Gregor Barnett - Don't Go Throwing Roses In My Grave

Gregor Barnett, guitarist/co-vocalist for The Menzingers, announces his debut release Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave due out digitally and on CD February 18 via Epitaph Records. The album will be available on vinyl on March 18.

Written and recorded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave is a sonic departure from Barnett’s more punk-leaning work with The Menzingers, drawing on the gritty, off-kilter Americana of Tom Waits or Warren Zevon as it faces down loss and doubt in search of relief and redemption. “It was this perfect storm,” says Barnett. “The band couldn’t tour, I was going through a really difficult time, and I was stuck at home watching my family struggle with illness and death and hardship. The only thing I could do was write my way through it.” 

“Barnett takes a step away from the usual punk approach of The Menzingers to create an album influenced by classic Americana, which is automatically evident in the title track. The piercing harmonica and dusty guitar riffs give it a playful twang despite the serious subject matter. When thinking about the practice of throwing roses in someone’s grave, he was struck by the fact that many times we don’t take a second to slow down and appreciate the people in our lives while they’re still around…” – WXPN