The entertainer, who has been honing his songs in near isolation for the last several months, premiered the new material and his powerful backing band Spirit Animal on New Year's Eve and has been performing select shows around town to a ravenous response. He will perform at the Echoplex in L.A. on March 29 followed by a gig at The Mirage in Las Vegas on April 1.

To flesh out his kaleidoscope of sound, the dynamo has enlisted a cosmopolitan mix of musicians - trumpets and clarinets from New York City, a string quartet from Los Angeles and a multi-instrumentalist from Washington, D.C. - to his already stellar backing players, comprised of established musicians who have played and toured with the likes of Ben Harper, The Pharcyde, Oliver Future, Taj Mahal and Tricky. Danny Kalb, best known for his work with Beck, Rilo Kiley and They Might Be Giants, handles mixing duties. As demonstrated on the eight-song sampler, these disparate parts come together to create a riotous mix sure to get any party started. Beginning with the funky electro soul of "Naked Eyes," it fluidly moves from the 8-bit crunk of "Eh Man" to the horn-filled hip-hop of "Pot Luck" and "I Feel Fly." "Morninin'" closes out the mixtape with the Gray Kid's rapid fire delivery over a bed of glitches, break beats and a barrage of other instrumentation. If the sampler is an indication of the overall record then, in the words of the Gray Kid, it is sure to be "bangin'." - download it at: www.graykid.com. and judge for yourself

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