Grainswest - Spring 2019

ask that aren’t from a farm and don’t quite understand the lifestyle. It may be a little different if I had a couple of brothers back home and I was just back to help out, but it’s just the two of us. It’s something I look at hopefully taking over someday, but at the same time, I can never picture myself quitting music either. I’m lucky that I’ve found two careers that I love. Most people never find one. GW : What is your favourite part of farming? DG: You know, I’ve always loved seed- ing. I guess it’s kind of that new season turnover, summer’s coming up. Just sitting in the tractor. Again, we’re going back to the music—that’s where I learned to sing—long days going back and forth with not much else to do but sing along to the radio. I think that’s where a lot of what I love came from, and especially my love for country music. We sit in the grain truck and watch beautiful sunsets—you have to appreciate it. I mean, it’s just so beautiful out there. It keeps me grounded when the music gets pretty crazy. I like that part of it for sure. GW : Every farmer has their least favour- ite part of farm life. What’s yours? DG: Cleaning bins. I really don’t like that, and sometimes the physical labour gets a bit much for me. But even then, you look back at that part and you appreciate it. You spend so much time in the business side of it—money management, selling your grain, all of that—and it’s nice to get your hands a little dirty in the farm work afterwards. Again, I also think that’s helped me out with my music. In the beginning, when you have no manager or anyone to help you out, you have to do all of the work yourself. It’s a lot like the farm in that respect. GW : Between farming and music, your life is very full. How do you manage to spend time with your wife Erinn and two sons, Ty and Nate. DG: It’s cool. With farming, I have lots of opportunities to spend time with my family, like having my son Ty out on the tractor this year. We thought he’d be good, and he was loving it. He’s two, so we just thought we’re going to get to go up one strip and back, and he’s going to be bored, but he ended up spending all afternoon with me. And my wife is out for suppers often during harvest time, and that helps, even in the music a little bit. We’re apart when I’m travelling a lot, but when we had a lit- tle gig in my hometown at a brewery, my wife and son came by. It was sweet. My son got up and played the taproom with me on stage. He totally stole the show. Everybody was talking about him —never mind anything I did that night. Overall, I don’t spend as much time with them as I’d like to, but I do what I can to make it work and do all the things I love. Spring 2019 Grains West 20 Despite the fame he’s received as a musician, Gregory said he has no intention of leaving the family farm. PERSON PLACE & THING