Tag Archives: Jayden Grahlman
Blue-Eyed Soul, Meaford Style
Review by Bill Monahan of “Diving In” by Jayden Grahlman
Jayden Grahlman has completed his new album of original tunes and is planning a release party in Owen Sound at Heartwood Concert Hall on June 28th. The album should please anyone who invested through crowd funding to help make it a reality. There is a real soul feel to the album, often bringing to mind Earth, Wind and Fire or K-OS. Jayden’s experience playing with local funk band Higher Funktion has obviously influenced him. Rich with danceable grooves and excellent playing, the album has a unique quality that seems to reflect its origins here in Meaford. It can’t be called an urban sound, despite some impressive hip-hop passages, and maybe should be labelled (if a label is necessary) small-town funk, primarily because of the nature of the lyrical content.
The water theme is recurrent throughout the ten songs, reflecting the fact that it was conceived here beside the big lake. And in place of the gritty, dark mood of much of urban music, there is a soaring sense of joy and love, a positive outlook that echoes the artist’s world view. Angels appear in almost every song.
Jayden Grahlman is well respected as a guitarist who can play just about anything. He combines an impressive technical ability with a light touch and sensitivity as a player that makes any style he approaches his own. This album is full of great instrumental passages, from the easy groove of the guitar that opens “You Got The Power”, reminiscent of J. J. Cale or Eric Clapton, to the fiery solo in “Magnet”. There are also a few very impressive piano solos (sounding like the work of Tyler Yarema) that decorate the title track, “Diving In” and “Stars”.
Along with the individual standout instrumental solos, every song sits on a bed of beautifully arranged sounds. The vocal harmonies throughout, some evocative percussive elements and, on “Give Thanks”, a seductive pedal steel, make for sweet listening. Much of the credit for this is probably due to the production work of Craig Smith. Two albums released in the past year, by Drew McIvor and Jon Zaslow, have that same quality, where layers of musical accompaniment are so subtly and sensitively arranged that they create moods that greatly elevate the original tunes, and they too featured Craig Smith at the console.
While instrumental virtuosity makes a great first impression, it takes more than that to make a timeless album. The greatest albums always have a special way of reaching down into your inner being and becoming part of your own personal soundtrack. They attach themselves to your favourite activities and they inspire you to feel deeply and believe in life. This album has all of those qualities.
It’s easy to imagine the joy of listening to these songs while cruising through a hot summer night with the windows down, head bobbing and heart beating to the insinuating rhythms. And it’s just as easy to imagine sitting back and sinking into the songs, opening your heart to the messages contained in the lyrics. In a world that is increasingly harsh, cynical and disturbing, these songs provide a balm.
There are simple messages of love and an odd reflection on the life of a goldfish (it’s hard to tell if it is an extended metaphor or a rumination on what it must be like for a fish isolated in a fishbowl), but there are also songs that would nicely serve as daily confirmations for anyone looking to elevate their spirit. In particular “You Got The Power” and “Give Thanks” remind you of the value of the life you hold in your hands. And songs like “Angel” and “Magnet” remind you what love is really about.
Although Jayden delivers both his vocals and his rap segments with an impressive punch, his voice isn’t burdened with the mannerisms that are usually built in to songs with funky beats. It’s a pure voice, echoing a sense of optimistic youth despite his mature mastery of the form. That, too, adds to the album’s special quality. And sprinkled throughout the songs there are other voices in the background, shouting out for joy or laughing. It seems to reflect the community of supporters that helped make this project a reality.
This album works on so many levels it deserves to be a hit that resonates well beyond its small town origins. Meaford can be proud of this young talent. He will go far.
The album release party for “Diving In”, featuring Jayden with a stellar band, happens June 28th at Heartwood Hall in Owen Sound. Advance tickets are $25.
There’s Good Rocking Tonight
Have you heard the news? There’s good rocking tonight at Ted’s Range Road Diner. A rocking band at the Wednesday night jams is a Meaford tradition that’s been going on for decades, but it’s hard to find a rock band performing on a Friday night in Meaford, especially this time of year.
It’s Chris Scerri and Horseshoes and Handgrenades, playing tonight, Apr. 13th, at Ted’s. The band will start at 8 with a more mellow set for dinner patrons and then the music will get as wild as the game on the menu as the band rocks out until around eleven.
