GreyMarket
Breaking the Mold
Words: James Ferreira
Photos: James Ferreira

Most of life’s greatest tragedies revolve around the simple premise of wasted talent.  One of Tampa’s most gifted bands, GreyMarket, strives to avoid this sad fate by creating something completely genuine and unique to our local scene.  As long as I can remember, Tampa has been plagued by the stigma of being a type of dirt rockers’ paradise, with a punk rock fascination.  In other words, some of the more cerebral forms of rock music need not apply.  This is perhaps the most tragic part of all, because it makes it easier for great bands to get lost in the fray.  GreyMarket is one of our fair cities greatest treasures, playing edgy, experimental rock music, with a flair for the electronic, hauntingly powerful lyrics and voice, and bone shattering beats.  The most amazing part is that their all encompassing sound is generated by a mere two men, Mike Gargiulo, and L. Cave McCoy.   

I asked Cave to explain a little bit about GreyMarket’s background, “Well, Mike is from The Bronx.  He moved here when he was 16. I was born in Germany and moved down here from Virginia 6 years ago for college.  We met through a flyer that Mike had posted at USF in the music department a few years ago.  My sister saw it and told me I should respond.  Mike had started playing drums back when he was 14, when his dad bought him a drum set for his birthday. I started playing piano when I was 12 (forced by my parents).  I gave up shortly thereafter and didn't return to music until I started playing bass in high school.  From there, I started playing whatever instrument we couldn't find somebody else to play,” he informed me.

I asked him who some of their musical influences are, and he responded with, “That changes from week to week. This week I've been listening to a lot of Garbage and Supertramp, a potentially lethal combination. Of course there are old favorites that can't be denied; Led Zeppelin, Radiohead (sigh), Muse, etc.”

Their live shows are a strikingly precise clinic on how to fill a room with a captivating sound.  I asked the guys how they are able to surround their audience with such a full sound as only a two piece, “We have an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-and-sometimes-that-too approach to our arrangement.  The laptop tracks have a lot of layers, and we consume a lot of space as players.  We're obnoxiously self absorbed musicians that love to hear ourselves play, so we don't have much trouble filling the room with ego and sound,” they explain.

Cave and Mike appear to be incredibly motivated to succeed, so adding another part to GreyMarket could be tricky, and viewed by most as totally unnecessary.  Nonetheless, I inquired a bit about whether or not they felt the need to expand their line-up, “Maybe. There's no need for it, we're very comfortable with our current situation. We are certainly not looking for other players, but if an individual came along with enough talent and desire to be a part of what we are doing, we would at consider it. There would, of course, be a hazing.”

Despite GreyMarket’s phenomenal talent, the creation of a sound unique to the area, and an overwhelming approachable and likeable demeanor, they have struggled to find their niche locally (Ironically, this is probably the only thing they have in common with most Tampa acts).  I asked the guys what their feelings were on their hometown scene and they replied, “It's struggling. It seems like the local government wants to kill it with noise ordnances. There are a couple of scene strongholds keeping things going - The Orpheum and New World Brewery spring to mind. A little more camaraderie between area bands could go a long way towards furthering the cause.”

This is no ordinary tale dealing with a local band of marginal talent struggling to make a name for themselves.  GreyMarket has created an amazing sound that deserves to be heard.  When asked what the future holds, Cave told me, “Escape. To continue expanding our sphere of influence, make new friends, play as many shows as possible, be heard by the right ears, and escape a life spent languishing in the banal.”  Hopefully, they’ll stick around here for a while, it’s not often that Tampa sees a band this good pass through.
Please check out GreyMarket at www.greymarketband.com.