Today, 26th June, is the day of the long awaited premiere of Grey Daze’s album titled “Amends“, which features a track titled ‘Shouting Out’, where we can hear backing vocals from our very own LP!
photo courtesy of Grey Daze
Grey Daze, was a band fronted by Chester Bennington before he went on to form Linkin Park. Bennington left the band in 1998, but had reunited with them and was in the middle of re-recording music for a new album when he died in 2017.
Some of the information of how this album came to fruition I covered in my earlier post, that I did when we’ve first heard of LP’s involvement in the project (June 2019). Click here for the reminder. However now I will try to provide even more background info.
This project was started in February 2017 when Chester and Sean picked about four songs to recut and sent new guitarist Cristin Davis into the studio to work on them. The album was announced in June by bassist Mace Bayers, the news came along with the announcement of a Grey Daze reunion show.
According to Sean, it was Chester’s idea to put the band together for a Club Tattoo 20th anniversary party. The band had just started to strip the masters down and re-track guitars and planned on sending the producer on tour with Linkin Park so Chester could record vocals.
Sadly, everything was canceled and the whole project was put on hold following Chester’s death on July 20th. Atfer a while, Sean Dowdell and remaining band members decided to continue on the project as a way to honour Chester’s memory and legacy, after they were given permission by Chester’s widow, Talinda.
They worked at Salt Mine Studios and NRG Recording Studios with several musician friends of Chester and artists that he loved, which included (amongst many others), LP. According to Sean, it was actually Chester who introduced him to LP, so when they wanted a female singer for “Shouting Out” he decided to ask her.
Sean about LP from his interview for Kroq in February 2020:
Chester and I were driving to lunch one day in 2016, and he says “you gotta hear this girl man, she’s amazing!”, and I was like “ok”. And he was, you know him, like a monkey who couldn’t sit still all the time, so, no matter if he was telling me about a coaster or if he was telling me about the greatest singer in the world, the energy level was always at 11.
So, he puts on his iPod or whatever in the car, and there’s this girl LP, and he’s playing me this track called “Lost On You”. And he’s just freaking out about her vocal inflections, that she can just go upwords and horizontally with her voice at the same time. And he’s just goin’ off about it, and just telling me how much he loves this girl, and it’s the first time I’ve ever heard her.
So, when we were going over the songs, there’s a song called “Shouting Out”, that I wanted a female to sing with him on it, that’s how we originally done it at the first record ‘Wake Me’. And I said, who do we know, that’s out there that’s a female voice that would fit this song, and I’m talking with our friend Rene [Mata], and I said, do you know this girl LP, he used to freak out about her, and he says, I don’t know her but I know her managment, let’s see.
And he sends a text and within 5 minutes he gets a text: when can I, when do you want me there? And she showed up, and she killed it! She does such a good job singing with Chester, it’s something I think he would be exctatic of the finished product.
LP came to the studio on the 6th of June and here’s what Cristin Davis (Grey Daze’s guitarist) kindly wrote about that session: @cristindavisofficial: “It was one of the most amazing moments of the recording process. She was incredible to watch and to be around. She came straight from the airport off of an international flight to be with us and record that evening. Not one complaint, she was professional and just very cool. It was everything we could have asked for and more. I’ll be a fan for life”.
print screen from Grey Daze’s doc video
LP in her own words about her involvement in the project: @iamlpofficial: “So surreal to be a part of this incredible project! Grey Daze were and are part of the legendary story and legacy of one of rock’s greatest voices. Again – I ‘m so honored to be apart of this project & sing with this legend. #foryouchester.”
More from LP from the “Shouting Out” discussion for Inked Magazine:
It was really deep. Especially when we really isolated us together. You know, I’m sure you’ve done duets with people, and it’s always an experience even when it’s in person. There was so much like, so much feeling I had, cause I really found out like right before this, that Chester even knew who I was and liked my stuff, so I was kinda like really, wow cool! It was kinda like singing with like, potential friend that you’re never gonna meet, and I was just kinda blown away by the song in general, just what a beautiful song it is. I honestly just had a great time. And I had to step it up, I was having some vocal trouble at the time, I’d just gotten off tour and I had all this acid reflux and stuff… I was beat dude, I was like burnt and shit… just like: “I gotta step up!” So you know, it took me a minute to get my engine running and then I just let it rip.
Sean was great, and everybody was just so nurturing and so sweet; I feel like I could get an idea of what Chester was like from them a bit, you know? You know, you can tell a lot about a person by the people they surround themselves with or that they’ve known. So I don’t know, I just felt… there was a lot of love in the room.
I mean just the chorus… I was noticing me and Chester, we are both Pisces, we are like two days apart as far as like, you know, in March, and that sensitive kind of like people pleasing thing, I kinda have a bit of that myself. Just “I didn’t mean to let you down”, the whole chorus: “I’m shouting out so ashamed, I didn’t mean to run from you” It’s kinda of this like apology to someone that’s, you know… hurt them, hurt him as well. And I just could really relate to it, ’cause I find myself apologising for things that would actually need to be apologised for, a lot. So I totally got his spirit in that.
