Music
Press
(PRWEB) August 10, 2004 -- Gibson Guitar, the world's premiere musical instrument company, announced that it has partnered with W3G Entertainment Group to produce a quarterly networking party for music industry executives in their New York City Showroom located at 421 West 54th Street in Manhattan.
Performers represent a wide spectrum of music in the rock genre and for the inaugural event the list includes San Diego pop-punks Pensive, Maine singer-songwriter Graham Isaacson and modern rockers Harsh Krieger from Nashville. In addition to the entertainment Gibson Guitar will showcase some of their most popular instruments including signature guitars, Baldwin piano and Slingerland drums.
- Gibson
Networking - Gibson style
San Diego's Pensive gave New York industry insiders a sneak preview of the pop-punk sounds that will open an upcoming tour for Yellowcard. The occasion was the first "Gibson Rocks" (Aug. 19), a quarterly, invite-only networking event hosted by Gibson/Baldwin's New York showroom. Aussie MTV VJ Shorty Brown emceed performances from Pensive, Maine singer-songwriter Graham Isaacson and modern rockers Harsh Krieger from Nashville (who were invited to guest star on "The View" on ABC). Guests represented such companies as The William Morris Agency, Epic Records, Columbia Records, Billboard, Warner Chappell, and Atlantic Records. - Gibson.Com
Portland Press-Herald , Portland,ME
Aimsel Ponti
"With a firm grasp on the human condition, (Graham Isaacson and Robby Baier's) songs are roadmaps through the heart, with stops along the way in the dark areas and the more optimistic ones... You never know if the gap between the studio and the stage will be bridged and in Isaacson's case, he's got nothing to worry about." - Aimsel
CDBaby.com, Portland,OR
Derek Sivers
Gravel-voice, acoustic guitar, shuffling drums, lap steel... these are the elements, but they’re brought together so brilliantly by this young man that by the time you start to sift through the introspective, sensitive lyrics, you realize that their emotion would never be in place without the emotion put forth by the actual music. A mix of Americana and folk pop (Hey, I even hear a little soul in there), there are moments when the pure honesty can make the tears start to prick at your eyelids, just because you’ve been there, too, and you never quite knew how to say it like this. If you’re into unrequited love songs, this is a find for you; it plows through your chest and finds those heartstrings way in the back that are too far out of the way to be grabbed by anything more superficial. - Derek
"The best part of this song is the hook that is carried by the chorus. Nice job. Can't really describe it..it's just good music..."
- Atlanta GA - GarageBand.Com
"A haunting, effective peice...a fine example of what happens when musicians use their heads before they record what is in their hearts. I want to hear more from this band."
- Atlanta GA - GarageBand.Com
"...an engaging, honest vocalist with a voice that demands attention, the sound of a life that knows from experience."
- Portland OR - GarageBand.Com
"I didn't expect to hear something this CLASSY and DISTINCT. Man, not that many people want to make this kind of music anymore. JUST FANTASTIC!"
- Estonia - GarageBand.Com
"The depth and beauty of Graham Isaacson’s debut CD “Nine Days” jumps at you from its first line...It is [it's] intimacy and universality that creates art rather than entertainment and rewards repeated listening." - Charles Robinson
"What an interestingly unique voice and vocal style. Graham Isaacson's approach to songwriting and story telling is refreshingly real. There is a nice contrast to the grugg voice and sweet, melodic guitar sounds. Every once in a while, you can find a gem hiding in a recording studio in ME!" - Georgia McBride
Discography
Graham Isaacson - 'Memories In Shadows' (Sinister Muse Records/Empyrean Records - 2007)
Photos
Bio
To categorize Graham Isaacson as a typical singer-songwriter, one would be missing the point. On his debut, ‘Memories in Shadows’, Portland, Maine-based indie singer/songwriter Graham Isaacson sounds like an old soul. His Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen-inspired music evokes feelings of intimacy, truth, and heartfelt emotion. His straight-from-the-heart lyrics would make most think he’s been around the block more than the rest of us. And yet at 23, it’s clear his gifts have only just begun.
Graham Isaacson began his interest in music as a piano-noodling toddler and began writing his first songs as a teenager. “When I first heard David Grey’s ‘White Ladder’ and Smashing Pumpkins ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,’ it completely changed my way of thinking. That’s when I started to write pretty seriously.” You can still hear traces of both of those artists in Issacson’s current setlist. Once Graham ventured off to college, his songwriting became all-consuming. “That’s when I realized I wanted to be a performer.” He’s been performing ever since and, in the process, amassed a respectable local following and a sizable MySpace fanclub as well.
‘Memories In Shadows’ was produced by Melodrome’s Robby Baier at SubStation Recording in Housatonic, Massachusetts. Recorded in an old train station, ‘Memories In Shadows’ manages to be both sweeping and beautifully raw in its delivery, with Graham’s voice and lyrical guitar lines often taking center stage. In fact, it’s exactly those qualities that contributed to Graham landing Second place honors in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition (ISC), no easy feat considering the who’s who panel of judges: Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Joss Stone, and LeAnn Rimes. It’s also worth mentioning that the ISC received close to 50,000 entries from 82 countries throughout the world, of which Graham’s was one. American Idol be damned.
Graham’s uniqueness and dedication have also gained him the notice and respect of another of Portland, Maine’s notable residents—Ray LaMontagne. “He’s been really supportive and we’ve become good friends.” They’ve also written a few songs together that “will hopefully be on the next album.” Graham has also recently begun co-writing with other established brethren like Joey Degraw, Jeff Cohen, and the Spin Doctor’s Chris Barron. At 23, an old soul indeed.
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