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CHECK OUT A SNEAK PREVIEW OF "THE GATE" BELOW!
Filmed LIVE at The Pour House in Charleston, South Carolina at their 1st Singer/Songwriter series on August 2, 2010

]]> http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#27 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#26 The local songwriter goes full tilt
By T. Ballard Lesemann
July 21, 2010



Armed with a microphone, an acoustic six-string, and only a few effects pedals, Graham Whorley creates an impressively vibrant range of sounds. Established as a versatile solo live performer, the Charleston-based singer/guitarist's skill, versatility, and performance style seems to come naturally. While he's worked diligently over the years, both as solo act and as a bandleader, this year's taking shape as the most transitional and ambitious of his career.

There's two pots simmering on the Whorley burner. He recently completed the basic tracks for a forthcoming 14-song solo album of originals. He also assembled a brand-new lineup of musicians for The Graham Whorley Band.

"I'm really excited about this session," Whorley says of his studio work in Lynchburg, Va., with longtime friend Roger Reynolds at the mixing board. "I wrote all these new songs, and I figured if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right. I'm not going to get somebody else to do it for me. That way, I have no one to be mad at but myself if it doesn't turn out right. It's going well so far. It might be the best thing I've done so far."

Whorley played all of the instruments on the album — drums, xylophone, piano, bass, and acoustic and electric guitars. He plans to do the final mixes this summer.

"Roger and I were literally blood brothers when we were eight years old," Whorley says of his engineer. "He was my best friend. His place is nothing like any of the studios we have here in Charleston. You could literally put any major band in there, and it would be completely accommodating. There's nothing but goodness coming out of the speakers."

Whorley's previous solo release, 2007's State of Affairs, mixed a few acoustic ballads with some of his groovier acoustic rockers, powered by harmonies and loop pedal effects. His latest tracks are more amplified, with a broader full-band sound.

"It's so different from my last album, which was mostly acoustic-based," says the songwriter. "It's me redoing myself once again. I feel like I'm going completely legit with this album. Every time, I go a little further and a little further. It's full tilt this time — the whole nine yards."

Encouraged and inspired by the environment and vibe of the studio, Whorley wrote several of the songs while jamming in the main room during some marathon sessions. He plans to mix it in Lynchburg this summer and have it mastered in L.A. and Nashville by late fall.

In and around town, Whorley regularly plays more than 300 solo shows a year. It's not unusual for him to do gigs in town every day of the week, with a double or two thrown in. The last two years have been a fairly quiet run for the Graham Whorley Band, however. This year things are revving back up with the addition of keys man Chris Duvall (of The Key of Q), drummer John Fitzgerald (of The Secrets, Baby Fat), and bassist Tad Fletcher (of Vehicle).

"The first time this new GWB played was at Loggerhead's on Folly Beach this summer. We just slammed the joint," says Whorley. "We're in the early stages, but it's solid."

The new GWB is fine-tuning live arrangements of Whorley's new studio material and expanding their eclectic set list of rock, soul, and blues standards.

"We're still doing stuff like Frank Zappa, Freddie King, Luther Allison, Phish, John Scofield, to name a few," says Whorley. "These guys are all very into the music, plus they're all very professional musicians. I'm really proud of how well they've clicked."]]> http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#26 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#17
Graham Whorley's solo CD "State of Affairs" is available on iTunes!


BUY IT NOW ON iTUNES!

]]> http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#17 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#14 Tim Reynolds with Graham Whorley
The Pour House
1977 Maybank Hwy
Charleston,SC 29412
(843) 571-4343
Tickets: $12




Graham Whorley will start the night off for Tim Reynolds (of Dave Matthews fame) on Thursday, August 16th at The Pour House (voted Homegrown Music Network's BEST Venue of 2006.) This will be the second time in as many years that Graham has had the honor of performing with the legendary guitarist. This is sure to be a show you don't want to miss!

Doors open at 9pm so get there EARLY! Tickets are $12 and can be purchased by visiting www.charlestonpourhouse.com or please call the venue directly at (843) 571-4343 for more info.

www.myspace.com/grahamwhorley
www.timreynolds.com]]> http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#14 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#13 By Stratton Lawrence
June 27th, 2007

There must be something in the air up in Virginia. Listen to nearly any 10-second clip from Cavalier-state export Graham Whorley's solo debut, and the comparisons to Va.-based loop guitarist Keller Williams are immediate. Despite his very similar sound, Whorley is able to hold his own, fortunately, placing staccato acoustic riffs over groovable, rhythmic layers to create a diverse album of jams and ballads. Opening track "Sway" repeatedly asks, "Tell me what it is to make you act that way?" as Whorley loops his vocals, effectively harmonizing with himself. Insightful, pressing lyrics like, "Do you hear the cries and fears?/God has been missing for years," (on "God's Playpen") give credence to Whorley's sometimes strained and distant-sounding voice. He places the ballads early on the album, then breaks out the slide on "CC My Playmate" to get the blood flowing. "Cue" is a live recording from the Pour House, beginning with an almost haunting, anticipatory bass walk that he complements with steel drum-like layered solos higher on his guitar's neck. By "Diablo Senorita," a song with a riff reminiscent of Phish's "First Tube," the album has picked up enough to get people off the couch and dancing. Title track "State of Affairs" closes the disc, utilizing audio clips from President Bush defending his disregard of the Geneva Convention ("Outrages upon human dignity? That's very vague."), with heavy drums and bass giving emphasis to the implications of those words. Whorley's done a good job here, utilizing samples and showing off his guitar and loop expertise to put together a polished, solid presentation of his solo capabilities. See www.grahamwhorley.com for more. —Stratton Lawrence]]> http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#13 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#10
The Graham Whorley Band will take the stage at 3pm at The Tall Ships Festival in downtown Charleston at Ansonborough Fields across from The Aquarium on Saturday, May 19th. Admission to the festival is free! If you'd like to tour the amazing ships that will be on location, it will cost you $10. There will be music all weekend featuring Black Eyed Susan, Sol Driven Train, Laura Reed and The Deep Pockets, Here Come The Mummies and more!]]> http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#10 Mon, 07 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#8


]]> http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#8 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#2 http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#2 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#1
Efrem 'E.T.' Towns, trumpet and flugel player for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band &
Graham Whorley Band
w/ The Sol Driven Train Horns, Juke Joint Johnny, and guests
Wed. Dec. 13
9 p.m.
$8 ($6 adv.)
Pour House
1977 Maybank Hwy.
571-4343
www.charlestonpourhouse.com
www.dirtydozenbrass.com
www.grahamwhorleyband.com

Let's admit it — when some sort of jam session or open-ended gig gets listed and promoted as "an all-star" event, it really means a circus of friends and musical acquaintances standing around on stage, sometimes clueless as to what's up next and what it all means to say. These shows are crapshoots — anything can happen. Sometimes it's magic. Sometimes it's catastrophic. Sometimes it's actually well organized and arranged.

"This show at the Pour House is not like a pick-up gig," says local guitarist Graham Whorley, who recently organized a special collaboration among Dirty Dozen Brass Band's Efrem "E.T." Towns and his band, members of Sol Driven Train, and special guests. "We've been working on the material for over a month. It's ready to go. E.T. gets in town the day before the gig, so we'll have less than 24 hours to rehearse. He's such a great musician and this band we've put together is so tight, there's no wrench to be thrown. Everything is right where it's supposed to be. Throw E.T. in the mix and it's going to sound great. Everything is arranged. The percussion players have been getting together a lot. The musicianship of the band is so strong, there'll be no worries about what we can accomplish."

Whorley first met Towns backstage at the Music Farm during a late-night set on Nov. 16 that included Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Hayes.

"I got the whole thing together after my Sullivan's Island friend Mark Myers suggested we check out the Dirty Dozen," says Whorley. "E.T. had spoken to him about trying to put a show together in Charleston with a local backing band. I was going to see the Mule on the same night of my wife's and my seventh anniversary and it just so happened that the Dirty Dozen were playing the same night. He asked me who I thought he should use, so, just messin' with him, I told him to use the best band in Charleston [laughs]. He said he was thinking the same thing."

Myers, Whorley, and Towns spent a few weeks shuffling possible lineups and dates and finally confirmed a date at the Pour House for this Wednesday.

Towns, 46, is a native of Queens, N.Y. and a longtime New Orleans scenester. He helped form the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in the late '70s with core members Gregory Davis (trumpet), Roger Lewis (baritone and soprano sax), and Kevin Harris (tenor sax). In addition to his work with the Dirty Dozen, he's collaborated in studios and on stage with a variety of acts, from the traditional Louisiana acts Rebirth Brass Band and Buckwheat Zydeco to such jam/rock and pop acts as Widespread Panic, Gov't Mule, Galactic, Dave Matthews Band, and Elvis Costello (check the horn work on Spike and Mighty Like a Rose).

Dirty Dozen Brass Band have stayed busy over the last few years, recording, jamming, and touring. In August, the Shout! Factory label released the band's cover of Marvin Gaye's classic What's Going On, released in part to benefit the people of New Orleans on the anniversary of Katrina through the Tipitina Foundation. It also marked the 35th anniversary of the album's original release.

All four members of the Graham Whorley Band — Whorley, bassist Will Ames, drummer Brian Ledbetter, and keyboardist Daniel Walker — are signed on as the core rhythm section with auxiliary percussion from local instructor and hand drum wiz Justin Rivers (of Adande) and Mark Myers. The horn section features sax player Russell Clarke and trombonist (and guitarist) Ward Buckheister of local ensemble Sol Driven Train. Special guest players include sax player Louis Dixon (recently of The Tens) and Steve Spaulding (of Booty Call, Love Butter).

"Justin from Adande has played with us a great deal over the years. He's the high school drum teacher for all of James Island. He's sick, man — just an amazing musician. It's a great four-piece horn section with lots of percussion."

Local fans can expect a few sophisticated reworkings of some of the Dirty Dozen's vast catalogue. Classic funk stuff out of New Orleans (a la The Meters, Neville Brothers, etc.) are in the mix along with some clever arrangements of popular radio hits and deeper tracks from the classic rock world.

"E.T. is a showman of showmen," says Whorley. To see him perform is more than just an average horn player — he gets in to the music so heavy, the audience becomes part of the music. He's so filled with the music and expresses it in every manner — bodily and mentally. He puts on a hell of a show. He sings and gets into that whole aspect — that's something that's probably not appreciated as much as it should be.

"I'm terribly excited about it," he adds. "We've done as much promotion as possible to be able to get E.T. down here and back on an airplane and pay him what he normally makes in about a half an hour on stage. He's been so gracious about it. Everyone wants to have fun with it for the love of the music."]]> http://grahamwhorley.com/news.html#1 Wed, 13 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 Graham Whorley - Graham Whorley - Latest News