Greg Graffin Recent News

See Greg Graffin live performance of "Don't Be Afraid To Run"!

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 00:08:00 -0700

Popmatters.com has just posted a great article about Greg Graffin, his new record Cold As The Clay and his recent performance at The Troubadour in Hollywood! The article also features a video clip of Greg performing "Don't Be Afraid To Run" live!

Check it out at the link below!

www.popmatters.com

Greg Graffin is covered by AOL Music!

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 00:08:00 -0700

Greg Graffin has been the signature voice of Bad Religion for over two decades. This summer, he decided to go it alone.

Releasing his first solo record under his own name, July's 'Cold As the Clay,' the frontman found himself in unfamiliar waters, experiencing a real bout of stage fright while touring his folky new tunes.

"It's real easy when I play in Bad Religion, because I know that the audience is very excited to see Bad Religion. When it's songs that are not tested, [there's] always a certain amount of nervousness," he told AOL Music. "It's like doing an experiment in the laboratory that you want to turn out correctly -- when you're mixing the ingredients, you're a little bit nervous."

Though he'll be back with his band for a headlining set Friday at San Diego's Street Scene festival, Graffin's solo show Aug. 19 in L.A. won't be his last.

"I know next year is going to be a very [busy] Bad Religion year because we're writing an album," he said, "but this is something I'd like to do on the side."

www.aolmusicnewsblog.com

Aversion.com has a "Q&A" session with Greg Graffin!

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 00:07:00 -0700

Sometimes you just need a vacation to kick back and do only what you want to do. For Greg Graffin, that vacation is his roots and old-time solo affair, Cold as the Clay.

Graffin, who?s served as Bad Religion?s front man for more than 25 years now, took a break from his punk-rock rabble-rousing (and his stints in academia and writing books, too), to hook up with producer/Bad Religion founder Brett Gurewitz to lay down Cold as the Clay (read Aversion?s review). Venturing into days gone by, Graffin dabbles with old-time Americana and roots-rock forms on his second solo affair.

It?s been almost nine years since your last solo project, American Lesion. Why such a lengthy gap between that one and Cold as the Clay?

It?s a great privilege to do a solo project. The opportunity doesn?t come up that often because I am so busy with Bad Religion and with academic pursuits. Brett came up with the idea for the current project a few years ago but we didn?t have a space free in our schedule until January of this year. This project has a lot more collaboration than my last project. I hope to do more in the future.

Anyone who's been in a band for a while can start to feel constrained by its established direction. How refreshing was it for you to sit down with a guitar and write a tune and not worry about fitting it into the Bad Religion machine?

Well, refreshing is a good word for how it felt. I am always writing songs, many of which are not appropriate for BR. I also like to play traditional old-time tunes whenever I have time, so it is almost like we recorded an album?s worth of material that I usually play in my living room and that is a great feeling of musical whimsy.

There are a lot of old-timey story songs and ballads on Cold as the Clay. It seems as if you're writing from a totally different vantage point ? if not persona ? than when you write for Bad Religion?

Well, I don?t really ?get into character? the way an actor does. I write what comes into my mind as best as I can, given the constraints of the genre. If a song comes out sounding alien, then it still has information and integrity that is worth listening to, but often it never gets heard because the song isn?t appropriate for an album project. In Cold as the Clay, I was writing old-time themes and that is something I am very familiar with, so it felt natural and part of my history.

As I'm sure you know, these days there are so punk-rock types recording county/folk/roots albums that it's almost a clich�. Other than your reputation, how do you hope Cold as the Clay will stand out from that crowd?

Well, I can?t really compare, but I can say that I haven?t heard many recordings of old-time that are as authentic as this recording. We strove to capture the acoustic instruments and singing as if it sounded like you were back in the 19th or 18th century listening to a group perform the material. Also, the country rock tunes were equally authentic sounding. The country rock songs sound like a session from Gram Parsons or early Neil Young. I think Brett did a great job faithfully reproducing a vibe from two different eras in American musical history.

With that said, outside of the obvious structural and thematic similarities between traditional American music and punk rock, why do you think there's been an upswing in roots' popularity over the past few years?

When music becomes too formulaic and too based on last year?s template of financial success, the result is a bored listening audience and even more bored musicians. The mundane creates a desire to re-evaluate and rediscover the path that led to the present quagmire. Roots music and old-time are ancestral starting points and the music lover can instantly recognize the enjoyable features that have persisted through the ages.

-Matt Schild
www.aversion.com

Greg Graffin and Cold As The Clay get more positive coverage from the Ithaca Journal

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:07:00 -0700

Old-time religion Punk icon Greg Graffin steps away from Bad Religion for rootsy solo album
By Jim Catalano
Journal Staff

For more than a quarter century, Greg Graffin has been the lead singer in Bad Religion, the acclaimed punk band that has had a huge influence within the genre. But for even longer, he has been singing folk and old-time songs, which he first heard from his Uncle Stanley in rural Indiana.