The band this time out includes, along with Chris, Beaker Granger, Jayden Grahlman, and Erik Vandeweerdhof. There is no cover.
You can start your evening earlier with a glimpse of Meaford’s future music stars at GBCS when they run the first round of the Music Madness competition in the high school cafeteria. A variety of styles and musical configurations will be competing for audience approval in a one-on-one competition. A second show on May 11th will complete the competition.
On Saturday night, bad boy violinist Ashley MacIsaac plays Meaford Hall. After the show, stop by the Leeky Canoe to catch local country singer Carla Crawford who will be joined by Glenn Bladon.
On Sunday afternoon, the open mic at the Barn will be hosted by Ray Martini.
Community Helps Launch Talent of Jayden Grahlman
By Bill Monahan
Jayden Grahlman, a young local talent familiar to anyone who checks out the open stages, or catches live music in area venues, has a crowd-finding campaign in place to help him create a new album to be called “Diving In”. He is well on his way, with most of the bed tracks completed, working with producer Craig Smith.
“He’s got amazing ears and he really knows what he’s doing,” Jayden enthuses, “He’s super easy to get along with and he has great ideas, and he really brings the best out of whatever we’re doing.”
Jayden will be benefitting from the help of several musical friends to make the album a reality.
“There’s going to be some great people playing on it,” he says, “We’re just getting the core tracks done on their own and then we’re going to have people come in on their own once everything’s totally ready.” Not everyone has been lined up yet, but He mentioned that Tyler Yarema is “going to come and play piano on some tunes,” and he will be heading to Guelph at the end of March to add drums and bass with Adam Bowman and Tyler Wagler respectively.
“It’s something that’s been a long time coming for me and I’m having a lot of fun in the studio,” he says.
Jayden has guitar skills that put him in the top echelon of local players, something that developed from a passion he discovered at a young age.
“The first time I remember actually learning guitar and playing stuff was me and my brother. I think I was twelve and he was thirteen and something like that and we had a contest to see who could play the most riffs. It was like, ‘Smoke On The Water’ and ‘Seven Nation Army’, and whatever many little riffs you could learn. So I just learned a whole whack of them and at that point I just got into it. I was like, ‘Oh! I can learn songs!’ It was just fun so at that point I started playing more.”
Meaford Musical Community Shines In “The Last Waltz”
Review by Bill Monahan
featured photo courtesy of Patti Kendall
On Saturday night at Meaford Hall, “The Last Waltz – Meaford Style” was a celebration of our musical community unlike anything that has been seen before. A complete sellout more than a month in advance, the show featured a cavalcade of home grown talent that was equal to any visiting talent that has graced this great venue, and the audience loved it.
The template for the show was the famous Martin Scorcese film from 1978 that documented the last concert by The Band, with all of the performers who had been part of that celebration represented here by local talents. It was actually the 41st anniversary of the original concert, which took place at Winterland in San Francisco on November 25, 1976. The film set the bar high for a group of local performers who had little more than a month to practice. They rose to the occasion. The band was tight, often indistinguishable from their model, and each performer who contributed tributes to the other performers did a stellar job. The energy from the audience matched that coming from the stage.
Jaret Koop photo courtesy of John Scerri
A few of the vocalists stood out with their ability to mimic the originals to an uncanny extent. Drew McIvor’s take on Doctor John’s (Mac Rebennack) “Such A Night” had that New Orleans drawl down cold, and Jaret Koop perfectly captured Rick Danko’s anguished vocals on “The Shape I’m In”.
Fran Bouwmann photo courtesy of John Scerri
Fran Bouwman did a great take on Joni Mitchell’s “Coyote” (and even looked the part), and Tom Thwaits’ version of Neil Diamond’s “Dry Your Eyes” sounded like the real thing. John Hume reproduced not only the vocal parts but the keyboards (that beautiful Hammond organ sound) with fidelity.
Sandra Swannell photo courtesy of John Scerri
Others added their own special talent to the songs that reflected what they bring to music. Sandra Swannell’s violin solos on “Acadian Driftwood” and the encore “I Shall Be Released”, and Emma Wright’s vocals on “Evangeline” were spine-tingling standouts. Chris Scerri’s vocals, of course, are 100% his. He’s a belter and his style made new versions of the songs he covered.
