Samantha Norton
Equinox Staff
Rich, soulful harmonies were heard resonating from Fritz’s, as acoustic guitar player, Joe Graveline, showcased his talent. Accompanied by bass player, John White, Graveline provided an intimate crowd with an original take on classics ranging from Bob Dylan to The Beatles.
Starting at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night, Graveline’s hypnotic sounds were able to draw out the silent chatters amongst the audience. Graveline and White have been playing for 49 years; however, Friday night was the first time the duo shared the stage. Their synchronized fluidity and the comfort they felt when performing with one another evoked a sense of chemistry among their music styles.
[singlepic id=478 w=320 h=240 float=right]
Graveline’s performance offered a soulful, innovative sound that cannot be heard in the music that is popularized on the radio today. Graveline’s vocal pipes presented a silent confidence as he put his own stamp on The Beatles’ “Blackbird.”
“They played The Beatles, but they didn’t really put their own spin on it. But it wasn’t exactly The Beatles. They made it a little original, but it was still nice to just hear The Beatles and they did that with some other songs as well,” senior Casey August said. August, who attended Graveline’s performance, became lost in his childhood memories as Graveline sang “Blackbird’s” lyrics in a powerful tone of voice.
“I love that song to begin with, but it also reminds me of when my dad used to drive me around when I was younger, because he used to always play The Beatles, and he loved that song in particular. It brought me back to the old days of when I was young,” August said.
This idea of evoking emotions was what Graveline hoped to give throughout his performance. Graveline wanted to give his audience what other musicians have given him: a chance to experience emotion.
“I have experienced through other musicians and other music, whether it’s classical music, live, or somebody like Richie Havens, I have been moved emotionally by those people and I say to myself that’s something special to have someone give you something that shifts you that moves you where you are someplace very different, even if its just for a little while. That’s what I’d like to give to people,” Graveline said.
For White and Graveline, music began to move and shift them at a young age.
As a child, White was inspired by his father’s band to pursue music. “My father had a band for as long as I can remember,” White said.
Growing up listening to his father play motivated White to learn to play the bass.
As for Graveline, his source of inspiration was not derived from his upbringing.
“I saw an ad in the back of a comic book that said learn to play to guitar in seven days, meet friends, meet girls, and I said ‘Hey that sounds pretty good to me,’” Graveline said.
However, this passion for music only serves as a hobby for both White and Graveline. “This is strictly therapy,” White said.
Using music as therapy is a way for White and Graveline to not only keep their passion alive, but it’s a way to prevent the negative side effects of the music industry from taking a toll on their lives.
“There’s only two things that happen when you’re a professional musician: you either starve to death, or you become so powerful and so wealthy that you go out of balance ‘cause you don’t know what the hell it’s doing,” Graveline said.
Both Graveline and White have experienced a glimpse of what the lives of a professional musician would entail.
“For Johnny and I, we played a lot of music in our younger ages. I was on the road for 15 years doing four or five nights a week, 50 weeks a year. There were 20-hour days, but you get out in front of six to eight to 10 thousand people and they become an entity that is unique to itself. I think that a lot of really successful artists, they get locked into that,” Graveline said.
These days on the road were the best and worst of times for Graveline and White.
“You know how they say sometimes life is stranger than fiction? It was like that. It was like being in a circus,” Graveline said.
These types of experiences gave Graveline and White the ability to take a song and make it their own.
“You take a song and put your paintbrush to it,“ White said. However, when creating music, the artist must be sure to not damage its original integrity.
“Music is like a really fragile piece of blown glass, so much so it’s as strong as steel, but it’s fragile too. When it’s really good you can tell when it’s very crystal, very delicate,” Graveline said.
The only way to make that mesmerizing piece of artwork is to get lost in the music. Living in the moment, in the present, and experiencing life through song is the only way for an artist to succeed in getting their true voice and intentions heard.
“I think everyone has a voice inside of them, I’m not talking about a singing voice, but a spiritual voice, and in everyday life there’s not a lot of room for that in conversation. But music is a conduit for spiritual voice. So sometimes that’s good that voice gets to breathe a little bit in this world through the music,” Graveline said.
Samantha Norton can be contacted at snorton1@ksc.mailcruiser.com