The Many Faces Of Detroit: The music of Detroit is enjoying a higher profile than ever with the bust-out success of the White Stripes' White Blood Cells, which has hammered its way into the top half of the Billboard 200.

Anyone seeking a useful primer devoted to some of the Motor City's better young rock bands needn't look much further than Troy Gregory's debut solo album Sybil, due April 30 from the Los Angeles-based, Detroit-skewed indie Fall Of Rome Records.

Gregory -- a member of hard rock acts Flotsam & Jetsam and Prong before he formed his own combo the Witches -- has enlisted some of the best up-and-coming talent on the fertile Detroit scene for his project. Each of the 13 tracks on Sybil -- which takes its name from the book about a famed case of clinical multiple personality -- finds singer/guitarist Gregory backed by a different hometown combo.

"I was going to play everything myself, and I thought, 'Well, I'll get so-and-so to play on it,'" Gregory says. "And then I thought, 'Fuck it, why don't I just get their whole band?'"

The album kicks off with "Lice Cots N' Rabies Shots," on which Gregory wails over the axe-whacking power duo Bantam Rooster, and concludes with "Freezing Rain Freezin'," where he is supported by the whispery all-female unit Slumber Party. The tracks sandwiched between those extremities run the gamut from flailing garage rock to psychedelia and neo-soul; the backup bands include the Dirtbombs, Outrageous Cherry, the Sights, They Come In Threes, the Alphabet, the Wildbunch, the Volebeats, and album co-producer Jim Diamond's Pop Monsoon.

The one-for-all-and-all-for-one style of Sybil is in keeping with the open-ended modus operandi of the Detroit scene, as Gregory describes it.

"It's so incestuous around here," he says. "So that creates that kind of communication network.... You just go to jam with some friends, and it's not like, 'OK, we're going to get this together, and then we're going to get ourselves on the cover of Spin.'"

by Ben Edmonds

Troy Gregory, leader of Detroit's subterranean rock iconoclasts the Witches, takes a novel but timely approach to this solo record. Instead of merely casting appropriate musicians, he selects a different local band to back him on each of the 13 songs. Because Gregory's projects tend to be oblivious to boundaries to begin with, this is not a stretch.

Highlights include "Lice Cots N' Rabies Shots," his anarchist boogie bash with Bantam Rooster; the psycho bubblegum of Outrageous Cherry on "Regrets . . . I've Had A Few"; the densely textured psychedelia of Alphabet, and the straighter pop lines drawn by the Sights and They Come in Threes. Not all the experiments are successful. The country-rock of the Volebeats track is a bit too monochromatic, like a Gene Clark song left unfinished, and the contribution of noise cathedral architects Larval falls short of the band's clamorous grandeur.

On balance, however, the project represents the breadth of the local underground more sympathetically than most current compilation albums. With so much international attention being trained on our garage scene, Troy Gregory's "Sybil" (she of the personality multitudes) has less to do with schizophrenia than with simple creative curiosity and old-fashioned marketing horse sense. Good concept, good record. By Ben Edmonds, Free Press special writer.

In the U.S. bicentennial year of 1976, there was Sybil, a made-for-TV "disease of the week" movie based on a popular paperback about a woman who had developed a number of distinct personalities as a way to cope with her vicious, mentally ill mother. It wasn't exactly a laugh riot and bummed out a lot of women who were actually named Sybil, but it did go a long way to help explain what a person with multiple-personality disorder went through on a daily basis. Some 25 years later, Detroit's Troy Gregory — the leader of the Witches and the man Kim Fowley once called "the son of Keith Richards and Syd Barrett, midwifed by Nick Lowe" — has sullied the poor woman's name again. This time, however, the title Sybil represents the many and myriad musical personas that Gregory adopts on his first solo album. His "multiple personalities" are represented by backing by a different Detroit band on each track (including Bantam Rooster, the Dirtbombs, Outrageous Cherry, Slumber Party, the Volebeats, the Come Ons, and fellow Fall of Rome labelmates the Sights and They Come in Threes). The results, as you might expect, are widely varied, but nothing disappoints on this highly addictive and mind-expanding hybridization of recycled (but not retro) rock subgenres, particularly focusing on primal garage/psych-rock and sludge rock sounds. Examples of where Sybil seems to work best are, like most various artists-style compilations, stacked toward the front. The album gets off to a rollicking start with "Lice Cots N' Rabies Shots," with wonderfully damaged blues accompaniment by Bantam Rooster, followed by the riotous "Leave the Ghost at Home," on which the Sights, surely one of the best groups coming from the Motor City, propel the song forward with sheer gusto-rock prowess with cowbell accents. Other highlights include the songs with Outrageous Cherry ("Regrets...I've Had a Few") and the Wild Bunch ("Dealin' in Death N' Stealin' in the Name of the Lord"), though Sybil will surely appeal to fans of any of the bands featured here.

