Greta Gaines on Bird Before Light: Songs of Reinvention, Resilience, and Guitar Soul

Today, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Greta Gaines releases her deeply personal new album, Bird Before Light — a project that captures the transition, resilience, and power of reinvention. Known not only for her genre-bending Americana sound but also for blazing trails as the first Women’s World Extreme Snowboard Champion and as a cultural commentator and advocate, Gaines continues to push herself into bold new territory with this record.

Bird Before Light is more than just a collection of songs; it’s a journey through midlife reflection, creative collaboration, and the courage to step beyond comfort zones. The album, produced by Jim Reilley, mixed by Eric Fritsch and Mill Logan, was recorded at Ken Coomer’s Cartoon Moon and Eastwood Studios in East Nashville. In addition to Greta playing guitar, the album features drummer Ken Coomer (Wilco), Jim Reilley on bass, Eric Fritsch (Marty Stuart) on electric guitar, piano, keyboards, Grammy winner Tim O’Brien on fiddle and harmony vocals, Adam Ollendorff  (Kasey Musgraves) on pedal steel, Kevin Roentgen (Buckcherry) on electric guitar, and Raul Malo (The Mavericks), and Dan Bern (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.)

We caught up with Gaines ahead of release day to talk about her songwriting process, the role of collaboration, and the guitars that helped shape the sound of Bird Before Light.

This record feels deeply personal, touching on themes such as empty nesting, grief, and renewal. When you sit down to write about something so vulnerable, what does your songwriting process look like — do the lyrics lead the way, or does the music help you uncover those emotions?

This album is deeply personal; some may even call it therapeutic. My songwriting process changes somewhat from song to song. The first single on the new album, Bird Before Light, is called “Coming To Fruition,” and that one came out musically and lyrically at the same time as soon as I picked up my guitar. I am very lyric-driven and often start with a song title or a hook and search for the melody as I go. This first single was different, more like channeling an almost completed song from the jump. The raw emotion of sending my first born of to college brought “Coming To Fruition” forth, and all the songs flowed after that one. I always have a journal going with potential song titles and hook ideas to come back to when I’m in writing mode.

You brought in an incredible lineup of musicians, from Tim O’Brien to Ken Coomer. How did collaborating with this group shape the sound of Bird Before Light, and did they help push your songs in directions you might not have gone on your own?

I have never worked with as much input from other musicians as I did on this one. My producer, Jim Reilley, pushed me to work with all kinds of fresh talent. Ken Coomer on drums was the anchor. When we finished our first and best take of the song “Homegrown,” he enthusiastically yelled out in his southern drawl from behind his drum kit, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” meaning, how can we top that? I love what he said so much that I kept it in at the end of the song and immediately set about writing a new song called…you guessed it, “What do You Want.”

That’s the magic of collaborations such as the monster writing session I did with Dan Bern that ended with two new gems that made it onto the album, “Port-a-Lee” (about a fictional sanctuary city for women’s reproductive freedom) and “Moderation” (a tongue-in-cheek duet with Dan about doing everything in moderation, including moderation). All the writers and musicians who contributed to this record were my fuel to keep going and see the whole process through, so I am forever grateful to them.

You played guitar on this album. How important was it for you to have your own playing woven into the fabric of the record, and did that shape the intimacy or authenticity of these songs in a different way than past projects?

I played tracking acoustic or electric guitar on every song on this album except for “What Do You Want,” which I asked my co-writer, Mando Saenz, to play. I couldn’t cop his style and wouldn’t even try. He set the tone for that one. My sugar baby, sweet guitar that I have played for 25 years, was given to me by the late great Bucky Baxter. That man knew how to pick ‘em, I tell ya. I’ve seen legendary guitar players pick up my 1965 Gibson Southern Jumbo and remark on its depth of character and the warmth in its tone. You can’t make a new guitar that sounds like this one. It carries the stories and the songs within it, and I don’t think I could even play live without it.

Every guitarist has that one instrument that feels like home. Do you have a go-to guitar that you relied on during the recording of this album, and how does it influence the tone and character of your sound?

The electric guitar that I played on the album is my favorite of the several that I own. My longtime bandmate, Eric Fritsch, made me buy my own because I kept borrowing his. He found me my 1950s Truetone Speed Demon in sunburst that I love to play. I have flatwound strings on it and play it through some effects pedals that can give the grit that I need for the rock tunes we play.

You’ve said this album is about getting out of your comfort zone in midlife. What do you hope listeners — especially those going through their own periods of change or reinvention — take away from these songs?

I hope listeners, especially those going through big transitions in their lives, take some comfort and receive joy from this album. I want them to feel that I’ve got them, and they are not in any of this alone. I wrote this record to connect. Anyone who is returning to self and reclaiming their power can hopefully share in the exuberance I put into every song. I’m on the “I still got it tour of life right now, and into reinvention, and I invite anyone who feels the same to join me. It’s never too late to grow or to push oneself into unknown territory. The album is called Bird Before Light as a reminder to be your own spark in the dark. Sing your songs, dance your dance, live your life to the fullest every moment of your life, that’s the message… just to embrace it all and keep the faith that something beautiful can come from letting go.

GUITAR GIRL MAGAZINE CONCLUSION

With Bird Before Light, Greta Gaines reminds us that reinvention is not only possible but essential. Her openness about vulnerability, her deep connection to her instruments, and her fearless collaborations bring a richness and authenticity that resonate far beyond the studio. As she steps into this new chapter, Gaines proves that creativity knows no age limit — it thrives in the willingness to grow, to risk, and to spark light in the dark. Bird Before Light is out today on all streaming platforms, offering listeners both comfort and courage for their own journeys of change.

Bird Before Light tracklisting:

1. Coming to Fruition
2. Homegrown
3. Moderation
4. Harm’s Way
5. Tenderhooks
6. What Do You Want
7. Port-a-Lee
8. One Eye Open
9. All Yours
10. Sonic Bloom

CONNECT WITH GRETA GAINES

Website | Instagram | Facebook | X