�I learned them from records he introduced me to, like Doc Watson and �The Anthology of American Folk Music,'� says Graffin, who has lived in Ithaca since 1991. �He'd point me in that direction; then when we'd get together and sing as a family we would have the same repertoire and be on the same page.�

Last week, Graffin released a solo album, �Cold as the Clay� (Anti-); half the album draws on those very roots, with a number of old-time ballads.

�Modern music fans don't really know what old time means�is it country, alternative, classic rock?� he says. �They don't know anything about the history of music in America, so even though I mention that I'm into old time and I've been singing it with my family, they really don't know what it means. So this is a demonstration of what it means.�

Graffin, backed by some of his old-time musician friends� David Bragger, Chris Berry, Joe Wack� from Los Angeles, takes on traditional death ballads such as �Omie Wise� and �Little Sadie.�

�Those songs that sing about tragedy and hardship are the ones that resonate most with people and those are the ones that last the longest,� says Graffin. �Folk music comes from the people, not the aristocrats, and it's a kind of storytelling. In the 18th and 19th century the average American was hard working and building a country, and there was a lot tragedy involved and hardship was a way of life. So those are the songs and the stories we can identify with, because we like to think we're living in hard times now, too. You don't hear many songs sing about how great things are right now.�

The main theme of the album is �the feeling of powerlessness and the feeling that the government doesn't care about you,� he says. �That's definitely true of a lot of people today in America.�

The album also includes the church ballad �Talk About Suffering.�

�My mom and my grandparents were involved in the church and that's where they learned music,� he says. �In going to my grandma's funeral in rural Indiana, they all had the most beautiful voices, singing at their church. They went to the Church of Christ; they didn't use instruments, they only used harmonies and voice. It's something that is very beautiful.

�But I also find a great amount of irony in that song,� he continues. �Bad Religion, and a lot of punk songs by other artists, talk about suffering. We wrote an album called �Suffer.' So I think we identify the same struggles that the church identifies with. But there's great irony in that the church says, �Always keep following Jesus, keep praying, keep hoping.' And of course nothing ever gets better.

�So that's where the irony comes in�me singing a song about hoping and praying, when the solutions that we came up with in Bad Religion, or at least the problems we've identified, are the same they identify in the church. But I don't believe that hoping and praying is going to make it any better.�

The other songs on the album have electric instrumentation, provided by the Canadian band the Weakerthans, and vocal harmonies from Jolie Holland. Graffin cites Gram Parsons and Neil Young as inspiring those songs. But, again, his lyrics are grounded firmly in the 21st century.

�I struggled to try to write snapshots of American life,� he says. �I wanted the imagery that I used to be similar to imagery you might find in the 19th century, and in that way, relate a real American experience. I just wanted it to conjure up images of an American spirit and celebrate the American song on this album.�

Graffin grew up in Wisconsin, but moved to Los Angeles at 11 when his parents divorced. He continued to spend his summer back in the midwest, and it's that urban-rural dichotomy that has continued to inform his writing.

�There are a lot of elements in American songwriting that undulates between the urban and rural flavors of America,� he says. �That's part of what's great about the American song. So in trying to write an American song, you have to use images that are timeless�images from your experience, and from American communities.�

Graffin recorded the album in Los Angeles, with Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz in the producer chair.

�I was for once not focused on production� I was just a musician�and that was so much fun,� he says. �I didn't need to be so cautious. I knew that Brett was in the control room focusing on all the technical details, so I could just strum along. It was a real joy.�

As for the Weakerthans � guitarist Stephen Carroll, bassist Greg Smith, drummer Jason Tait� �I had heard their records and liked their music, but I didn't know what to expect,� Graffin says. �But they're such great artists. They just heard my songs as demos, but when they came into the studio, they really surprised me with how they improved the songs so much. So it was a great experience.�

Last week, Graffin kicked off his solo tour, joining the Weakerthans for shows in Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

�It was a blast,� he says of the shows. �It was nice to be able to hear myself singing, and to play with dynamics.� He also reported that fans seemed pleased with the 40-minute sets. �No one was shouting �Play some punk rock,� he says. �I don't think anyone who came to the shows was disappointed.�

As for Bad Religion, Graffin and Gurewitz have started writing songs for the next record. But he hopes to keep his rootsy musical outlet going, too. �I think I can age gracefully doing this kind of music,� he says.

Greg Graffin Cold As The Clay PodCast now available!

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 00:07:00 -0700

We have put together an interesting piece for the new Greg Graffin record, Cold As The Clay. It is a complete PodCast featuring interview footage with Greg that is inter-cut with tracks and commentary on the music from the album.

Hit the link below to check this thing out, and be on the look out for it in the iTunes PodCast directory!

