PRESS KIT

Emery is a Winston-Salem NC based singer, songwriter, and guitarist who started his musical journey during the golden years of the 1970’s. Since those days, he has embraced and enjoyed many musical genres, including rock ‘n roll, Top 40 and beach, rhythm and blues, Americana/roots/folk, bluegrass and country music, Irish Trad, and jazz.

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Emery is an accomplished lead guitar player, where he toured professionally as part of The Unnecessary Rules, a popular college band in the 1980’s. For many years he was also a member of the Double Take Band, a leading Top 40 and beach music dance band that provided the exclamation point for countless Carolina weddings and private parties.

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Along the way Emery began writing original songs and released a solo LP of his material in 2001 entitled “Press Release”. Recorded at Electromagnetic Radiation Recorders in Winston-Salem and co-produced by Doug Williams (The Avett Brothers), the album includes collaborations with many well-known independent artists, including Ralph Covert (The Bad Examples), Chuck Folds (Bus Stop), and Claire Fader (Claire Fader and the Vaudevillians). The Winston-Salem Symphony String Quartet also makes an appearance, as does national bagpipe champion Sean Pike (US Air Force Honor Guard Pipe Band).

 

Emery continues to write and plays both solo and with other area musicians. He enjoys performing his original songs along with his eclectic interpretations of standards and classics. You can find him at wineries, breweries, restaurants, Farmer’s Markets, private parties and other venues, where all have come to appreciate his unique sound, wry humor and exceptional talent.

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Triad Style Magazine on Emery’s “Press Release” album:

HOMEGROWN: NEW TUNES FROM HERE & THERE:

 

There are songwriters who flail at things until they give us a headache. Yes, the corporate world stinks, yes, the little guy or girl is screwed over continually, but rare is the songwriter who knows how to approach the subject with a great deal of humor and still have something meaningful to say.

 

Sarcasm is a tool best served in short courses. On his recent CD, singer songwriter/guitarist/producer/record label owner Emery Pike laces his disgust for corporate greed and rhetoric with sweet songs and personal musings on love and family. It's an odd collection of songs,refreshing too. There's a bit of Dead harmony (“Across the Years”) mixed in with a really neat Celtic-flavored track about history and kin (“Highland Wind”) with a winning bagpipe solo by Sean Pike. For some reason, I hear a lot of 60s pop influence in his stuff, especially on the driving rocker “Luggage”. Pike is assisted by a cavalcade of local Triad musicians (Eddie Walker on drums, bassist Chuck Folds, and Clare Fader, whose always intriguing voice lands a lead on the exotic track “Marlena”).

 

Emery’s skills as a guitarist are quite excellent, and it's a pleasure to listen to his solo work. His talent as a songwriter is terrific as well, especially on tracks like “CEO” and the quasi-comical narrative “2000 Jobs”, tracks which are rather self-explanatory in their skewering of corporate America. Emery has got a point. High scores. Good disc. Check out www.emerypike.com for more info.

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