On June 9, 2019, Grey Daze confirmed they had wrapped up the project and by the August they had mixed the album. Pre-orders for Amends started on February 06, 2020. The album was originally set for release on April 10, however the release was postponed to June 26th due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Some proceeds from the sales will benefit Talinda’s 320 Changes Direction and other portions of the proceeds have been allocated for Chester’s kids. The band has no intention to tour without Chester or replace him with another vocalist and turned down every offer to play shows they got.
About “Shouting Out”
It is the twelfth and final track on the album Wake Me. The first known studio version of “Shouting Out” was recorded sometime in June 1994 as part of a 6-track demo done at Teething Studios, Scott Crowley’s apartment studio. The song featured additional vocals by Mindy Nilson of Lemon Krayola. Chester was 18 years old at that time…
On October 6, 1994, the very first day of working on Wake Me, the album’s producer David Knauer recorded Grey Daze playing live in his studio to see what they had in store for their debut album. While this performance featured only Chester singing “Shouting Out”, the album version featured additional vocals by Kimberly Rogers.
“Shouting Out” was debuted live in 1994. Mindy Nilson of Lemon Krayola, who recorded vocals for the original demo of the song, occasionally performed it live with the band. Click here for Grey Daze’s Live performance at the Rally Kaps in 1994.
About the ‘re-mastered’ song, my love for Chester & Linkin Park
and of course my thoughts on LP’s involvement in the project
If I recall correctly I was introduced to Linkin Park by either my brother or a friend of mine however we both fell in love with “Hybrid Theory”. I was 22 when that record came out, my brother was only 15. It was one of those records that make you grow and change. I remember watching concerts and seeing how Chester and his band were blowing up in terms of success. I’ve always promised myself that one day I will see him in a concert personally. I remember reading about his struggles with mental health issues and depression. It was something close to my heart and I understood it all too well because of my very own struggles. And then I remember the shock after his suicide. And I remember the talk I’ve had with my siblings and close family. And they couldn’t comprehend it. The main question was: how could he, what about his family and children? He had so many fans, he was so loved. How?? But also, why no one helped him, why didn’t they see it sooner. And I remember ‘fighting’ for him and trying to explain, that it’s not the case of weakness or not caring or not thinking about the others… It’s just you are so deep in the dark, you feel so alone, so helpless, exhausted that you simply can’t see a way out… The worst thing is, you need help from the others, but at the same time you alienate yourself from everyone. Inside you are screaming for help but on the outside, no one can see it or understand. No one knows how to deal with you. No one knows how to help…
I’m glad that this early recordings of Chester and his first band are now being introduced. You will learn a lot from those lyrics. And it’s important to carry on his legacy and to fight for mental health awarness. Also, I have nothing but huge admiration on how the whole project was done, Grey Daze did it with the utmost respect for both Chester and his family.
As for LP and “Shouting Out”. Knowing that Chester was a fan of LP, adding to this my very own love for both LP (so widely documented on this blog) and for Linkin Park, it just blows my mind, that the worlds of my two idols collided in such a huge, unexpected way, almost 20 years later. I absolutely love the production of the song – huge thanks to Cass Dillon for that!
And finally LP – she moves me like no one else with her voice. That timbre and tone are perfect match for Chester, and what she did with harmonies, and whistle is just perfection. It’s still a Grey Daze’s song, with Chester as a main artist but LP has added that extra softness, sweetness and soulfulness to the mix. It’s so hard to explain, but when you will listen to the track, you will get it instantly. Chester accompanied by LP hit all the right spots with their voices.
PS. Shout-out to James “Munky” Shaffer & Brian Welch of Korn band, I love what they did with B12. It’s one of my favourite tracks on this album!
Shouting Out – lyrics
La de dum
La de dum dum
Silent criminals analyzed
Through psychic waving tears (waving tears)
Superstitious minds collide
As silence fills the hall (fills the halls)
Silence moving proclamations
This silence proving lies,
Speechless cries, emotions dull
Shouting out across the hall
Didn’t mean to let you down
I’m shouting out, so ashamed
Didn’t mean to run from you
I didn’t mean to
Shouting out
(I’m shouting out)
Showing weakness in your eyes
You’re crawling on your knees,
Roaming aimless through skies lost
As silence shakes the halls
Creeping past all illusions
Searching thoughts that hide
Silence brakes in weeping hands
Shouting out and in again
Didn’t mean to run from you
I’m shouting out, so ashamed
Didn’t mean to let you down,
I didn’t mean to
Shouting out
Shouting out
La de dum dum
Shouting out
La de dum dum
La de dum
la de dum dum