How many hearts does it take to play the 2012 KTSW MR Fest? For local folk singer-songwriter Elaine Greer, it takes just one. At the advice of friends, members of a Houston band who were also interested in playing at MR Fest, the passionate musician contacted a KTSW representative about the three-day festival. After sending samples of her music, she is scheduled to play April 28. “I was thinking, ‘I need to play this festival,’” Greer said. “‘I want to meet people and musicians because I’m living there.’”Greer said she is excited to play at MR Fest because this will be her first performance in San Marcos. Greer said she did not know much about the San Marcos music scene prior to moving from Austin to the city. However, she was aware of the indie-rock/blues band The Couch (Also Playing MR Fest). Her recent move from Austin to San Marcos was prompted by her “nightmare” commute for classes at Texas State last semester. In an effort to separate her education from her music, Greer enrolled as a philosophy major at Texas State. She said philosophy has helped her songwriting.

 

At 20 years old, Greer disenrolled from the University of Houston and moved from Houston to Austin. She lived in Austin for two-and-a-half years before moving to San Marcos last month. “I knew I didn’t want to live in Houston my entire life and Austin seemed like there were a lot of desirable things there, as far as what I was doing at the time,” she said. Greer has played at the Austin music venues Cheer Up Charlie’s, Mohawk, Hole In The Wall and Swan Dive, among others. The Austin music scene brought Greer closer to “a lot of really awesome and talented” local musicians. She said she tries to be supportive of local music by attending their performances. Her favorite local musicians include Dana Falconberry, Bobby Jealousy and Marmalakes (Also Playing MR Fest).

 

Greer’s song “How Many Hearts” has been featured on the KTSW specialty show The Local Show. The heart of Greer’s music is in her lyrics and arrangements. She began taking piano lessons at eight years old and taught herself how to play guitar in her teens. Her dream of starting a punk rock band led to the formation of The Blue Birds when she was 17 years old. Greer said The Blue Birds’ sound is very different from what she plays now, which she considered to be “folkier,” “dreamier” and “prettier. ”She and Andy, a drummer who attended the same high school, played together for about six months before disbanding. She said it has been years since she last spoke with him and believed him to live in Portland. For the past year, Greer has played consistently with bassist Marc Hoegg and keyboardist/singer Yolanda “Yola” Blake. Greer was introduced to Blake through a mutual musician friend in Houston. The serendipitous meeting between Hoegg and Greer occurred at an Austin bar, after a mutual friend recommended him to her in her search for a bassist two nights prior. “After 15 minutes of talking, I realized it was the same guy,” she said. “It was meant to be.”

-Jordan Gass-Poore

Elaine Greer:
www.elainegreer.com
www.facebook.com/elainegreermusic
www.myspace.com/elainegreermusic
www.sonicbids.com/elainegreer