Don't call it a simple return. Call it a metamorphosis, a deep progression, an inspired evolution or - perhaps most fitting - a rewarding exercise in self-actualization. Stepping into his own in order to connect to his heart and artistic vision, Graham Colton has emerged with a stunning collection of pop-rock melodies, lyrics and emotions in 12 tracks that swing between love and heartbreak, trials and relief on his forthcoming CD, Here Right Now. Although it can be said that the power of the story is in the telling, it’s the tale itself that inspires the story to be told. Performance and delivery make up only one half of the equation; the other half is the feeling and emotion that inspires the creation of melodies and lyrics. That substance is the product of lessons learned over hundreds of shows and thousands of miles traveled, and the distance in between. Indeed, Colton admits the grassroots elements that run throughout his music harkens back to his humble beginnings in Oklahoma City, where he grew up absorbing tidbits of his dad’s record collection. "My dad was in a 60's cover band, I used to watch them rehearse songs by The Kinks, The Yardbirds, The Beatles. I liked the music, but all I wanted to do was sing with the band," he recalls. He soon got his wish at age 7, when he stood on a chair and belted out “Oklahoma” in front of a packed house. After learning to play the guitar at 12, he started writing his own songs (Colton still considers himself a songwriter first and a singer second), which led to small Saturday night gigs at a local Mexican restaurant, where Colton continued to absorb musical influences such as Counting Crows, Oasis, The Lemonheads, The Wallflowers, and R.E.M. After moving to Dallas to attend Southern Methodist University, a few of the home-recorded tracks from CD’s he handed out at gigs turned up on the Internet via Napster and he started drawing a wider audience to his self-penned acoustic rock. He soon drew the attention of one of his biggest influences, Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz, who got wind of Colton's following and booked the emerging act to open on six weeks of the band's 2002 college tour. A record deal with Universal Republic followed and The Graham Colton Band quickly amped up their tour experience, joining the Crows several more times and hitting the road with the likes of John Mayer, Maroon 5, Train, Kelly Clarkson and Dave Matthews Band. After three years of constant touring, Colton separated from his band and moved to Los Angeles where he spent a year writing songs and recording with producer John Fields (Switchfoot, Rooney, Semisonic). In the end, he settled on what he feels are the perfect twelve. On going solo, Colton explains, "I just knew that in order for me to make the kind of album that I needed to make I needed to be one hundred percent on my own. That is why it is so emotional. Every one of these songs is gut wrenching for me.“ Although it took coming back to his roots in all senses, to go forward, he hopes his work on Here Right Now transcends the moments he used as inspiration and reflected upon.
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