The Graystones: the preteen group that's breaking the internet

Dear Friends, you gotta listen to this. Trust me. It's phenomenal. :heart:

This new music video has had 600k views in 4 days. No-one can believe what they're hearing.

These are 6th graders — young kids — who first heard the song on a recent Monday. They practiced it each day until Friday, all in the middle of their school exams. Then they recorded it 4 times, the 3rd time being the one they felt was the best and is shown here, with another audio track overlaid to round it off for YouTube.

If you listen to this with your eyes closed, you'd be forgiven for thinking this might really be Supertramp.

Here's the video description:

Little background to what you're seeing here: We learned this song between Monday and Friday of days last week and then on Saturday, we set up the cameras and recorded us performing the song back-to-back 4 times in a row.

You are hearing the 3rd pass of this song from beginning to end. We created all the sounds you're hearing (some of you think that it's AI - but it's just us)... although we did have to add a couple of extra passes for background vocals and a couple of keyboard tracks and we show some of those in the video.

Crazy part is that we learned this (and another song) during the final week of 6th grade (last week)... so we scrambled to not only wrap all of our school testings and exams, but had to cram in learning 2 iconic and challenging songs as best we could... and then we video'd both songs the very next day after school got out this past Saturday. The 2nd song is a secret and we will be releasing it next.

Breakfast in America - written by the amazing Roger Hodgson of Supertramp - cover by the Graystones

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_uax5JOm-LU

This one has 3.3M views in 3 months and 81K thumbs up.:thumbsup:

Smooth Operator by @SadeSME performed by The Graystones (4 min)

• March 14, 2025
• The Graystones
• The Graystones (YouTube)
• 153K subscribers

We love Sade... and Smooth Operator is such an iconic song. Her voice is so effortless and silky and the groove is great. We worked really hard on this song to get it right. We hope you enjoy it!

(We wanted to say that the audio in our live performances is overwhelmingly live and, on many videos, is 100% live. To some select songs, we may add layers of sound, such as harmonies or string parts. But the original live sound as the foundation for our videos, and then we might decide to add/replace some parts, if we feel it would help to bring the song even closer to the original that we’re honoring - but always in service of the art! With love, The Graystones)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=FGWTKRRjKNA

Very impressive, and what a joy seeing young kids performing, and appreciating, real music, or real 'pop music', unlike the rubbish in the charts these days. Many 'artists' today can't even sing, let alone play. As one commenter said: "an example of young people who actually deserve fame/success based on talent & hard work."

Another Supertramp classic, the Logical Song. Oh how I remember this from my youth, my older brother played it all the time. This is a perfection rendition. These kids really can sing and play.

3.2M views.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BuinvmsRGNY

I usually do not like covers. I sense the difference from the original in a weird way. In fact, some live versions are a bit different from studio versions also and I do not seek out live recordings very often. [Sinead performing Queen of Denmark comes to mind as excellent.] [Only having been to a few concerts many years ago.] Some covers as a heavy tribute are usually done quite well, nonetheless. [Like Heart honoring Led Zeppelin.]

But I hope these kids branch out and work on original songs. They are obviously gifted. But there are many cover bands out there and I just wish some of them would be more original. I find myself listening to older music because it is so excellent there is not really new music that competes with it. They do sound great and I could only imagine if they make their own music what their success might be like.

LOVE THESE KIDS

may be a little recording trickery, no mic wire on the second singer etc, but hey they are for real. Probably recorded the takes separately but still its real and there

btw great choice of great songs

Here's another: :heart:

These kids are only 12 and 13 years old. The mother of the singer here, whose name is Hope, is a vocal coach and says that Hope was singing from the moment she could talk.

Re doing covers, they're simply learning their craft. And they're VERY perfectionist in everything they do, as well as being humble, thankful, friendly and gracious in everything they write or post.

They have so much attention on them now that someone for sure is going to sign them up soon and start getting original songs professionally written for them.