Greg Graffin Cold As The Clay PodCast

Greg Graffin's new album receives praise from Billboard!

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:07:00 -0700

With this dusky and starkly recorded collection, longtime Bad Religion howler Graffin becomes the second guy in recent months to temporarily trade in his rock'n'roll pedigree for that of an old-timey troubadour bringing old folk songs back to life. But where Bruce Springsteen used his "We Shall Overcome" stage to make mostly joyful noise, Graffin, as you'd expect from a lifelong punk, is more comfortable swimming around in folk's dark side; the characters he highlights are faithful but hope-free ("Talk About Suffering"), abandoned lovers ("Willie Moore") or simple stone-cold killers ("Omie Wise," "Little Sadie"). His icy rasp perfectly suited to such blackhearted tales, Graffin also uses the stripped-away detour to contribute a few of his own tracks, which figure exactly into the album's sense of dusty isolation.

�Jeff Vrabel
www.billboard.com

Stream the new Greg Graffin CD on AOL!

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:07:00 -0700

Greg Graffin's new CD "Cold As The Clay" comes out on July 11th, but AOL.com has the entire thing up and streaming, right now! Simply hit the link below to access the album and don't forget to pick up the CD in stores everywhere!

http://music.aol.com

The OC Register covers Greg Graffin!

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 00:07:00 -0700

Chords of a different power: Bad Religion frontman Greg Graffin takes a side trip down the dusty back roads of American music.

For 25 years, Bad Religion has unapologetically challenged government and religion with its provocative lyrics and raw punk sound.

After a dozen or so albums with the band, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Greg Graffin is turning down the volume with a country/folk rock solo album, �Cold as the Clay,� arriving in stores Tuesday.

�Cold as the Clay� is quite the departure for Graffin, as he slows things down, picks up an acoustic guitar and pays homage to his days living in Wisconsin and singing old-time tunes at family gatherings. The album honors American music and includes original songs as well as traditional tracks from the 18th and 19th centuries.

�My goal was to show the timeless quality and the timeless element of the music,� Graffin said. �There are five originals and six covers. These are traditional songs, meaning they don't have an author. We don't know who recorded them in the first place, and they are passed down through oral tradition.�

Graffin, with producer and Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz, recorded the album in eight days. Gurewitz recruited three members of the rock act the Weakerthans to back up Graffin. The album also features multiple professional old-time musicians and the vocals of Jolie Holland.

The speedy nature of the recording can be partially attributed to the fact that Gurewitz left most of the recording sessions �as is.�

�It was recorded to tape and mixed to tape,� Gurewitz said. �There were no computers involved anywhere. I absolutely stripped down the technology to the bare minimum that it possibly could be.�

The result of just letting the tape roll is an album that creates the feeling that one is actually in the room with the musicians as they play. Graffin can be heard faintly on the recording guiding the group into some of the tracks.

�One thing you have to rely on is the talent of the musicians, and these guys are so talented that even though they just learned it, their expertise came through and the spontaneity really captures a true moment in time,� Graffin said.

Graffin's vocals have often been called �folksy,� and he uses that to his advantage. He's not straining over a blaring electric guitar and mass percussion, but rather, the emotion he has for these songs can be heard as he sings effortlessly along with an acoustic guitar, banjo and harmonica.

�A lot of those emotional songs from the folk centuries, they prove to be relevant even today because some of the things �the bewilderment and the sadness of living hard times in America as they were back then, could be applied to some of the people who have to live today,� Graffin said.

Hardcore Bad Religion fans, beware; this album may not be for you.

�A lot of times it's not so far-fetched to consider these folksy songs are kind of written in the same vein and process that the Bad Religion songs would be written in, and yet the production is totally different,� Graffin said. �The Bad Religion fans that enjoy the music, the melody and the simple delivery of Bad Religion songs will really gravitate towards this album. The ones who just wanna hear something to go slam to, I don't think they're going to be able to do it.�

Knowing well what Bad Religion fans expect from them, Graffin and Gurewitz were not afraid to create something totally different.

�I think I speak for Greg when I say this, but we really made this record for us, and if fans like it, then that's just a bonus,� Gurewitz said.

Graffin is doing a few performances in support of the album, including a stop at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on July 16. The shows play out more like a jam session than a rock concert. Graffin invites fans to dance along if they feel so inclined, but to refrain from knocking him off of his stool.

In the midst of the new album and the supporting shows, Graffin is attempting to write another Bad Religion record. The band is set to tour this summer and will be playing the San Diego Street Scene on Aug. 4.

Graffin expects the new Bad Religion album to be completed and released early next year.

In the meantime, Graffin is looking forward to sharing his passion for traditional American music with as many people as possible.

�If you love music I hope you walk away with an appreciation of the American song, and definitely something that deserves more attention are songs that are inspired by life in America,� Graffin said.

www.ocregister.com