I couldn't have been happier when Brandon Graves told me (after filming an episode with his wife, Christena, that he'd love to come on and do an episode himself. Recommendations are my lifeline, and if someone directly tells me they're game, it's like a winning scratcher.
Brandon was kind enough to trek in from Lawrence, KS not once but twice to hang out with me in my basement and have a conversation.
While we hung, Brandon and I talked about recording, touring, parenting, being supportive, and so much more. Part of that "so much more" involved his wife's new record, Sliver Moon, and the already-out track, "Hanging On." Of particular note on that front is a piece of information I learned a lot about regarding the costs of putting out a record, and -- were you inclined -- you could show the Christena Graves Band some support via their Kickstarter.
Anyway...Brandon and I had some fun chatting, and while we were doing so, we had a look at a few of his favorite albums, which were these:
Peter Gabriel's So (1986)
A Show of Hands (1989), Rush
Marc Cohn's The Rainy Season (1993)
Undercurrent (2016), Sarah Jarosz
Loney Dear's self-titled release (2017)
Brandon wrote a book. It's called Reflections for the Hands, Head, & Heart, and you can buy it on his Web site. He also drums for a number of outfits, and you should consider following him on them. Those Instagram handles are @beatcaster, @christenagravesmusic, @thedavidluther, @kelleyhuntmusic, and @mnubands.
So, thank you to Brandon for the time and the awesome energy, and please consider giving his stuff a peek. And -- of course -- thank you to everyone that supports the show. Instagram follows/likes, streams, views on YouTube, whatever. I appreciate it all.
copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained within this episode. They are snippets from one of the greatest rock 'n' roll tunes ever composed, and they're from a Rush song called "La Villa Strangiato." It comes from their 1978 release, Hemispheres, c/o UMG Recordings Inc.