“We hope to follow the paths and revisit the places that inspired the artists who inspire us,” says Alyssa Graham of husband/wife old roots band THE GRAHAMS. “We don’t want to imitate these folk heroes or faithfully reproduce their work, but instead we are looking for the modern echo of older sounds, and hope to give shape to these enduring reverberations.” Beginning June 6, 2014, The Grahams will be boarding the first of many Amtrak trains in search of this same inspiration to write the follow-up to their critically-acclaimed debut album Riverman’s Daughter (12 South Records/RED Distribution). “We are not trying to replicate the music of Woody Guthrie or Leadbelly or any other folk legend,” expands Doug Graham, “but we are endlessly drawn to the master lines they laid down.”
Like their 2013 debut Riverman’s Daughter whose inspiration came from following the Mississippi River from North to South, The Grahams’ new album will be imagined whilst riding the rails, making stops throughout their journey. Absorbing the local color and listening to hometown tales, they plan to take in the culture of the cities they visit, hearing the stories of the diverse people they meet at every stop, doing a little old fashioned busking and some impromptu shows along the way. Lighting off in Montreal and circling the country from New Orleans, to Los Angeles, Glenwood Springs to Memphis, the duo will explore the hidden crevices and homegrown flavor within the communities along the tracks, and in doing so, honor the deep tradition and connection between the railroad and American song.
And so, when The Grahams board storied train lines like “The 68 Adirondack” and “The 19 Crescent” with guitars in hand, to venture through 23-plus states and parts of Canada in search of untold stories, they’ll look to do more than just rediscover and resound the history they uncover. They will be hoping to create a new body of work that will encapsulate their own adventure from Rock Island to the Rockies.
As the train trip commences, The Grahams are releasing the final video from the deluxe edition of Riverman’s Daughter, a cover of Neil Young’s “Down By The River.”
The Grahams, the creative union of lifelong romantic partners Alyssa and Doug Graham, combine earthy Americana with hints of soulful bluegrass, adding colors from traditional folk and country blues into an infectious blend of storytelling that results in songs of love, loss, yearning, and the view from rural American roads less traveled.
http://www.thegrahamsmusic.net/
June 6th – Montreal to NYC
68 Adirondack
9:30am – 8:20pm
(arrive June 6)
June 13 – NYC to New Orleans, LA
19 Crescent
2:15pm – 7:32pm
(arrive June 14)
June 16 – Playing US Mint (New Orleans)
June 18 – New Orleans to El Paso, TX
1 Sunset Limited
9:00am – 1:22pm
(arrive June 19)
June 22 – El Paso, TX to Los Angeles, CA
421 Texas Eagle / 1 Sunset Limited
1:47pm – 5:35am
(arrive June 23)
June 25 – Los Angeles, CA to Oakland, CA
14 Coast Starlight
10:10am – 9:24pm
(arrive June 25)
June 26 – Emeryville, CA to Glenwood Springs, CO
6 California Zephyr
9:10am – 12:10pm
(arrive June 27)
June 29 – Glenwood Springs, CO to Galesburg, IL
(Rock Island & Davenport)
6 California Zephyr
12:10pm – 11:31am
(arrive June 30)
July 1 – Galesburg, IL to Kansas City, MO
3 Southwest Chief
5:38pm – 10:11pm
(arrive July 1)
July 4 – Kansas City, MO to Chicago, IL
4 Southwest Chief
7:43am – 3:15pm
(arrive July 4)
July 5 – Chicago, IL to Memphis, TN
59 City Of New Orleans
8:05pm – 6:27am
(arrive July 6)
