Kyla Graves

Young Local Musician Blazing Her Path In Burlington
Article by Richard Radford

Former resident and Burlington rising star Kyla Graves is not yet able to quit her day job as an educator, though she manages to play a handful of gigs whenever she can.
Graves, who grew up in Reading, Vt., graduated from the University of Vermont and keeps on holding down a full time job, writing music and songs, and recording tracks.
Finding inspiration to write music is never hard, however. Graves said she is inspired by the world around her, including her work as a full time therapeutic educator at a private school in Burlington.
"I think I absolutely do share a couple of passions," she said. "I think the things behind my ambition are life, love, and experience, every day all around me. My passions are the inspiration, they feed off of each other."
"I think 'starving artist' is the name they have for it up here," she added.
Graves said she also holds the record for the most shows performed on the UVM campus more than any other artist. Along with solo performances, she also appeared at various impromptu shows and open mic nights.
The university was integral in giving her a leg up towards her career in music, Graves said.
"I was really helped out by UVM when I was starting out," she said. "I had the first chance to support a lot performers who came to the school. I was kind of their go-to girl of openers."
Passion for her work drives her, Graves said, though self-promotion is a double-edged sword. Though the music moves her, she still has a full time job to attend to.
"To be honest it has been pretty tough promoting myself," she said. "I figure if I can send an e-mail a day I know I'm at least making progress. Right now my ambition is what's driving me."
Having played guitar since she was in sixth grade in Reading, Graves has grown a lot in talent and experience. Working hard on her music through school, she said she owes a lot to the adults who helped her along the way, including Ken Norcross and the Standard's own Kevin Forrest.
"They backed me up on a bunch of high school gigs," she said. "They made me sound much better than I was back then."
Graves will be returning to Woodstock for a show with the band Garrison Delight this summer for Pentangle's On the River Summer Show, which will be held July 28.
Garrison Delight includes band members who are fellow alumni from WUHS along with Graves.
"It will be a sort of coming home for us," she said.
Although Graves won't be performing directly in the area until this summer, she regularly performs in and around the Burlington area, including a big gig at Nectar's in Burlington at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 28. People interested in listening to tracks of her music, or for more tour and booking information, can check out her myspace site at http://www.myspace.com/kylagraves. She can also be contacted by email at kngraves1@gmail.com - The Vermont Standard