Greg Roensch

When you’re a fan of The Who — and particularly of Pete Townshend — you begin at some point to listen to all their music. You buy their albums. You snatch up concert tickets to see the band (or any member of the band) when they roll through town. You might even travel to catch The Who, like the time I surprised RL with a birthday trip to Cleveland – to see The Who. Happy birthday, honey!

So, being someone who loves The Who, as well as someone who dabbles in my own humble recording projects, I felt a lightbulb explode in my brain when I learned Grand Cru, the recording studio Pete Townshend built on a barge in 1976, was available to rent. Could I possibly record my songs at a studio used to create music that’s meant so much to me over the years? Was this an achievable rock-n-roll fantasy or delusional super-fan pipe dream? 

Flash forward to last week, when I spent four days on Grand Cru, Pete Townshend’s studio barge in London. Perhaps I’ll write more about the experience later. For now, I’d like to express my gratitude for the people who joined me on this adventure.

Jules Leyhe (guitar) – For the last seven years, I’ve been fortunate to witness Jules elevate my songs in ways I could never do on my own. Even after playing with Jules so many times, I’m still blown away by his immense talent.   

Jason Slota (drums) – Jason is a sonic designer of the highest level. He listens to my tunes, composes the coolest beats, and keeps me in time as much as is humanly possible. Because, yes, you can only hope to contain me!

Harriet Cherry (vocals) – I wrote about how we met in a previous post. It was random chance that brought me to a certain place at a certain time in a remote part of France to hear a voice that I knew would be amazing in the recording studio. 

Danielle Goldsmith (audio engineer) – Danielle is a mind reader who uses her technical and creative prowess in the studio to bring my ideas to life before I can even fully articulate them. For the last few years, working in the studio with Danielle has been one of the highlights of my life.   

Shoutout to Iain Henderson – we realized late in the day that we could use another guitar. As I researched options for London rentals, Iain quickly rose to the top of the choices. He has an excellent collection and makes the whole process super-smooth from delivery to pick-up.

Shoutout to Cesare Riccardi – Ces came highly recommended by a mutual friend when I put the word out that I was looking for a London-based photographer. I can’t wait to see the creative shots Ces captured on and around Grand Cru.  

One last very special thanks to Mike Nyandoro (Grand Cru Studios). From the moment I began to correspond with Mike about renting the studio, I’ve been impressed by his friendly and thorough communications. It was a massive bonus to learn that Mike would be joining us onboard while we recorded the album. Mike is a master audio engineer. He’s also a calm and welcoming presence in the studio. Thank you for everything, Mike. For sharing your wisdom. For being a gracious host. And for making sure this crazy dream became a memorable experience for me and everyone on the trip. 

Indeed, huge thanks to everyone who played a part on this amazing journey.

Be on the lookout for our Grand Cru album in 2027. 

A few years ago, while RL and I were in France, we heard someone singing at our hotel. I’d hear random tunes and phrases throughout the day and, at first, I couldn’t even figure out who was singing.

I eventually learned the singer was one of the hotel staff who liked to sing while she worked. The more I heard her sing, the more I began to feel it would be amazing to hear this voice in the recording studio.

Jumping forward to this week. I had the distinct honor to sing with Harriet Cherry at a very special recording studio in London.

Although she’d never been in a studio before, Harriet knocked it out of the park. Thank you Harriet for agreeing to join us on this crazy rock-n-roll adventure.