Building a Career
The Old-Fasioned Way!
GRAHAM COLTON…
Back On The Road Again
by Ernie Thomas
Pairings with the
likes of The Wallflowers, Dave Matthews Band, Guster, John Mayer and
Counting Crows on past tour packages seem logical given the earthy
college rock Americana groove of the Graham Colton Band’s music.
That is why their
current run across America as the support act for “American Idol”
pop princess Kelly Clarkson seemed like an odd pairing, even to
Colton when he first heard about it.
Signed to Universal
Records and having released a handful of moderately aired singles ––
“Don’t Give Up On Me” and “Cigarette” –– the band has built
their career on the road.
That said, Colton
sees his run with Clarkson as another great opportunity to play his
brand of original pop-rock in front of yet another captive audience, and
win them over.
The Dallas,
Texas-based Colton Band has a strong fan base in Chicagoland, because
the Midwest is at the crossroads of every tour. A recent headline tour
run last brought the band to Chicago on March 4, where a 1,000-plus fans
of their own welcomed them at the House Of Blues.
 Colton
and his boys are touring behind their most recent album – Drive
– and bring their guitar-driven, melodic pop/rock and ardent work ethic
to the Rosemont Theatre when Clarkson’s entourage arrives there on April
14.
“I know it sounds
like a weird mix of music at first, but I think this tour is going to
work out very well and I’m honestly excited about it,” Colton said, just
days before his first date opening for the pretty pop icon.
“The coolest thing
about the Kelly Clarkson thing, is that she picked us. We later found
out that a lot of [artists] with high reputations were up for
consideration on that tour and she picked us. It was not only
flattering for that reason, but I’ve been reading up on her and I really
have come to respect her very much, seeing how she has evolved from her
beginnings to where she is now. She and I are about the same age and
while everyone takes different paths to get where they are, there are a
lot of comparisons to what she and I have done artistically in our
creative paths.”
Colton is clearly
very thankful that so many artists have taken him under their wing as
they have, and he sees Clarkson as the next one to do so. “She
evidently must like our music and believe that we are a band her fans
will enjoy,” he said.
“We’re not getting a
whole lot of radio play with our music, we’re not on MTV or VH1, and I
don’t have my own TV show,” he said with a laugh. “People only know my
music because we’ve had the good fortune to go on the road with some
really great artists,” he said. “Being out on the road and having the
opportunity to play night after night in front of their audiences, is
what’s gotten us to this point.”
Aside from getting to
tap into the fan bases of these artists, Colton has learned much about
his craft and keeping ahead of the curve from some of the artists with
whom he has shared stages.
“Working with these
kind of experienced bands made us realize it takes a lot of dedication
and hard work,” said Colton, who counts Bob Dylan and Tom Petty among
his favorite artists. “Look at those guys, they are always on the
road. I find a lot of inspiration artists who stay out there like they
have.”
Though born and
raised in Oklahoma City, before relocating to Texas in the 1990s to
attend Southern Methodist University, Colton feels virtually homeless
these days, due to having spent an average of 300 days on the road for
each of the last three years.
“We’ve been out on
the road so long, that it feels like I don’t have a ‘home’ anymore,” he
concluded. “That’s okay though, because everyday is a new adventure in
a new place. We’ve made some good friends in some of the places where
we play often, like Chicago, so there’s a little feeling of home in
those places.”
More information at:
www.grahamcoltonband.com
Graham Colton Band
perform April 14
@ Rosemont Theatre in
Rosemont with Kelly Clarkson
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