Leslie & Steve in the press

The Rose Garden has also provided showcases for local talent, and this year will welcome back former Mansfield residents Leslie Lee and Steve Gretz for the release of their new CD "Better Off Someday." The Gretzes, local coffeehouse pioneers as well as distinguished performers in the gospel and traditional music field,
now live in Rochester, N.Y.

Rick Foster
The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro, Mass.
Article about the 20th anniversary of the Rose Garden Coffeehouse, Sept. 17, 2008 - Read article

 

What they're saying about Strangers in Meschech

Folk music was not born on the concert stage but the family fireside, and in the simple places where people gathered to worship, work, and mark the turning of their lives. That essential community spirit rings in every well-rounded, warm-hearted note Green Pastures sings. They perform classic folk hymns and gospel songs in ways that welcome everybody to their fireside. Any who have felt the loneliness of the pilgrim, the sorrow of being tossed in life's heedless winds, or the ageless yearning for a better tomorrow, will find meaning, empathy, and shared comfort in their heartful harmonies.

Scott Alarik
Folk music writer
The Boston Globe, Sing Out, public radio

Strangers in Meshech is like a needlepoint heirloom from a grandmother's kitchen: handcrafted with love, and a comfort to remember.

Randy Browning, Late Bloomers
Singer/songwriter

Green Pastures' CD, Strangers in Meshech features Old Time music with a new twist. With its lilting melodies and inspirational lyrics, as a listener you may start out a stranger but you'll end up a friend. Strangers has captured that nostalgic feeling of being part of one big human family sitting around a radio in days of yore, sharing the profound experience that good music can create. It connects us to the bigger picture, across different generations and religions... it taps into a deeper collective spirit where warmth and peace coexist sweetly.

Courtney A. Walsh
Freelance Writer

What they're saying about Recovered

Recovered offers the listener a creative, interesting, and memorable collection of folk music. Steve brings together a unique, pleasing blend of instruments, making each track stand on its own in sound and style. Leslie sings with a hauntingly innocent no-frills sound. And as always, Steve sings with precision, clarity, and enthusiasm. The duos are a delight to listen to. Several of the songs on this CD moved me to tears the first time I heard them, and – like a child who never tires of her favorite tunes – there are tracks which I listen to over and over again. I look forward to hearing more from Leslie and Steve.

Laura Delaplain
Norma Kent Counseling Center

I knew this CD was going to be one of my favorites when I realized I had just played it three times in a row. Leslie and Steve have created a wonderful, peaceful CD. The production, instrumentation, performance, and selection of tunes is marvelous. The musicians are top-notch, the harmonies are so beautiful, and it is uncluttered... nothing is buried. Leslie and Steve let the songs breathe. After each listening I discover a new favorite. It also serves as an introduction to some of the best songwriters in the country.

Curt Bessette
Singer/songwriter

I get a lot of CDs passed on to me on my travels but few have touched my heart as much as Steve and Leslie's new CD. They know good songs and how to add their touch to them. It's been a sidekick on my travels for months. Very refreshing.

Johnsmith
Singer/songwriter

I listen to it constantly while I commute to and from work. It is soothing, calming music that I listen to and relax!

Lisa LaDew
Festival Ballet Providence

Steve and Leslie are sweet and loving people and producer Seth Connelly captures them true to form in their CD, Recovered. They've chosen songs they love and sing them sweetly, with traditional simplicity that soothes the soul. Hear, hear!!!

David Fishken
Cowboy singer

The unique muted timbre of Steve’s tenor voice and Leslie’s pure soprano blend together in beautiful harmony on their new CD, Recovered. The production on the album is sparse, allowing their heartfelt vocals to shine through. Dave Carter’s Gentle Arms of Eden is embellished first by mandolins, then guitars and bass and a chorus of singers gradually join in subsequent choruses as if to musically reflect Carter’s unique interpretation of the evolution of life on earth. Leslie’s clear vocals rise above a “tin pan orchestra” of percussion in The Mountain, evoking the dichotomy of a true spiritual quest as part of the traveling sideshow of religious revivals. The simple renditions of Gillian Welch’s Orphan Girl and By the Mark are two of my favorites on the album – just vocals and guitar and two lonely voices seeking solace in song.”

Chris Thompson
Singer/songwriter