Episode Details

·       A vocal injury, four months of silence, and a palimpsest

·       Surprise at a previous connection

·       A breakup song that probably belongs in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey

·       Tragic clowns and irony

·       The difference between enunciation and finding a richer voice

·       Sixteen years away from recording—and the realization that he couldn’t live without music

·       A songwriter’s unlikely vision of immortality

Greg Amici was fronting the New Jersey band Big Honey when a vocal cord polyp interrupted his music career. During months of vocal rest, he wrote without speaking, working on a palimpsest. The image suits a life in which earlier work remains visible beneath what comes next: bands, acting, screenwriting, songs left unfinished, and songs waiting to be heard.

Years later, an opportunity to write music for a film brought Greg back into the studio. Sixteen years after Big Honey, he realized, “I can’t live without making music.” Working with producer James Mastro and a group of musicians he trusted, he began recording the songs that became Tragicomic.

In this conversation, Greg and Scott explore the album’s characters, dark humor, and visual world. They follow “I’ll Be Back” from a personal breakup into a song shaped by The Odyssey, and talk about why Greg still cares deeply about album art, printed lyrics, and the experience of holding a record.

Greg is also looking ahead. He talks about studying music theory, experimenting with alternate tunings and piano, and working with a voice teacher to change how he sings. A recent injury has delayed his return to the stage, but another album is on its way. With wit and candor, he considers how much he still wants to make—and where a song might live after its maker is gone.

About the Artist

Gregory Amici is a singer-songwriter from New Jersey, whose creative journey has taken him from the heart of Manhattan to Los Angeles and back again. Greg likes to call himself a “count in name only,” tracing his aristocratic lineage through Italian family names such as Benedetti, Stalute, and Scala.

Greg found his calling as a musician in high school, inspired by local bands. Picking up the guitar in his late teens, he founded his first band, The Clergy, and later teamed up with a musical partner to form the ’80s alt-rock band Junk. Their cover of "The Shape of Things to Come" was featured on the compilation The East Coast 60’s Rock n’ Roll Experiment, produced by longtime friend Matt Pinfield. 

Later, Greg formed Big Honey, a New York-based band with a loyal following. Their rise peaked at the CMJ Music Festival but paused indefinitely when a vocal polyp sidelined Greg for years. Despite this setback, his talent was widely acknowledged, earning praise for his distinctive voice and songwriting abilities from peers within the music community.

After a 16-year hiatus, Greg returned to the studio, reuniting with producer James Mastro (The Bongos, Mott the Hoople) and drummer/engineer Ray Ketchem (Elk City) at Magic Door Studio, which led to the album Tragicomic, available now.

Connect with the Artist

Links:

• Website: https://gregamici.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gregamicimusic/
• Bandcamp: https://gregamici.bandcamp.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GregAmiciMusic/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregamicimusic
• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0024823/

About the Show

The Sum