by Arthur Green

Witches frontman Troy Gregory drafts in a whole passle of Detroit scene bands and has them back him on his tunes. Makes sense enough and was more than likely a lot of fun though his tunes would seem to work much better with some than others (best ones IMHO are “Regrets…” with Outrageous Cherry, “Freezin’ Rain Freezin’” with the Slumber Party). The overall dark vibes he would seem to exude (huh?) is lost with the likes of the more 60s influenced bands like the Come Ons. Should be of great interest to fans of the Witches.

Out of the unforgiving industrial landscape of Detroit comes a gorgeous, sad monster with one head and 13 bodies. The head being Troy Gregory, on break from his regular band The Witches. The 13 bodies being a baker’s dozen of Detroit garage rock bands, a different one for each song on the album. It’s the Motor City equivalent of Stephin Merritt’s “guest star band” The 6ths.

On Sybil Gregory enlists gritty blues bastards like Bantam Rooster, The Wildbunch and The Dirtbombs. There are also impeccably harmonious 60’s pop revisionists like The Sights, Outrageous Cherry and The Volebeats.

Despite the disparate natures of the bands involved, there is a unifying force at work All written by Gregory himself, the songs on Sybil are as tenuously muscular as Iggy Pop and melodically sophisticated as Paul McCartney. The sound is raw and immediate, in sharp contrast to today’s standard practice of processing everything to a smooth consistency and polishing away any endearing quirks.

On first listen, it’s the energy and panache that dominate. Repeat listens are rewarded with tender layers of sound peeling away from the raging slabs to reveal a roiling, hypnotic center of calm amid the chaos.

My favorite moments include the straight-ahead bounce and bang of “Leave the Ghost at Home,” a double-rush hit of caffeine and sugar. There’s also the jangly fuzz and soulful harmonies of “Regrets . . . I’ve Had a Few.” Gregory’s voice is especially gripping here, as ribald as it is rueful. An eager yearning pitch in his singing grapples with the scratchy after-effects of decades of decadence, giving the impression of a seminary school dropout who just got out of rehab a couple years ago and now roams freely in the space between heaven and hell, having licked them both.

This is an abrasive yet inviting mud fight of a record. You’ll get dirty and your mind will be freer and sharper for it.

pennyblackmusic.com (UK)

by Andrew Carver

Troy Gregory is lead singer with the Witches, whose 2001 album 'Universal Mall' was one of the year’s finest — a pounding, reverb-heavy psychedelic punker recorded at fellow Witch Jim Diamond’s Ghetto Recorders.

Allegedly Gregory wrote 13 songs for 'Sybil', then invited a host of Detroit bands to help record them over the course of a week. Gregory provides his alternately weary and harried soul voice, the bands turn in the music.

'Sybil' accomplishes three things: It exposes people to Gregory’s work, gives an introduction to several Detroit bands, and surveys several varieties of fuzz.

You’ve got cheap-guitar-amp-about-to-explode distortion a la Bantam Roosters, who provide a scratchy, frenetic backing for the lo-fi 'Lice Cots ‘n’ Rabies Shots.'

You’ve got short controlled blasts of mod-pop fuzz with the Sights on 'Leave The Ghost at Home', which also finds Gregory at his most crooning.

They Come In Threes demonstrate a New Wave melody line synthetic fuzz on '“Rat Squad', a fine slice of paranoid pop with some tremoloed vocals.

The Alphabet turn in 'Other Dimensions Will Reveal Themselves 2 B True 2 U' — Gregory is obviously a graduate of the Prince school of song titling. It’s one of the better songs, a hazy gem, with one of Gregory’s strongest singing efforts.

