Grey Granite

Grey Granite describes his style as hip-hop/electro/soul/rock (Credit: Michelle Pemberton)

Indie rock represents freedom to Grey Granite, who describes his style as hip-hop/electro/soul/rock -- "or put it backwards, and it will work, too," he says.

He says new acts rarely break through in the kingdom of Jay-Z, but it's easier in the realm of Radiohead.

"One thing that's great about indie rock is that you can be an unknown band and people enjoy your music," Granite says. "If you're an unknown hip-hop artist, everybody is like, 'Why don't I know who he is? He must not be that good.'."

With Indianapolis-based producer J. Brookinz, Granite made worlds collide with 2008 mash-up album "Grey Granite Amplifies the Killers."

While the iTunes Store sells tracks from the project, Granite and Brookins also collaborate on the Web site Heavy gunblog.com -- a do-it-yourself aggregator of local art, film and music.

"I want to put a blueprint out in front so bands and artists can say, 'Hey, if we do this, that and the third, we'll have a way in. Somebody has opened the door so that eyes are actually on this city,'." Granite says.

Hear Grey Granite: www.myspace.com/greygranite

See Grey Granite: April 17 at The Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave.