Over the past 12 years, we in Louisville have been lucky enough to have had a front row seat in watching Greyhaven grow from metal-influenced hardcore kids playing shows in basements and small clubs around town to worldwide critical acclaim, millions of streams, and tours with the likes of Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, Better Lovers, and others.
Their fourth full-length album, Keep It Quiet, which was produced by Grammy Award-nominee Will Putney (Knocked Loose, Gojira, Bad Omens), sees the band further refining and sharpening their sound, but without compromising the powerful, intense hardcore edge they’ve executed so well since their earliest days.
So when we were offered the opportunity to ask founding members Johnny Muench [bass] and Brent Mills [vocals], (the band is rounded out by Nick Spencer on guitar and Ethan Spray on drums), a few questions ahead of their new album’s release, we figured we’d keep it short and locally-oriented.
LEO Weekly: What differentiates Louisville musicians from every other city?
Johnny Muench: I think we benefit from being a city that’s always had to build its own music scene. With cities like Nashville, Indianapolis, and even Cincinnati being places that the bigger tours tend to hit more often, Louisville sometimes gets passed over, so we had to make our own thing happen here. It’s been like that from the very beginning, and I think it informs the music that people make here too. I feel like there’s a uniqueness that comes along with it.
DIY culture exists in a lot of different cities, but it feels like a hallmark of the culture here, and I think each new generation of kids coming up and making their way into the music scene around here feel that and embrace that. I know we did when we got started, and I see it happening in front of us now, and I feel like that’s a strong asset that we have that a lot of other cities don’t have as strongly as we do here.
There’s such an eclectic mix of genres that are all happening in Louisville at once, and I feel like we get the benefit of having access to that. There’s a major wave of punk and hardcore happening all the time, but also rap and country and everything in between, and I think people around here just enjoy music and allow the bands they follow to experiment and not be so rigid with genre limitations. I think it lets bands around here feel a bit more freedom, and it shows in the music.
I think the Southern hospitality that Louisville is kind of known for naturally bleeds into how the musicians from here hold themselves. That sense of community extends into how we treat others, both on the road and at home. That music and concerts are for everyone and what can we do to make every person involved feel included.
The size of Louisville really does have the small town feeling, and you can’t help from becoming an acquaintance to most. We’ve been in multiple practice spaces over time where you feel like you’re hearing half the bands in town all playing at once. I think that the tight-knit community in this scene only allows to help bring each other up.
What are the top places to source inspiration as an artist in Louisville?
Brent Mills: The past. Louisville has such a rich history of music, and I know I’ve personally been hugely influenced by the lore of bands from the ’90s like Slint, Evergreen, and basically everything in that White Glove Test book, haha.
Growing up in basements, watching band practices with my parents, and going to bar shows and experiencing the local scene from such an early age, I’ve always had a huge respect and thirst for information about Louisville’s music scene, where we came from and where it’s going. But truly, inspiration is everywhere; you just have to get out there and look for it.
What are the top 3 venues to play in Louisville, according to Greyhaven?
Johnny Muench: Headliners always feels like a huge deal to get to play. After seeing so many influential shows there at a young age, the room is just very iconic. It always felt like getting on that stage was an honor, and having been able to do that a few times now, it still feels that way, and it’s a very fun room.
Zanzabar was our backyard for years and feels like a true home to us; we had so many late nights playing pinball there. Besides being such a great bar, it also holds one of the cooler venues in town. I’ve seen a lot of great shows in that room and love the atmosphere surrounding it all.
The OG Downtown Spinelli’s basement room will forever hold a special place in my heart. I have so many pivotal memories there, and we truly cut our teeth in that room when the band was coming up, and if we’re talking venues, it simply has to be on the list.
Greyhaven releases Keep It Quiet on Friday, October 10th via Solid State Records. For more information, visit: solidstaterecords.com/greyhaven
The band also recently collaborated with Louisville’s own Atrium Brewing to create a beer named after the new album: Keep It Quiet, a 4.6% ABV black lager brewed with orange peels. 4-packs are currently available in limited quantities at both Atrium Brewing locations. Visit atriumbrewing.com for more information.
The band is currently on tour in Europe through October, returning to the States for a headlining tour beginning in November with guests Fox Lake and Commoner. The tour brings the band back home to Louisville on Thursday, December 11, 2025 with a stop at The Whirling Tiger. Advance tickets are on sale now for $18.40 and can be purchased through The Whirling Tiger’s website at: thewhirlingtiger.com.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2025.