The Wildbunch are another album highpoint — and another Strobe band . "Dealin’ in Death ‘n’ Stealin’ In The Name Of the Lord.'' has sheets of distortion and Chuck Berry licks and is very tasty.

The Dirtbombs excel as always on their song, 'Born In a Haunted Barn.' Their stomping two drums and two basses sound give the song lots of push.

Slumber Party’s breezy, atmospheric buzz closes the album out with 'Freezing Rain Freezin’. Also putting in an appearance are the Come-Ons doing their hip-shakin’ organ-driven garage pop, The Volebeats with some jangly country-psyche, Outrageous Cherry with an atypically clunky effort, and Larval, an art-damaged and off-kilter band of which Gregory is a regular member. Jim Diamond’s Pop Monsoon (just Jim and Troy, apparently) turn in a heavily fuzzed 'Down 2 The Last Santa Claus', complete with sleigh bells, and The Glow In The Dark Monsters (Troy and brother Todd) turn in a heavily reverbed 'Elektrik Fool' that sounds like a Witches castoff.

“Sybil” has its ups and downs, but there are no really unlistenable tracks,and the bands work well together (not surprising, since there’s a fair amount of membership overlap). Fans of the various bands involved should pick this up.

After listening to this, you’ll most likely want to check out the They Come In Threes, who have an LP on Fall of Rome, Slumber Party’s' Kill Rock Stars' album, the effusive output of the Dirtbombs, the Wildbunch (who have a new 7-inch on Flying Bomb) and The Alphabet (they were supposed to have a record out on Poptones, but have now released it themselves), and the Witches’ 'Universal Mall', also on Fall of Rome.

The Bob Jr.

Vol. 2 No. 1

Troy Gregory is the front man for Detroit's coolest underground band, The Witches, so it's not too surprising that when he decided to do a solo album he found support from a most of the other underground bands that matter. On each track, Gregory becomes the front man for a different band, and the results are always mixed, but not in the way we usually mean when we say "mixed results." In this case, I mean we get a mix of Gregory's sense of dark mystery and whatever it is that makes the other band what it is.

No matter what the trademark sound of the band, the combination yields a surprise. I'm a big fan of the power pop band Outrageous Cherry, but I have to listen twice to be sure it's actually them performing on "Regrets... I've Had A Few" with Gregory, and The Sights, one of the most powerful bands on the planet, sound like another powerful band on "Leave The Ghost At Home." It's that way with everyone, from The Volebeats and Slumber Party to Jim Diamond's Pop Monsoon and They Come In Threes, but while Gregory makes every song his own, each track has a distinctly different sound thanks to the talents of the bands he worked with.

The production (uncredited as such though the liners say recorded by Jim Diamond, Bill Brovold and John Nash) has a lot to do with the artistic success of this album. There's a layer of reverb poured over the tracks that gives the entire event a feeling of mystery akin to the best of the early Blue Oyster Cult albums, whether the song is ethereal as "Other Dimensions Will Reveal Themselves 2 Be True 2 U," recorded with The Alphabet, or light and poppy like "Left My Mind Alone," recorded with The Volebeats. But the real star is Troy Gregory himself, the head Witch and a natural talent who deserves a large audience (who, in turn, would be very lucky to have discovered him).

I interviewed Troy for the Halloween issue of Cosmik Debris last year and learned that he lives in a house that's decorated for Halloween all year 'round. Funny, too, because I keep thinking this would be a perfect Halloween release. I guess this proves what Troy was saying all along. For him, it really is Halloween all year 'round.

By Claudio Sossi

Appropriately named, Sybil presents Troy Gregory of The Witches stretching out and enjoying the backing of a different band for each of the thirteen tracks here. Reading like a "who's who" of Detroit's garage/punk scene, Gregory keeps fine company on what is a promo not only for him, but also for some stellar acts from the motor city.

Most notable from the get-go is Leave The Ghost At Home, where Gregory marries his aggressive pop style quite nicely with labelmates The Sights. This is straightforward rock built around an irrepressibly solid groove that'll have you swaying along. Also noteworthy is Gregory's collaboration with They Come In Threes on the tough swagger of Rat Squad. As far as the contribution of The Come-Ons goes on It Ain't Human, look for a reverb-drenched r&b flavoured workout that'll keep you coming back for more.

