Biography
zars of Leisure is the recording and musical project fronted by Greg Roth, a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist producing “thrift store rock”, which mixes the secondhand stylings of 70s power pop, 80s new wave, 90s college/slacker alternative, and 00s indie/garage rock. A former rock journalist, his treats his setlists like mixtapes and has been described as “the quirkiness of Elvis Costello, the storytelling of Tom Waits and the alt-country styling of Wilco.” (Indie Music Stop)
Born in Bethlehem PA, now based in Alexandria VA, he has performed in 25 states and 6 countries. In the USA, he’s played such venues as State Theater (VA), DC9 (DC), Rock and Roll Hotel (DC), 8×10 (Baltimore), Khyber Pass (Philadelphia), Cafe 111 (New York City), Smith’s Olde Bar (Atlanta), Historic Southgate House (Newport KY), WC Don’s (Jackson MS), McGonigle’s (Houston), Stockyard Saloon (Ft. Worth TX), Turf Club (Minneapolis), Popcorn Tavern (La Crosse WI), Room 5 (Los Angeles), Humpy’s (Anchorage AK), the lobby at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland OH), and the occasional corporate event and professional conference.
In 2022, he co-founded The What Have You (TWHY), a show series in Alexandria VA, with Gabe Fry (The Mean Ideas). Czars of Leisure became the de facto house band at the TWHY open mic for any performer who wanted a backing band. He started writing and demoing new songs in late 2024, which would become the second Czars of Leisure album, Make Yourself Comfortable.
Make Yourself Comfortable was released on May 15, 2026 and is available on all streaming platforms:
https://www.czarsofleisure.com/music
