Guest Mix: TGE Turns Three!

I think this month The Grey Estates turns three! I'm not sure though because I've moved blogging platforms a billion times, and I forget. But, this month is my actual birthday and it's International Women's Day this month, so it fits. I made you a mix of girly tunes to listen to below while you read what will probably be a longwinded and sappy post about this occasion. The mix is right there below, so you can skip all my words...if you want!

In celebration of our third birthday you'll notice our logo changing. I've asked some of my favorite people in the whole world to create new logos and at the end of the month you'll be able to purchase stickers of them.

I basically started this blog because I was tired of being told I couldn't do it. Writing for other publications is cool, but creating something of your own is even cooler. I never started it with the intent that it would last three years, that we would host our own shows, release a tape or interview and get to know some of my favorite artists. Last year, when Leggy agreed to let me be their gear carrier for three days because I had written about them a long time ago, and then bugged them into becoming my friends, I basically realized that TGE was kind of a thing. I kind of realized it too when Tom from GoldFlakePaint was sleeping over my house and eating pizza with me, and then we looked out over Niagara Falls and I thought, geez, Tom is here because of Twitter and because we're both just best pals. It might of been too when Carly from The Pretty Greens asked us to co-sponsor a benefit festival or when Widowspeak played our First Estate Party and I spent the whole night secretly crying tears of joy. It was also when we released Sugar Rush with Chris from Negative Fun and he said yes right away to the idea.

I never ever dreamed any of this would happen and for someone who is disappointed in themselves on the daily this is all surreal and wonderful. To read reviews that call me an inspiration or hear that I encourage someone in anything is the weirdest thing in the whole world to me....it makes my heart fuzzy and my eyes watery.

Thanks to anyone and everyone who has ever supported this blog, done a feature, said a kind word or just told me to not to give up. I could name each and every person who has impacted my life, but that'd be really long, so just know that if you've ever interacted with me because I was bored on the Internet and wanted to create this place of my own, you probably changed my life. I have no idea how many more years this blog will last, and I can only hope that more people will support it, and let me curate tapes and make cool things, but for now, this is just my thank you. Also the hugest, biggest thanks to my staff, who write and photograph things that blow my mind!

My words of advice are follow your dreams, even when they seem stupid and outlandish because the only person reading is your mom, and her favorite band is John Mayer and DO NOT EVER let a man tell you that you can't do something. 

Love, blog queen Lauren Rearick

p.s. if you ever need anything please reach out. Except if that something is to write about your band. I'll get to that eventually.