Of course, you might expect Sybil to somewhat erratic thanks to the participants, but Gregory either maintains a strong signature style - or has the power to influence his collaborators here to an impressive level. Rather than a Detroit "best of", Sybil remains a Gregory CD. Not even the pairings with Outrageous Cherry on Regrets…I've Had A Few or The Volebeats on Left My Mind Alone can shift the spotlight.

Great garage-pop, and - for the unconverted - a great introduction to a wealth of talent.

The aptly named solo album from The Witches frontman (and one-time Prong and Flotsam and Jetsam bassist), Sybil shows the many faces of Troy Gregory, a versatile performer who showcases his songwriting style by performing each of the 13 songs with different Detroit bands. Each brings a new approach to the songs, making Sybil interesting as well as enjoyable. Working with a variety of known acts, from the pop sounds of The Sights to the experimental avant-jazz of Larval, the music goes from garage rock to pop and more. Gregory’s vocals sometimes come across like those of a David Bowie who sang in a garage band. The album starts off with a bang from rockers Bantam Rooster. The strongest tracks here are the ones that show off the pop sound behind his often-dark lyrics, creating a unique contrast. “Leave the Ghost at Home” with The Sights and “Rat Squad” with They Come in Threes are two examples of this. The next three tracks take on a ‘60s psychedelic vibe then it’s back to rockin’ with the longest titled track on the album, “Dealin’ in Death N’ Stealin In The Name of the Lord” with the Wild Bunch. “It Ain’t Human” is a Stones-like rocker with The Come Ons. The album closes on a quieter note with the dreamy ballad, “Freezing Rain Freezin’” done with Slumber Party. Sybil is a clever concept album from start to finish.

fufkin.com

by Mike Bennett

Detroit rocker with a varied musical past apparently drew inspiration from the notorious book about a woman with multiple personalities (and who can forget the classic Sally Field TV-movie adaptation?). Gregory joins forces with the hot garage rock producer of the moment, Jim Diamond, and 13 different area aggregations for a collection of tunes that touches on garage, psychedelia, blues, vintage N.Y.C. punk and other styles. That Gregory makes this hold together to end up with a cohesive and engaging album and not just a scattershot sorta-comp is to his credit.

If you're an Outrageous Cherry fan, it is probably worth having this disc just to hear what the band sounds like when not drenched in 30 sheets of reverb. On "Regrets...I've Had a Few", the Cherry plays a loosey-goosey blues riff (maybe a bit Stonesy), while the reverb (slight) goes to Gregory's voice, with OC providing some swell backing vocals. It seems that Gregory's biggest regret is that he is "blacking out" but he notes that "it's good for me". Must be a Detroit thing. Matthew Smith provides some patented fuzzy guitar, just to make his presence known.

Smith's other band, The Volebeats, provides the backing on the sinister folk of "Left My Mind Alone". The tune is deceptively simple, as the catchy verse does a melodic U-turn to get to the even catchier chorus. I'd love to hear this in a more rocking version - it is one hell of a tune. In fact, superficially, it seems this album could rock more. I say superficially, because there have been countless bands who think that going balls out automatically equals rocking. Sometimes, however, it is more important to groove, or to swing. Gregory clearly knows this. On "Electrik Fool", Gregory and The Glow In The Dark Monsters take a two chord riff and throw in an off-kilter R & B groove and a loony organ solo to make a song that is energetic and relaxed.

Gregory scores plenty more hits. "We Work the Lines in Your Hand" is slightly quirky/slightly polished, a la Captain Beefheart's work with producer Ted Templeman (Clear Spot), as the tempo lurches and the slick horn bridges sound so cool. The Sights are one of the poppiest garage bands around, and Gregory's "Leave the Ghost at Home" is perfectly suited for their talents, a real head shaker of a tune. Gregory and Diamond team up on "Down 2 the Last Santa Claus", which creates a Jesus and Mary Chain atmosphere. And Gregory and They Come In Threes conjure up memories of Richard Hell and Television on "Rat Squad".

Throughout the record, Gregory maintains his cool and takes the whole affair seriously enough to know that he needn't take it too seriously. The sloppy nature of the record is not an affectation, nor is it overwhelming. I can't claim this is a great record, but it has that undefinable 'it' that makes it easy to hit the repeat button before the disc hits the right track. Maybe it's because the songs are on par with the attitude.