Dreams by ‪Fleetwood Mac‬ and the amazing ‪Stevie Nicks‬ !! The Graystones' 3rd performance

https://youtube.com/watch?v=WvWeEEZMTEo

Reminds me of the group put together in the film School of Rock

Quote:

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Posted by thepainterdoug

LOVE THESE KIDS

may be a little recording trickery, no mic wire on the second singer etc, but hey they are for real. Probably recorded the takes separately but still its real and there

btw great choice of great songs

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It appears to me, having been in numerous bands, they are recording via their soundboard so it's not the sound coming from the outdoor speakers, which may make it sound like a recording. No mic wire means they are using a wireless mic. They are also using echo/reverb on the voices which gives a fuller sound but as you say "it's real and there".

I spent quite awhile binge watching their videos, brought tears to my eyes, being an old geezer musician. The best I could do in the sixth grade was play four chords on a ukulele.

I Can't Tell You Why (living room recording with background vocals recorded separately)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zCIdMOt9iVk&list=RDzCIdMOt9iVk&start_radio=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCId...&start_radio=1

What we see here, is not what we are getting.

Unfortunately, and despite that these kids are seemingly excellent singers and musicians; objective acoustic analysis by Fil at Wings of Pegasus reveals that this is not a live performance, and that pitch correction has been applied to the voices, plus other production techniques (e.g. multi-tracking of backing vocal).

Very sadly, artificially moving natural voices to fit onto A 440 Hz, equal temperament grid; has become the "industry standard" over recent years - and very few productions escape these horrible practices. Even YouTube recordings of musicians (apparently) singing in their bedrooms, or kitchens, can be shown to have been pitch corrected. As Fil has exhaustively documented; old recordings by great vocalists of the past, are being treated in this way - and their vocals tampered-with. "Live" performances are edited before being shown - or sometimes the vocalist uses "auto-tune" which applies the equal-temperament grid in real time.

This doesn't imply that some modern singers aren't still excellent. These kids are still great! But sadly there is a dishonesty about this kind of pseudo-live presentation, and we are not being allowed to hear their natural voices.

In this current time the music industry has undergone some radical shifts, for the obvious reason of the WWW disrupting centralised corporate music, and the old 'Hip Prade' radio driven mass music market. Fil from Wings of Pegasus does some useful work calling out 'pitch correction' and other digital conventions that standardise the music productions of today, organic and truly live performance has been shunted aside for a perceived striving for 'perfection' - here Fil analyses this young group and I am afraid he discovers some digital tampering that may affect how you receive this latest tug on the collective heart strings:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=bcvMyFYyXIs

Hey, let's close the thread. I mean, who wants to waste their time listening to a bunch of little kids doing their best to learn and play classic songs from the 70s and 80s?

It's far more uplifting to be discussing geopolitics and nuclear weapons. Right? :P

Meanwhile, I'm really looking forward to hearing their next song. I'm rather hoping it might possibly be Take the Long Way Home. I've always been a devout Supertramp fan.

And here's just one of the many thousands of YT comments:

I am old, and when I see young people like this, I find hope in a better world.

:focus: :heart::Music:

What I loved to see was how well the children were working together and usig their skills while engaging in what they love doing:heart:

”Actually they've been very open about how they do this. Whenever you see them live, they're actually performing live. They may go back and do a little touchup but by and large it's a live performance. “

Glenn: They (The Graystones) say, “We rehearse the song for two weeks that on video day we set the cameras up in our rehearsal space and spent 30 minutes running the song from beginning to end four times in a row.” Very good. They say, “Here is the third pass from beginning to end. We then added a couple passes with background vocals, strings, and organ.”

Now, I'm glad they mentioned that because we have seen some of the comments come up from people saying, “I'm hearing a little bit more than what's on stage,” because everything else we've looked at so far has been a live performance over at Santana Row, which is a mall I believe in the middle of San Jose. And so people have that question. Some of them were were saying they're just lip syncing.

Actually they've been very open about how they do this. Whenever you see them live, they're actually performing live. They may go back and do a little touchup but by and large it's a live performance.

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Adrian: Incredible. They're very faithful to the songs that they cover. They play perfectly.

