How Grayscale's sophomore album translates onto the live stage and creates a sense of community.
Ever since the release of 2019’s Nella Vita Philadelphia based rock group, Grayscale, have found themselves in an upward trajectory. The quintet (consisting of lead singer Collin Patrick Walsh, guitarist Dallas Molster, guitarist Andrew Kyne, bassist Nick Ventimiglia, and drummer Nick Veno) started getting the recognition they deserved for their music, merchandise, and live shows with the release of the 2019 album. Here’s a deep dive into Grayscale’s Nella Vita and how they’ve adapted it to the stage.
From the Studio
Nella Vita’s success comes from the album being honest in the rawest way, but still providing listeners with danceable tracks. Many of the songs seem light and happy on the surface; however, once you carefully listen to the lyrics, they have much darker themes including suicide, drug use, and death. In my opinion, Nella Vita is one of the best composed albums in the last decade.
The studio version is near technical perfection, with “Tommy’s Song” being a notable exception. The band has said the song was, “the hardest song…ever written and recorded from a lyrical and vocal perspective.” In a statement on their website Grayscale said that there was doubt that the song would ever get finished because the vocal recordings were so emotional for Walsh—who wrote the song for his cousin who took his own life.
Despite the emotions the song brought out, Grayscale decided to play it live once. It was performed at their home show in Philly in October 2019, and later posted to YouTube. “Tommy’s Song” was performed with a gospel choir onstage, allowing for Grayscale to perform it, “the way it was intended to be realized.” Emotions run high as Collin Patrick Walsh preforms most of the song alone on stage, his vocals just as gut-wrenching as the studio version. Partway through his voice breaks, and the crowd takes over for him, singing the lyrics he wrote, and seemingly giving him the strength to finish the song.
To the Stage
Something fairly unique about Grayscale is that they’ve played every song they’ve ever written in front of a live crowd, including the entirety of Nella Vita. Throughout their tenure as a band, Grayscale has proven that they won’t write a song and not perform it live: every song deserves its due diligence.
Many songs from Nella Vita sound similar to their studio counterparts, with few variances. Most of these changes are longer intros to the songs, and extended instrumentals during the songs allowing for Walsh and Molster to tell the crowd to move around and dance. Songs like these include, “Baby Blue,” “Desert Queen,” “Twilight (My Heaven),” “In My Arms,” “Just Right,” and “YOUNG.” All of these are fun to listen to and translate perfectly from the studio.
Onstage Outliers
There are a few songs that don’t follow this pattern. One of which is one of my personal favorites, “Asbury.” I love this song because it’s delicate and stripped down; the song’s success stems from its lyrics and the emotion with which Walsh delivers them. I was pleasantly surprised by the live version: the use of Veno’s light drumming were a welcome addition. Plus, both Walsh and Molster’s vocals at the end make the live version of “Asbury” a success. The lyrics are still heartfelt, as Walsh delivers them gently, allowing the crowd a rest and time to relish in some of Grayscale’s best songwriting.
Grayscale (L to R: Kyne, Walsh, Ventimiglia, Molster, Veno)
Photo by Jordan Mizrahi
“What’s On Your Mind” is a song that was completely transformed for the live show. The studio version is upbeat and has a bit of a techno vibe to it, whereas the live version is slowed and stripped down; reminiscent of the Reworked version Grayscale released in 2020 on Live From the Barber Shop Studios. The slowness of the live version transforms the song from being a bit in your face to a gentle curiosity.
My Experience at a Grayscale Show
The first time I saw Grayscale was at my first live show in over two years: 2021’s Sad Summer Festival. Admittedly I was there mainly to see The Maine, but Grayscale was a welcome addition to the lineup. Nick Veno entered the stage first from Grayscale, and my immediate thought was, ‘He’s wearing a dress shirt. Interesting.’ This sentiment spread to the whole band as they filed onstage. I found the whole 'uniform' thing cool, very few bands do that now, but it felt like it was just Grayscale putting their best foot forward.
Despite Collin Patrick Walsh’s in-ear monitors not working and him thinking the audience couldn’t hear him (we could), their music hooked me. I remember Walsh pulling the microphone away from his face and mouthing to the sound booth, “I can’t hear shit.” But it was the instrumentals and the crowd’s reaction that struck me. There was one song that stood out, it was catchy, and the crowd loved it. It ended up being “Painkiller Weather”, the first Grayscale song I ever loved. Even with the technical difficulties, I saw how much Grayscale enjoyed performing, and how good they were at it.
Following that show, I quickly learned all the lyrics to their songs, tried to discern
meanings, and of course, stalked them on YouTube. I think I’ve watched every live video available, my personal favorite being a recording from The Rec Room in Buffalo. In the video, during “Atlantic,” Nick Ventimiglia, Dallas Molster, and Collin Patrick Walsh all crowd surfed. It’s endearing to know that Grayscale likes to have fun with their fans too. That’s probably why they’ve set up a phone number to literally text with their fans. When I texted them about this article, their response was directed towards my grad school professor: “You should give Tara a 4.0, she’s an excellent student and fan.” No argument here.
Collin Patrick Walsh on the Umbra Tour
December 4, 2021, Worcester, MA
Photo by Kirsten Newbrough
I saw them live again that December on the Umbra Tour in Worcester, it’s easily my favorite show in the last five years. For once I drifted towards the quasi-mosh pit. Instead of the normal pushing and running (though, there was plenty of that), there were people dancing together, bopping in unison to the music. My biggest gloat is that I ended the night not even three feet from the stage and Collin Patrick Walsh.
Collin Patrick Walsh on the Umbra Tour
December 4, 2021, Worcester, MA
Photo by Tara Salvati
By the end of the night Grayscale started playing songs from their older albums. One of my favorite songs (that also happens to be off Nella Vita) is “In Violet;” I had never seen it performed live, and it was probably the song I looked forward to the most. The song is about losing people you love, and not wanting people to mourn in a traditional sense when you go. In the second year of a pandemic, the words felt poignant, and it created an energy in the crowd of collective understanding. We felt the lyrics.
Collin Patrick Walsh and Dallas Molster on The Umbra Tour
December 4, 2021, Worcester, MA
Photo by Tara Salvati
One line from the song comes to mind when trying to describe it. It also represents Nella Vita at its core. It’s a collective need to “dance the pain away.”
What did you think, do you agree? Leave a comment and let me know.
You can follow Grayscale on social media @grayscalepa
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