Events for October 2025 › Blues

ALASTAIR GREENE – 2024 BIO 

A native of Santa Barbara,California and now residing in Austin, Texas Alastair Greene has ridden his Blues-soaked rock into the 21st century, traversing a constantly changing global (and musical) landscape. He’s well-equipped for the challenge, carrying the diverse musical interests he developed at an early age, intrigued by his mother’s piano-playing and a record collection that included The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John. His father introduced the youngster to the sophistication of Bach and Beethoven, yet it was Greene’s grandfather, the late trumpeter Chico Alvarez- a member of the Stan Kenton Band in the 1940s and ’50s- who inspired him to pursue a life in music.

As a youth, he took piano lessons and played the saxophone before discovering the guitar in high school. 1980s heavy rock icons Van Halen and Iron Maiden brought motivational thunder. Then, a vintage and seminal sound- the Blues- changed Greene’s course. Records by B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, The Allman Brothers Band, and Stevie Ray Vaughan exposed the burgeoning guitarist to a trove of musical treasure.

He received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied for two years, before returning in the early ‘90s to Southern California. Greene formed the Alastair Greene Band in 1997 and subsequently released eight solo albums (including two live sets and a compilation record) over nearly 20 years. 2017’s studio effort, Dream Team, landed a four-star review and Best Album of the Year nod in DownBeat; 2018’s Live from the 805 was nominated for Rock Blues Album of the Year by Blues Blast Magazine, garnering inclusion on many ‘Best of 2018’ lists.

A much in-demand guitarist and vocalist, Greene traveled the world, touring with the legendary Alan Parsons Live Project from 2010 – 2017, as well as stints with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and, most recently, (2018-2019) Blues Music Award-winner Sugaray Rayford. His work with Parsons, in particular, sparked a conversation with renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer Tab Benoit at a Las Vegas blues festival. In 2019, Greene signed with Benoit’s Whiskey Bayou Records label and released 2 records, “The New World Blues’ (2020) and “Alive In The New World” (2023). Greene toured the U.S. consistently in 2021 and 2022 opening over 100 shows for Benoit.

After running into Thomas Ruf on a tour of Germany in 2022 opening for Walter Trout Alastair signed signed with Ruf Records and released Standing Out Loud in May of 2024. Standing Out Loud was produced by Greene. 8 of the albums 11 tracks were recorded in Nashville, TN with JD Simo and the remaining 3 songs were recorded in Greene’s adopted hometown of Austin, TX with Hunter St.Marie.

With a strong batch of original songs rooted in blues and southern rock traditions, STANDING OUT LOUD builds upon the momentum created by his critically acclaimed solo releases of recent years. “Teaming up with Ruf Records for this album feels like a natural and perfect fit for the progression of my career,” says the California native and multi-charting Billboard artist that Blues Music Magazine called “a major talent in the blues-rock category.”

With the album complete, Greene is itching to hit the road. His 2024 tour schedule will include festival and club dates across the U.S. and over 40 European dates. “I’ve toured Europe many times as the guitarist with the Alan Parsons Live Project, and I’m excited to be bringing my music to the people.”

Featuring funky, swampy grooves and flights of muscular guitar, Greene delivers rock and blues stirred by touchstones such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, yet perhaps most often guided by the roadmap of Gov’t Mule and that band’s synthesis of The Allman Brothers Band’s improvisational firepower and the raw, stripped-down electric Blues-rock of Cream.