Glenn: Yeah, they get the feel. I mean they know what they're doing. You can totally know what they are doing. And they've been putting in the work so we get to enjoy the results of that.

Musicians REACT to The Graystones: I Can't Tell You Why
(Eagles cover, 2025) (14:30 min)

• June 5, 2025
• Glenn and Adrian's Rock Talk

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=kkw-ZR7-itw

Quote:

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Posted by RunningDeer

”Actually they've been very open about how they do this. Whenever you see them live, they're actually performing live. They may go back and do a little touchup but by and large it's a live performance. “

Glenn: They (The Graystones) say, “We rehearse the song for two weeks that on video day we set the cameras up in our rehearsal space and spent 30 minutes running the song from beginning to end four times in a row.” Very good. They say, “Here is the third pass from beginning to end. We then added a couple passes with background vocals, strings, and organ.”

Now, I'm glad they mentioned that because we have seen some of the comments come up from people saying, “I'm hearing a little bit more than what's on stage,” because everything else we've looked at so far has been a live performance over at Santana Row, which is a mall I believe in the middle of San Jose. And so people have that question. Some of them were were saying they're just lip syncing.

Actually they've been very open about how they do this. Whenever you see them live, they're actually performing live. They may go back and do a little touchup but by and large it's a live performance.

*********

Adrian: Incredible. They're very faithful to the songs that they cover. They play perfectly.

Glenn: Yeah, they get the feel. I mean they know what they're doing. You can totally know what they are doing. And they've been putting in the work so we get to enjoy the results of that.

Musicians REACT to The Graystones: I Can't Tell You Why
(Eagles cover, 2025) (14:30 min)

• June 5, 2025
• Glenn and Adrian's Rock Talk

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=kkw-ZR7-itw

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Thanks for sharing this and reorienting the thread back to its positive intent :flower:

Skyfall by the amazing ‪@adele‬! Cover by The Graystones -- (James Bond movie theme song)

‪@adele‬ has the most beautiful style and we're crazy about her voice and her as an artist! Learning this song was a challenge for us. Mainly trying to preserve the impact, force and beauty of her song.

Our horn section is rounding out and the rest of us did a pretty fine job recreating the power of this INCREDIBLE song!

This is also from our 2nd concert in 6th grade.

(The audio in our live performances is overwhelmingly live and, on many videos, is 100% live. To some select songs, we may add layers of sound to enhance the overall song and sound experience. But the original live sound is the foundation for all our videos, and then we might decide to add/replace some parts, if we feel it would help to bring the song even closer to the original that we’re honoring - but always in service of the art! With love, The Graystones)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qFFfAo7RVYM&list=RDqFFfAo7RVYM&start_radio=1

Quote:

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Posted by Bill Ryan

Hey, let's close the thread. I mean, who wants to waste their time listening to a bunch of little kids doing their best to learn and play classic songs from the 70s and 80s?

It's far more uplifting to be discussing geopolitics and nuclear weapons. Right? :P

Meanwhile, I'm really looking forward to hearing their next song. I'm rather hoping it might possibly be Take the Long Way Home. I've always been a devout Supertramp fan.

And here's just one of the many thousands of YT comments:

I am old, and when I see young people like this, I find hope in a better world.

:focus: :heart::Music:

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I would like to hear them do the Zombies, Time of the Season - or - Tommy James and the Shondells, Crystal Blue Persuasion.

The certainly DO have an excellent repertoire. !!!!! Nothing beats the 70s and 80s (aside from the 60s. lol)

A personal bias. I’d love to see them focus on the late 60s to the mid 70s, a period in popular music history that has never been bettered in my humble opinion :)

Quote:

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Posted by Bill Ryan

I am old, and when I see young people like this, I find hope in a better world.[/B]

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Same (and with the old part, I'm getting there). But did you catch Tori Holub? Not meaning to crash this thread with another young artist, but she's in the same world-saving category for me. When I first heard this Carpenters cover a year ago, I was stunned to silence for several minutes.

