Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons. This is when he was exposed to the songwriting chops of traveling troubadours like Townes Van Zant, John Prine, and Steve Earle.
In 2008 he released his self-produced debut album “No Taking Prisoners Tonight” on the West Virginia-based independent label Big Bullet Records.
“No Taking Prisoners Tonight is an incredibly solid debut effort that is sure to turn heads in the alt-country/folk scene. The full band arrangements allow Greg's acoustic driven songs to flourish into dirty rocking romps that would fit in at any rowdy country bar.” - Tucker Riggleman of Big Bullet Records
During the next few years, Greg toured the east coast and parts of the Appalachian south while based out of Boston, MA. He started booking paying gigs and more importantly, benefited from the kinship of fellow songwriters. Greg played every show he could, self-released a couple more EP’s, and began building a local following.
“Greg Loftus takes the stage and the listeners go silent. He sings with an intense passion and the crowd is hooked, moving to the high-energy. Greg’s got the voice of the traveling bard singing from experience, his voice flowing with the memories of the story behind the tunes.” - Max Bowen of Citywide Blackout
When the Boston music scene grew repetitive, Greg sought greener pastures and broader horizons. In 2011, he found what he was looking for in Austin, TX. He packed up his things and moved to where the music scene matched his pace. There he spent the next six years playing in bands and honing his songwriting skills. In Austin, he formed the alt-country outfit, Carpetbagger, with core members Cody Brown on guitar and Kevin McCann on bass. Carpetbagger shared the stage with many of their admired heavyweights like Mike Cooley of Drive-By Truckers, Mike and the Moonpies, Possessed by Paul James and Two Cow Garage.
Greg released his second full-length solo album, “Raise the Rent”, in December 2015. He then got the band back together to form Greg Loftus and The Ten Ninety-Nines, and once again starting playing the Austin music scene at a frantic pace.
“‘Raise the Rent’ displays a songwriter at his peak. Throughout the 9 tracks the band around the songwriter enables him to show his versatility and growth as a performer and musician. Loftus pens with a confidence that is equally balanced with his own questioning of self and remorse for mistakes. A glimpse into the soul of a man. If that isn’t something special and moving, well I am not sure what is.”
- Brian Carroll of Red Line Roots
Austin is where Greg saw the most success as a songwriter and live performer. He spent his nights playing clubs and house shows and his days building houses in the Texas heat. This source of rewarding inspiration found its way into his songwriting and is felt through his lyrics:
“There ain’t nothing like cut-rate suburban sprawl/knock it out boys so we can get paid/Marlboro lights, tall cans and adderall/Anything to get you through the day” - The Last of the Buffalo by Greg Loftus
“We know every word or every word worth knowing by the liars we aspire to be/Just a soundtrack of killing ourselves in slow motion well at least we’ll all go out in peace/well not me” - The Shenandoah Banks by Greg Loftus
The long days and longer nights started to take their toll so Greg put his music career on hold. He moved back home to Cape Cod, MA, in 2017 and started his custom furniture and woodworking business: Narrowland Woodworks and Design.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Greg started writing music again. He released the album: “The Soft Sound of Sundown: Carpetbagger Years (2011-2015)”; a collection of unreleased songs and staples at Greg’s shows, with songs such as ‘American Bruises’ and ‘Highway 59’. In December of 2020, working with Underground Recording in Bourne, MA, he recorded his first full-length album in 5 years. "Western Medicine" was released in October 2021 and is currently working on new material with his band.
