Graham Colton

New Fall Tour/ OKC Thunder theme song

2010-10-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

A lot to report. 1) I'm going on my first full band tour in awhile to promote the upcoming new album. I'll be as far north as Minnesota and south as Houston. A few new dates are still coming in so stay tuned for info. Here's what comes to mind when i think of the cities I'm playing this fall:

Tulsa - as a kid passing under the longtime largest Macdonalds in the world...so i was told

Kansas City- Bonner Springs w/ Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Counting Crows

Urbana/ Champagne, IL- wild show w/ Better Than Ezra at The Canopy club.

Milwaukee- getting Lost at the Rave club minutes before the show...very Spinal Tap

Columbus- O.A.R & Counting Crows shows

Ann Arbor- Opening for Matt Nathanson. Watching Pres Bush and John Kerry debate backstage...very rock n roll.

Grand Rapids- random girl trying to get on 'Needtobreathe' bus to use the bathroom. She really had to go

Minneapolis- writing 'Don't Give Up On Me' w/ Dan Wilson

St. Louis- i will win my $100 back from blackjack loss.

Oklahoma City- home sweet home

2) On a side note, I wrote a song w/ Tommy Walter called Rise Together for the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team that you will hopefully hear a lot of this season. More info to come!

Cheers!

Studio Update

2010-08-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry i've been away for so long. I wrote a new song called 'Pacific Coast Eyes' a few weeks ago and did some serious scrambling to get it on the new record. Here's some studio footage:

Opening for Sheryl Crow at the Brady Theater

2010-08-04T09:10:00.001-07:00

i am so excited to open for Sheryl in support of her new album '100 miles from Memphis.' The Brady Theater is a legendary venue only 90 miles from my front door and i can't wait til' August 24th. Get tix here: Sheryl Crow & Graham Colton @ Brady Theater

'So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star'

2010-07-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

I read this book the day it came out a few years ago and have recently started reading it again. When writing songs with Dan Wilson, he told me of his fellow Semisonic band member, Jacob Slichter, writing a book about their journey through the music business. It's a great read & a very accurate depiction of life in a band, on the road & in the studio. What makes the book even more interesting is it's all through the eyes of the drummer. Semisonic fan or not, it's a great book.

Album update..

2010-07-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

A few photos from last week.

photo by Josh Welch

photo by Nancy Neil

photo by Josh Welch

photo by Nancy Neil

'Do It Again'

2010-07-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Just had this passed onto me and am now fully obsessed.

music on TV

2010-07-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's a really cool thing to write songs and watch them come to life on screen. 'Boston Med' has become one of my favorite new shows and I'm grateful they are using my music throughout. Watch Thursdays!

Justin Currie

2010-07-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

When I arrived in Boston last month, I was somewhere in-between total exhaustion and pure excitement. I had the daunting task of replacing my trusty 'American Tourist er' suitcase that was now wrapped in American Airlines baggage tape. That's another story altogether. Even with my terrible travel experience, I walked into the Paradise rock club in Boston, MA with an extra bounce. Why? I was invited to share the stage/ open for one of my musical heroes. Who? Justin 'lead singer of Del Amitri' Currie. As Justin was beginning his sound check, i noticed a familiar face sitting with his family. Not being able to quite place who this guy was and where I'd seen him before, we struck up a conversation. Finally, the conversation reached the point where i had to ask where we had met and finally discovered he was one of my favorite music writers, David Wild. I had read plenty of his interviews and commentary in Rolling Stone and remembered we had met while on tour with Counting Crows. I quickly learned he was a super fan of Justin Currie and Del Amitri. It just so happened, he was on vacation with his family and saw the opportunity to write a review/ story on Justin and his new record. You can read the interview here:
David Wild/ Justin Currie

I played 3 shows with Justin and he remains one of my biggest influences as a song- writer.

Justin Currie

David Wild

respect your elders... cuz they're still cooler than you

2010-07-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

My great grandfather E.G Colton

My late uncle Jerry w/ the Oklahoma Sooner marching band

My grandfathers the day my brother was born. Scotch & plaid.

