The Graham Whorley Band
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The Graham Whorley Band

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"Graham Whorley's New Group Excels Beyond Expectation"

"I would say the band is as strong as it's ever been -- and we've only been together for three months now," says guitarist Graham Whorley of his latest ensemble. The longtime Charleston performer is best known among locals as the tall-standing, long-bearded, electric blues-rock player who played for years as a solo act and with The Graham Whorley Band (a.k.a. "GWB").
Invigorated with a new backing group...Whorley feels he's playing some of the best music of his career.
"Musically, it's completely different," he says. "It's not better or worse; it has a whole other feel to it. The (old)GWB played so much all the time, we never made time for proper rehearsals and stuff like that. (Now) we do make time to play off stage. We're making new music and putting older music back in another light, very different from what it was originally. GWB was probably more laid back, while this band makes more of a push into new directions. The new players add new aspects to it. It's just a whole new band and feel.
"Sometimes, we'll get fans out who haven't seen me in a while, and they'll go, 'whoa, what's all this about?'" he adds. "We played for over 10 years in this town as GWB. A lot of people are set in their ways, you know? Like, I can understand where Dylan was coming from when he went electric [laughs]. GWB was a full band with acoustic guitar -- strictly -- and it had a certain sound. The new band is a full band with electric guitar and it's a different show -- it's a better show than it was.
Whorley unveiled the beginnings of the new band lineup last spring under the name "The New Deal." Bassist Rusty Cole (replacing Herb "The Experience" Shirey) and keyboardist Daniel Walker -- both of local band The Workshop -- fit right in with Whorley's soulful style of Southern jam-rock. Myrtle Beach-based drummer Lloyd "Bongolloyd" sat in as the new drummer, replacing Bob Williams. Drummer Brian Ledbetter, also of The Workshop, recently stepped in as the regular timekeeper. "We've expanded the instrumentation and aim for a more soul-oriented sound -- it's all very much from the heart," says Whorley. "The band's a lot more involved musically and in the business aspects of it -- from the shows and the details of booking to handling CDs and promotion."
The band filled in "last minute" at North Charleston tavern T.J. & Tommy's Guitar Bar & Grill on Aug. 17, 2005 with a live set that ended up on Comcast Channel 2's ongoing live music series. They're currently in the process of assembling songs and recording tracks with Jay Miley at his Charleston Recordings studio. Look for the full band around the South this fall and winter.
- The Charleston City Paper (Oct. 2005)


"Michael Saliba"

“They feed off each other and constantly work towards perfection." - The City Paper (Charleston,SC)


"Mark Pantsari"

“explores psychedelic Southern rock and never fails to put on a dazzling show” (December 2005) - The Post and Courier (Charleston,SC)


"April 2005"

“Great original song writing and a must listen for any local music fan…”

"One of Charleston's best!" - www.earjingle.com


"The Free Times"

“you can be standing there listening to them and you feel kind of stoned, but you forgot to smoke the joint…” - Charleston,SC


"Graham Whorley's New Jam"

GRAHAM WHORLEY' S NEW JAM

The mighty GWB kick off an August residency at The Pour House

By Michael Andrews

For years, Charleston-based singer and electric/acoustic blues-rock guitarist
Graham Whorley has worked with various groups of musicians who understand his
soulful vibe and complex rock stylings. On the side, he's established himself as
a versatile solo live performer, too (his "loop shows" are a hoot).

With his latest backing ensemble, he feels even more invigorated and inspired
than ever about writing, performing, and experimenting with music. Keyboardist
Daniel Walker and drummer Brian Ledbetter (both previously of The Workshop)
signed on last year and initially played out under the band name Graham Whorley
& Iridescent Sol. By the end of '05, they had eventually settled in as the
Graham Whorley Band. With temporary bassist Rusty Cole playing and doing audio
engineering work elsewhere, the latest version of the band now features Will
Ames on bass.

"We always want to stay as rootsy as possible while trying to be cutting-edge,"
says Whorley. "We're incorporating new things, like theremins and heavy
percussion instruments, into the mix. We're a lot more funky with Will on bass.
He's got that feel about him. He's very well-versed and has that solidness that
we needed. At 31, I'm the oldest guy in the band now [laughs]. These guys are
like whippersnappers, man. All these guys are hungry and curious. They're
well-versed in music and all of them are ready to do something, you know?
They're not sitting on their asses."

The Graham Whorley Band start a five-show residency at the Pour House this
Tuesday, Aug. 1, with a rotation of opening acts. They are currently in the
process of assembling songs and recording tracks with Jay Miley at his
Charleston Recording Company studio on James Island.

"These Pour House shows will be great fun," says the bandleader. "We're going to
have a different band open for us every time. Five gigs in a row. At the end of
the month, we're doing another big tour up the coast through the Carolinas and
the Northeast." —T. Ballard Lesemann

The Graham Whorley Band performs every Tuesday in August at the Pour House at
1977 Maybank Hwy., starting on Tues. Aug. 1 with support from Raleigh group
American Aquarium. Cover is $5. Check out www.charlestonpourhouse.com and
www.grahamwhorleyband.com for more - Charleston City Paper (July 26, 2006)


Discography

All recordings self produced and released.

Studio Demo-May 2006- (Recorded at Charleston Recording Studios-Engineered by Jay Miley)

Comcast Cable Show Live- 2005

Iridescent Sol- 1999 (Recorded at Charleston Recording Studios. Engineered by Jay Miley)

Live at The Music Farm-1998

The Graham Whorley Band (self titled)-1995 (Recorded at Island Sound Recording Studios. Engineered By Steve Green.)

The GWB currently receives airplay in South Carolina, New York, Virginia and Germany (maybe more) and has sent out over 500 copies of their LIVE 2005 Comcast Show to listeners worldwide including France, Japan, Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Germany, and The United Kingdom.

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Bio

The Graham Whorley Band emerges from a pulsating canvas of hard driven electric guitar, blended with a smoky blues shade rising from the voice and innovative songwriting of 10 year veteran frontman Graham Whorley. A mainstay on the southeast music scene "they feed off each other and constantly work towards perfection," says Michael Saliba of The City Paper of the newly revamped trio. Their music has best been decribed as psychedelic Southern Rock by The Post and Courier. However, as a power trio with new addition, Dave McIntire II on bass, the band is taking a harder edge and leaving the Southern niceities at home.

Graham and The GWB are raising eyebrows of fans and gaining widespread recognition outside Charleston having played shows recently with Efrem Towns of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, 2006 New Year's Eve with Tishamingo, and New Riders of the Purple Sage with members of Hot Tuna to name just a few. Graham Whorley recently had the pleasure of sharing an impromptu night on the stage with legendary harmonica player, Lee Oskar of WAR as well as performing with several other notable musicians in the last year.

The GWB is recording all of their shows in real time throughout this year and will be selling live bootlegs at the merchandise tables. The shows will also be available online at www.archive.org. Keep your eyes open as these are going to be available only for a limited time and are going to go fast!