Re-post from here:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=J95lfJqo9VY

Quote:

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Posted by Bill Ryan

Hey, let's close the thread. I mean, who wants to waste their time listening to a bunch of little kids doing their best to learn and play classic songs from the 70s and 80s?

It's far more uplifting to be discussing geopolitics and nuclear weapons. Right? :P

Meanwhile, I'm really looking forward to hearing their next song. I'm rather hoping it might possibly be Take the Long Way Home. I've always been a devout Supertramp fan.

And here's just one of the many thousands of YT comments:

I am old, and when I see young people like this, I find hope in a better world.

:focus: :heart::Music:

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I agree Bill...and Supertramp's 'Dreamer' will do it for me, everytime!

As fellow Brits, Mari, Mark, Tintin, grapevine, happyuk, Le Chat, Losus4 (and Bruce!) might appreciate this, my new favourite comment: :ROFL:

https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Blimey!.jpg


And, of interest to some, I also found this: :thumbsup:


https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/No_Autotune.jpg

Quote:

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Posted by Bill Ryan

As fellow Brits, Mari, Mark, Tintin, grapevine, happyuk, Le Chat, Losus4 (and Bruce!) might appreciate this, my new favourite comment: :ROFL:

https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Blimey!.jpg


And, of interest to some, I also found this: :thumbsup:


https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/No_Autotune.jpg

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These will do: 'Spiffing!' 'Nice one, chaps!' 'I say!' 'Well done, there!' 'Would you Adam and Eve it!' 'Bees Knees!' 'Gobsmacked!' And my fave - 'Dog's B*****ks'!

Here's their latest, released a couple of days ago. (I was disappointed it wasn't more Supertramp! :))

I don't actually know this song, but the 1,400 comments are all purring with praise about how extraordinarily good this is. (Hope is the singer this time, the 12-year old girl with the shorter hair. Izzy, her friend, isn't in this one.)

My Life by ‪Billy Joel‬ - cover by The Graystones

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EKGYRA2uuDI

Quote:

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Posted by Bill Ryan

My Life by ‪Billy Joel‬ - cover by The Graystones

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The bass player moonlights as a bobblehead. :chuckle:

Quote:

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Posted by Bill Ryan

Here's their latest, released a couple of days ago. (I was disappointed it wasn't more Supertramp! :))

I don't actually know this song, but the 1,400 comments are all purring with praise about how extraordinarily good this is. (Hope is the singer this time, the 12-year old girl with the shorter hair. Izzy, her friend, isn't in this one.)

My Life by ‪Billy Joel‬ - cover by The Graystones

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EKGYRA2uuDI

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The Graystones did an excellent job on Billy Joel's "My Life"! Now compare it to Billy Joel's performance of it in his 2006 Tokyo concert. This is my favorite Billy Joel concert and "My Life" starts at 5:55 in the video.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TsfX9RmT0XA&list=RDTsfX9RmT0XA&start_radio=1

I've noticed a resurgence in teens forming bands and playing in their garages. It's great to see. Many comments along the lines of "the world is healing.."

Quote:

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Posted by Orph

The bass player moonlights as a bobblehead. :chuckle:

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The bass player's name is Max, and he founded the Graystones with his best friend Grayson, the drummer. (It's a play on words... 'Gray's Tones'. :)) There are hundreds of comments from veteran bass players who are remarking how good Max is, laying the perfect rock-solid foundation for every song they play.

Oh yes. I meant no derision. The whole band is very good. I just got a chuckle from the way be bobs his head. :flower:

This girl is pretty damn good!

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=PmNyNJFCugo

And this young man is something else!

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=JCp0VjKT3b4

And more, just published a few hours ago with 1000 purring comments already. The video won't embed directly, but you havta click the link and hear this. :heart:
(Their friend Jake, whose guitar solo comes in at 1:50, is just 11 years old. :muscle: )

Hold the Line ‪- TOTO cover by The Graystones

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bNeCysVGTCI

I seem to remember our Sue/Ayt bringing young Jake to our attention on another thread a while back. He is certainly talented, yet at ease with everything, maybe a bit like Pema the Wonder Woman supergirl in that way.:heart:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-c0FCI8lnkM

It is also good to see that many young kids are picking up instruments and keeping the guitar bands relevant.

