FAWM: Gary Ray Knowland (@grayland)

Gary Ray Knowland

@grayland

Songs

Joined

2015

Cleveland, US

2025!! My 10th FAWM!! It's been a cold and snowy start here in Cleveland!! Great weather to be in the studio!! I can't wait to hear all the new fine works of art from all of you!!
Happy FAWMing Everyone!!!

Originally from Southern Indiana/Louisville Ky area. Now living in the Cleveland Oh area.

I grew up with country and bluegrass music, so I have roots there, I love Classic Rock, Blues and Progressive Jazz as well. Oh heck..throw in some Rock-a Billy too!! When I sit down to write I never know which genre is gonna emerge... It depends on my mood I guess!

I use Ableton Live11 for my DAW and I play Guitar, Bass, Keyboards and I hack around on things like Banjos and Mandolins...

Songs

Once Again by @grayland 1d #americana #singersongwriter

Stay Go by @grayland 4d #rock #blues

Took Me For A Ride by @grayland 1w #americana #blues

Dream House by @grayland 1w #americana

Walk Beside Me by @grayland 2w #jazz #progressive

She's Crazy by @grayland 2w #country

Something I'll Be Doin Without by @grayland 3w #country

I Can't Feel Nothin by @grayland 3w #rock #alternativerock #funk

Soundboard

@don0713 1h

Thanks for your comments my song, Father of the Year. It's very rewarding to get a comment like yours Thank you

@dhiatt 5h

Thank you so much for your comments! Very much enjoying my first FAWM. :)

@cbmagic 17h

Thank you very much for your comments on Road to Nowhere. I am summiting it to a couple of places to see if it is picked up for tv or a video game. Its a wait and see..

@eamarant 1d

Thanks for the encouraging comment! Really appreciate it :)

@nancycunning 1d

Great. Emailed a possibility.

@nancycunning 2d

Oh, great. So glad you’re trying out collab-ing. Let’s do email. Mine is nancycunningham1451@gmail. Let me know yours, and I’ll send you the lyric draft and we can see where it takes us.

@nancycunning 2d

I'd been thinking something rollicking and funny, but then I noticed that a lyric I started for an iambic pentameter prompt that @unknownbecky gave might be up a different one of your alleys. If you'd like to take a look, let me know a good way to share.

@paulharrison 3d

Thanks so much for your very kind words about "Matt's Song." I'm flattered by your reference to Prine, too!

@writeandwrong 3d

"Aw, thank you so much for your kind words about Hush! I’m truly honored that you mentioned Dan Fogelberg! He’s been such a huge inspiration to me. I only wish I’d had the chance to see him perform live! Thank you, again! 🎵

@nancycunning 3d

Thank you, Gary. I’ll be mulling possible joint ventures. If one comes to you first, let me know.

@opossum 3d

Thankee kindly Mr. GreyHand fer yer kind comments on "The Night Ray Met John". To be honest, I wrote all of my lyrics and had to help John write his parts cause he ain't the sharpest knife on the xmas tree, if ya know whut I mean!

@cmharwood89 4d

I don't usually leave profile comments in return for song comments - I prefer to reciprocate and comment on others' songs (I'm going to check out some more of yours as well). But I wanted to thank you for the glowing review of "Burnt Sugar." The bluesy/soul/rock genre is well outside the norm for me, and I was feeling pretty iffy about it, but you gave me more confidence that it works.

@spinhead 4d

way to bust a zong, sir. thanks so much for the detailed comment on 'water'

@nancycunning 4d

My daughter just got back from Cleveland. She said it was crazy, crazy cold there. Hope you've got lots more songs to sing to keep you warm.

@tamsnumber4 5d

Thanks for listening to my song "Journey of Your Soul"!

@unclesteve 1w

amazing pedal steel sound!!!!! such a nice country vibe. Followed!

@donna 1w

Thank you for your very nice comments on 'Like Sequins to a Stripper'. Much appreciated. (-:

@mxqidlove 2w

Thanks so much for your comments on "Falling Off the World" 💜

@spinhead 2w

I found that resonator glockenspiel plugin as I was rummaging through my files. Didn't even remember downloading it from Decent Samples, but the tone was so sweet I had to put it front and center on 'decent blues'—thanks for stopping by and saying something nice about it.

@tamsnumber4 2w

Gary, you know how to lift my spirits like no other and thank you friend for visiting my song "Abandon"!

@chill4matt 2w

Thanks so much for your recent comment, Gary. I appreciate it!

@cbmagic 2w

Thank you for your kind words. This was the first symphony that I have written. I had it in mind for years but finally put it down and created it.

@johnstaples 2w

Ha! I was dubious about "sincerer" too but the rhyming site gave it to me and Merriam-Webster confirmed it! Still, not great to use an uncommon word in a song I guess.

@dhiatt 2w

Thank you for the kind comments! Stay warm out there, buddy!

@sycophant 2w

Thank you for your kind words on my song “Groundhog Day”. I really don’t like the sound of my own voice, so was surprised by and really appreciated your praise for the vocal work… I’ve said this in a couple of other comments, but the way you FAWM veterans encourage us “fresh meat” is really cool.

@kosch 2w

Thank you for the kind words on "I See You Walking" - I'm fairly new to singing, so when someone mentions it - I'm happy

@spinhead 2w

goodness. your comment on 'fire and dust' melted me. you're quite the talent, which means it means that much more.

@lyricslinger 3w

Thanks Gary for your comments on my lyrics! Yes, reckon there will be lots of songs about war and hard times, as sadly that seems to be the state of the world at the moment.

@writeandwrong 3w

Thank you for your kind words on "Heroin Bleach." Kinda slinked back into my old style of writing 😄

@daveyboy103 3w

My goodness Gary, thank you so much for the kind words

@marklberry 3w

Cheers to FAWM 2025

@racheleve 3w

Thanks for the welcome! Happy FAWM!

@writeandwrong 3w

Those were great games!! They truly were ahead of their time! Sierra was the absolute BEST place to work ever... I started out with Leisure Suit Larry from Radio Shack... trying to beat the game against a couple DJs from Maine but things went wrong and the next thing you know I met my next ex over a computer virus. He worked for Sierra... newbie. Didn't know what the hell he was doing.... next thing I knew... I was on a plane to Cali to work for this amazing company!

@writeandwrong 3w

Wow, that is beautiful!!! Aww, I'm so glad you are here! @johnstaples and I started FAWM the same year and have been friends since day one. Truly, truly a small world and he and Rose, from what I have heard from him and through his songs, are the epitome of what every marriage should be. Those types of relationships just make my heart sing and so happy for him finding his Rose. I am glad you are here and in this FAWMily together! 🎵

@writeandwrong 3w

Oh my gosh! I didn't know you and @johnstaples knew each other back then!! He and I always talk about Yosemite. I used to work for Sierra Online / The Sierra Network / The ImagiNation Network in Oakhurst and he applied to work there! Small, small world!!!

@writeandwrong 3w

Thank you for your kind words on "Yosemite's Song." Isn't it such a magical majestic place? I transported back to my own personal heaven and haha yes, I didn't get chased by a bear (what a story that must be haha), but I grew up with bears in Maine...so when I saw a cub in a trash bin near a campground in Yosemite... my SIL at the time... lived in NYC... I told her to roll the window down so I could get a pic... and she looked at me like I was nuts. She was petrified! LOL So happy you have gotten to experience the magic there as well!