GriEli, featuring Greg Grieve and 10-year old Eli Van Shephard, will perform at the third annual Zombie Fest planned for Oct. 24 at Owego’s Parkview Hotel and Restaurant located at 145 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. (Provided photo)
Making their debut at the third annual Zombie Fest, the duo, GriEli, is slated to perform on Saturday, Oct. 24 starting at 2:30 p.m., an excellent opener for young Zombies attending the event. Owego’s Zombie Fest, scheduled from 2:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., is being held at the Parkview Hotel and Restaurant and Draper Park located at 145 Front St. in Owego, N.Y.
GriEli, comprised of lead vocalist, Greg Grieve, who plays bass and guitar, and ten year old Eli Van Shephard on drums, have been together as a duo since June of this year. Both Greg and Eli have had other individual music and band experiences prior to combining their talents, including playing other venues and special events throughout the Southern Tier.
A student in the Chenango Forks, N.Y. school district, ten-year-old Eli started playing drums seriously about two and one half years ago. When he was in the second grade, watching videos of musician Neil Peart sparked Eli’s passion for drums. Peart, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock group Rush, is well known for his extraordinary drum solos and has chalked up several awards in his forty-plus year career including an induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame.
Eli’s father, Scott Shephard, shared that Eli focuses his energy on being like the drum-master, Peart.
“Eli likes to mimic him,” Shephard said.
So much so that Eli plays his own rendition of “La Villa Strangiato” from Rush’s 1978 “Hemisphere’s” album, which is an instrumental considered a classic amongst professional drummers.
In addition to his drum wizardry, Eli also enjoys learning and playing guitar, and has teamed up to play at the Zombie Fest with bass and guitar player, Greg Grieve.
Grieve offers up strong vocals and musicianship for GriEli. Incorporating a unique guitar/bass set-up similar to two-man bands like the White Stripes and Royal Blood, Grieve helps accomplish the GriEli “full” rock band sound by playing bass and guitar at the same time.
Eli is also associated with another local band called the X-Kids, however GriEli is itself a separate band. Ready to excite Zombie Fest goers, GriEli will play cover songs by Green Day, Black Sabbath and Royal Blood, just to name a few, and later in the evening when the Recycled Zombies take over the stage, Eli will be back on stage to join the recycled crew for a signature piece certain to make zombie history.
A free event for all ages, Owego’s Zombie Fest will feature the Recycled Zombies, Wreckless Marci, GriEli and Kathy Hansen’s School of Dance performers, along with face painting, a haunted house and the not-to-miss “Zombie Walk” around downtown Owego. Taking place at Draper Park and the Parkview Hotel and Restaurant, which is registered on New York’s Haunted History Trail, Zombie Fest will bring the undead out of the woodwork for a howling good time.
For more information, find Eli Van Shephard, Owego Zombie Fest and Owego’s Parkview Hotel and Restaurant on Facebook. To learn more about the haunted history trail, visit www.hauntedhistorytrail.com.
This free event is organized by community volunteers, and is made possible through various sponsors to include the event sponsor, Music, Movies & Mayhem featuring Heather and Ron; and the major sponsors, Visions Federal Credit Union, Tioga Downs Casino, and Armstrong Music House – formerly of Towanda and Sayre, Pa.