My dad in college. Stillwater, Oklahoma

California

2010-07-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Had a great week in Los Angeles/ Santa Barbara. Here are a few pics:

Santa Barbara balcony

After performing @ CBS I wandered to 'New York' street

porch playin'

The Gin Blossoms new album

2010-07-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

I am excited the song, 'Miss Disarray,' i co-wrote w/ my 'Rembrants' pal, Danny Wilde, & the Gin Blossoms will be the first single on their up-coming album. This is a really cool moment for me as a songwriter because I'v been a fan of the band for a long time. preview the song here

Time Spent In Los Angeles

2010-07-14T15:10:00.001-07:00

I'm in LA mixing the new record and this song is how I feel: http://tinyurl.com/23mapbp

Earl Glenn blog

2010-07-11T09:44:00.001-07:00

(Earl Glenn Jr.)

Now that I have a new blog….and all that... I have to pay homage to my brother, Garrett. Garrett is always a step ahead on what’s cool and fun, and I clumsily try and keep up. He started his blog 'Earl Glenn’ (named after our Grandfather ‘E.G Colton) and it remains a ‘go to’ for my airport/ backstage/ or any down time. You’ll find takes on music, travel, fashion, and an occasional youtube find. Even with a guitar, I could never be as cool as my younger bro. Earl Glenn Blog

Friday Night Lights

2010-07-09T17:58:00.001-07:00

A few years ago, when I heard about the debut of the TV series, ‘Friday Night Lights,’ I was immediately turned off. Maybe the film just did’nt sell me. (apologies to Billy Bob Thorton.) Maybe I was still feeling the emotional hangover of watching James Van Der Beek’s performance in ‘Varsity Blues.’ The best selling HG Bissinger book ‘Friday Night Lights’ was legendary among my friends and almost perfectly described small town high school football. Born, raised, and playing football in Oklahoma, I learned fast. The game is a religion and it all starts in high school...sometimes earlier. Where else but maybe a rock band do you line up next to your friends and try to achieve greatness? Dramatic? Yes, but that’s truly what it’s like in the heartland playing football. The TV show is shot beautifully…mostly handheld and has the kind of characters you want to root for.

One of, if not the best thing about the show is the music. Snuffy Walden’s theme song is the best I’ve heard and Ryan Adams, Tony Lucca & Wilco provide a perfect backdrop for this small slice of Americana. Watch it!!

Somewhere In between EP

2010-07-08T17:21:00.001-07:00

I released a new digital EP today. It's a collection of older songs and new ones. I took the cover photo in Jacksonville, FL while on tour with Needtobreathe. The title track is a song i wrote in Nashville with 'Tonic' frontman/ songwriter Emerson Hart a couple years ago. As you can probably tell, Emerson's style is all over the track...even in it's raw demo form. He is one of my favorite songwriters and a great guy. i was very honored to have written it with him. 'Every Now & Then' was written with my good friend/ collaborator Daniel Christman. He and I have written a ton of songs together including 'Let It Go' on my last album. He's an incredible talent and i expect great things out of him in the near future with his solo project 'Echo Flyer,' 'Hear Me Out' was written last year with my friend, Michael Lord in Los Angeles. It wasn;t quite right for my up-coming new record but i really wanted to you all to hear it. Michael and I also recently covered Tom Petty's 'Learning To Fly' avail here: http://tiny.cc/c5h9o. Check dat out yo!

'Walls' is a track from a few years back I wrote with my pal Matthew Gerrard. It was actually one of the first tracks i wrote for my last album and i just couldn't find a spot for it on the record. However, Australian superstar, Shannon Noll recorded it on his last album. i love his version. Very big sounding! Lastly, 'Symphony' was written by myself and my great friend and Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin in New Orleans over 6 years ago! Better late than never to let it out! Hope you guys like the new EP.

I have a blog!

2010-07-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'm Graham. I'm a singer/ songwriter from Oklahoma. I hope you will stop by from time to time to see what I'm up to. I travel often so i hope to post pics/ stories from the road. Tell me how i'm doing and what you'd like to see on my blog.