Artist Information Biography Fall/Winter '09 News: -working on new album, expected to be finished in February -working on video with film maker JP Bouchard (Nora Jones, Q-Tip) -under new management: Andrew Morris, of Soundmerchants Summer News: -Appearing in Rocky Mountain Folk Festival Songwriter Showcase in August Winter/Spring '09 News: -First Prize Winner of Wildflower Festival Performing Songwriter Contest -Kerrville 2009 New Folk Finalist -First Place Winner of Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival 2009 Competition -2009 Telluride Troubadour Finalist -Honor Award winner in the 10th Annual Great American Song Contest Fall '08 News: -Grand Prize Winner of Sonicbids Listening Room International Songwriters Retreats Competition -Songwriter Universe Magazine Best Song of the Month Finalist -Signed a licensing deal with Hook Line and Sync Agency in Australia -Currently (or soon to) have songs in rotation on the following radio programs: Indie 104-iRadio LA, mvyradio, and AF(Acoustic Fuel) Radio Summer '08 News: -Performed and was interviewed by John Schaefer on NPR's Soundcheck. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93047831) Spring '08 News: -New review from muzicreviews.com, read it in "press" section. -Three showcase performances coming up in New York and New Jersey. Check out "calendar" section. -New 6 song EP coming out in May. The CD is a collaboration with North Carolina songwriter Jason Harod, New York songwriter Reid Maclean, and it is being commissioned by Kathy Reber. Winter '08 News: -Performing at the CD Baby showcase at Folk Alliance in Memphis Tennessee in February. -Selected as a runner up for the Muzik Reviews "Indie Spotlight Competition." -Colin pulled out huge arsenal of instruments (5 to be exact) to back singer/songwriter Reid Maclean at a completely packed show at The Living Room in New York City on February 1st. Fall '07 News: -Selected to perform at the prestigious New York Songwriter's Circle, hailed by Billboard Magazine as "One of the best showcases for original music in New York City." Norah Jones, Richard Julian and Jessie Harris have all performed at this showcase. -Selected to perform in the New Jersey Songwriters in the Round at Maxwell's in Hoboken NJ. -"Window Seat" is a Top Seller in the Alternative Folk Category on CDBaby. -"Ruthy" has been included on Oasis Disc Manufacturing's lastest Acoustic Music Radio Sampler. "Ruthy" is placed #3 in an album of 23 songs by acoustic musicians. Check out the video section to see excerpts from the 10/22 Jimmy's #43 show with the full band. About Colin McGrath: NPR Music calls Colin McGrath an "Itinerant Folk Orchestrator," and though he has been based in New York City for the last eight years, he has certainly been a musical explorer since he started making music. Fascinated by telling stories with his lyrics and finding the right musical language to support them, his musical wanderings have led him to many countries, through many styles of music, to many different life experiences. He began performing original songs when he was 18 while busking across Europe. He studied music at Oberlin College in Ohio, but the Irish, bluegrass, funk and improv bands he played with fueled his creativity as much or more than the classical music that he studied. After college, at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, McGrath became inspired by a straightforward and honest style of modern folk. He released his first, self-titled folk album while living in San Francisco. While living in San Francisco, Colin started writing music for theater. Drawn by the challenge of creating music to accompany stories, he held the baton for three years as musical director of the Killing My Lobster Orchestra, a position also held by Ara Anderson (Tin Hat Trio, Tom Waits, Jolie Holand). Colin released “Allegro Con Chutzpah,” an album of quirky and comical instrumentals influenced by Latin, Klezmer and classical music. In New York, Colin has also composed and/or performed with Ralph Lee and the Mettawee River Theater Co., Cirque Boom, and The Actors Company Theater. He has received commissions to write chamber pieces for The Central Park Brass, The New York Philharmonic TA Ensemble, and The Bloomingdale School of Music. He also played in "Silkweed" a chamber folk ensemble with multi-instrumentalist Rob Moose (Sufjan Stevens, Antony and the Johnsons, Beth Orton), Dana Lyn, Dana Leong (Paquito D'Rivera), and Kurt Bacher (Wynton Marsalis). Releasing "Window Seat" in 2007 was for McGrath the culmination of many of the experiences of the previous decade. After many years of instrumental music and helping others to tell their stories through music, it was time to tell his own. The album was meticulously orchestrated and produced by long-time collaborator and producer William Berlind (recently played on Burning Spears' Grammy award- winning "Jah Lives"). Musically it draws from a uniquely American chamber-folk sound (think Edgar Meyer, Marc O'Connor, Yo-Yo Ma), with textured string parts, prepared and toy piano, re-amped Dobro and banjo. All these sounds serve as the backdrop for the stories, observations, musings and dreams of a musical wanderer. "Window Seat" is an Editor's Pick on CD Baby, and he has been featured on WNYC"s Soundcheck with John Schaefer. He was the 2008 Grand Prize Winner of The Listening Room Retreat Competition in Ben Lomand, CA, and the 2009 Winner of The Belfast Nashville Song-writing Festival Competition in Belfast, Ireland. Instrumentation Solo or with a band. Here is the band: Colin McGrath-guitar, vocals Ian Riggs-bass Robert DiPietro-drums Discography albums: Colin McGrath, 1996 Allegro Con Chutzpah, 2001 Window Seat, 2007 Window Seat is currently in regular rotation on the following stations: 88.1 FM WCWP, Long Island, Web Radio WCWP WQFS, North Carolina WMPG, Greater Portland Community Radio Links http://www.colinmcgrath.com Myspace Site