Regardless of A.I. and technology advances there is still the space and need for creativity and song writing to express ourselves. (cover songs work too!)

If I see a busker that is applying themselves, I always give whatever I can spare - and sometimes a few minutes of recognition itself causes other people to pause and listen.

I was fearing that we were loosing "the guitar band" as most places for them to play were filled with DJs with a computer. Although there is a lot of good electronic music, nothing beats a live band.

Bands can gain a lot of attention and recognition by showcasing themselves online, obviously. :)

Quote:

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Posted by Mark (Star Mariner)

Quote:

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Posted by Bill Ryan

I am old, and when I see young people like this, I find hope in a better world.[/B]

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Same (and with the old part, I'm getting there). But did you catch Tori Holub? Not meaning to crash this thread with another young artist, but she's in the same world-saving category for me. When I first heard this Carpenters cover a year ago, I was stunned to silence for several minutes.

Re-post from here:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=J95lfJqo9VY

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Wow! She really does Karen Carpenter's voice justice. Maybe this falls into an evolutionary mimicry ability. In the video Bill Hader morphs into Al Pacino & Arnold Schwarzenegger while doing a perfect voice impersonation or someone played with the video doing an overlay.

05/16/19 (3:56)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=kjI-JaRWG7s

05/16/16 (12:22)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Mv0SqWy02Xs&list=RDMv0SqWy02Xs&start_radio=1

09/17/13 (7:01) This cover of Forty Six & 2 surpasses the original.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mYKLvYGqaC0&list=RDmYKLvYGqaC0&start_radio=1

08/01/19 (6:04)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=GIuZUCpm9hc&list=RDGIuZUCpm9hc&start_radio=1

These kids make me wonder--Old rockers who died years ago back for more?

Bumping this fun thread with a 3 minute news feature about them. :ROFL: (TrumanCash posted their cover of the Eagles song here)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UjOpuPKO7xs

Only in 5th grade when they did this cover of Journey’s Dont Stop Believing

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=TMhYeE2KSiU

Cold by the incredible Chris Stapleton

Very soulful just like the times are at the moment.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=IINFH8Z5_Ns

Do listen to this, published a few days ago: :heart:

BAKER STREET by Gerry Rafferty - cover by The Graystones

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rtkcGUc__vw
Just one of 4,650 purring comments:

Young dude has now learned one of the greatest sax riffs in history. Put that in the bank my young friend.

And another, maybe the most beautiful of them all:

Hello..
14 years old when this song came out, and exploded in my brain, burned my heart.
Since then one of my five best song picks, played it at least around 5 to 6 thousand times. We are speaking 48 years, friends.
Your Parents were not born yet I think, and you, still a dream in the making.
Today, when the video started I was a bit afraid that it could be disappointing and tarnish a beloved memory.
Well.
Two generations in the future, I was trembling again, even the smell of the street I used to walk returned along with the voice and image of someone special
This is known as Magic.

Here are two more treats. :)

First, a short but perfectly executed interview with The Graystones' Manager, Taylor Parselle. She's drummer Grayson's elder sister, and is still at High School.

She really is. This is her Linkedin page. She graduates next year.

https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2...-O8uL3HlbS9Vtk

Here's the short video, beautifully done and well worth watching. Taylor is young, charming, and absolutely professional.

The Top Gun Show proudly welcomes ‪@TheGraystonesMusic‬ Band Manager Taylor Parselle.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cVqvLqmoMvE
~~~

Next, here's a musical critique of one of their live songs, with the reviewer (Bethany Hickman, a vocal coach) quite unable to stop beaming at what she's hearing. :)

Not your average kids' band. Vocal Coach Reacts to THE GRAYSTONES performing "Smooth Operator"

https://youtube.com/watch?v=B2ZEyI4YXbU