Greg Altman

Location (Philly Neighbourhood): Fishtown

Hometown: Newtown PA

Current Project(s)/Band(s): Vacationer, Thrills, Ratkicker

Past Project(s)/Band(s):  Like Lions, The Grand Electric

Instrument(s) you play:  guitar, bass

What else do you do in the Philly music scene?

- manages event coordination at The Barbary

- performs audio production, engineering, mixing, and mastering

- acoustic treatment in venues and restaurants

Favourite Place in Philly:  probably my garage haha

Favourite Watering Hole/Coffee Spot:  Milkcrate, I'm a regular.

Favourite Restaurant:  North 3rd consistently blows my mind.  I'm there once a week and I always order from the specials menu.  Their kitchen is super talented.  

Favourite Pizza Spot:  Meglio Pizzeria in Newtown

Favourite Philly Record Shop:  Milkcrate.  I'm biased, but they have a well-curated selection downstairs.

Favourite Philly Venue:  The Trocadero, simply because I've seen so many of my favorite shows there.  As a performer, Union Transfer is the nicest venue to play.  

Location of Photo(s):  My home studio, my garage.

What do those location(s) mean to you?:  Both locations are very important to me.  My studio space is a multi-function room.  After 12 years in Philly, I finally found a space where I can make music around the clock.  It's super isolated, so I can't hear the outside world and they can't hear me.  Most of my neighbors don't know I'm a musician.  I use my studio for band practices, and also for independent production work.  My garage is equally as important.  I've always been a DIY-er.  I keep an organized work space so I can handle a wide variety of projects.  Between a car, a truck, three-ish motorcycles, and a pile of music gear - I spend a lot of time fixing broken stuff.  When my venues demand construction/renovation, my garage serves as my home base.

Recording Space:  My home studio.  I dropped out of college to start a recording company.  I worked in large format studios for years.  Considering modern recording technology, I feel that a home studio is sufficient for 99% of my recording projects.  I still love big studios.  Spice House is right around the corner from me, and it's one of the most amazing live rooms I've ever visited.  

Favourite Philly Band(s):  Hard to say because I listen to so many new bands every day while I'm sorting through emails (sorry I know that's a cop-out answer).  I recently played a show opening for Restorations - that was the best set I've seen in recent memory.  

What are you listening to now:  NOFX, Slayer, Propagandhi

Best show you’ve seen in Philly:  Bigwig at the Troc, when I was 13.

If you could sum up in one sentence what Philly / Philly music scene means to you, what would it be? The Philly music scene is like skateboarding - it seems really easy when you watch other people do it, and then you try it yourself and fall flat on your face.

Life motto:  It's tough, get a helmet.

Random Fun Fact:  One time I lived with Chris Kirkpatrick from NSYNC for a month.  Super weird.

Childhood Dream Job:  Astronaut.  "Current" childhood dream job - Evel Knievel.

Pets: 1 betta fish, 1 snail, 2 housemates

Future plans:  Working my ass off for another 10 years.  Then, selling everything except my Harley and peacing out