Doors: 6 p.m.
Show: 7 p.m.

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About The Grahams:

Alyssa and Doug Graham have spent most of their 37 years together making music. The New Jersey natives, who met in high school, traveled the world early on in a quasi-jazz band. One of the bands they frequently performed with in the jazz touring circuit included members of the GRAMMY-nominated Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band. While this was an incredible experience, the pair wanted to return home to their folk roots.

Once stateside, during a walk in New York’s Central Park, the couple brainstormed a 10-year project of three concept albums. They soon embraced their love of Americana music, rooted in childhood favorites like the Grateful Dead, The Band and Neil Young, and traveled “the rivers, the rails, and the roads,” Doug says. The trilogy had The Grahams writing songs (along with childhood bestie Bryan McCann) about the people they met along the way for their 2013 debut Riverman’s Daughter, which saw the pair spend a year on a Mississippi riverboat; 2015 sophomore album Glory Bound, where they toured the country byrail; and the final installment, Kids Like Us (2020), in which they trekked Route 66 via the roads on motorcycle.

The songwriters continue to push themselves creatively on their new record, The Bridge. For the first time since the inception of The Grahams in 2013, Alyssa and Doug give listeners an honest glimpse into their personal lives within their music. The Bridge, the duo’s fourth studio album, has the couple embrace the collaborative Nashville co-write and, as a result, leave a bit of themselves in each of the project’s 11 tracks. Named after the George Washington Bridge that frequently took the duo from the Garden State to New York City during their childhood and formative teen years, The Bridge is inspired by their everyday lives.

“We were always trying to write these voyeuristic stories about people we met on the road, places we went, and different cultures,” Alyssa says. “This time, we tried something new and had an amazing experience with these songwriters, digging into who we were as children, who we’ve become, what our real life is about. It was scary and challenging.”

The Grahams wrote much of The Bridge with GRAMMY-nominated producer Dex Green, singer-songwriter Kate York, and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan. The pair credits Kate for pulling “the real stuff” out. “This record is hyper personal, and we went places with the lyrics that we would never go ourselves,” Doug says.

The lead single, “Found It In Us,” was the first song The Grahams penned with the team. The ethereal ballad about searching for one’s place in the world finds the couple reflecting on their life as touring musicians. While Doug had wanted to stop traveling for years, Alyssa describes herself as being “go, go, go.”

“I have always been searching for something, though I’ve never been sure what it is,” she says. “We were always chasing something. The song is about the recognition and realization that we don’t have to chase the dream. This is the dream: us. This childhood love affair we’ve had for over 37 years, and now this amazing, six-year-old daughter.”

Doug says they didn’t know how to create the idea in song form, but Kate did. The pair credits York for helping them write about their liveshonestly and vulnerably. While The Grahams say “Found It In Us” is the core of who they are, other songs, like the deeply personal “The One Who Remembers,” bare Doug and Alyssa’s soul.

“The One Who Remembers” is a heartbreaking tale of a loved one withAlzheimer’s. Alyssa cries whenever she hears the piano ballad, and did so while writing with Doug, Kate, Dex, and Aaron Lee. My father is an addict/ My husband kind of is too/ My mother can’t remember my name, she sings in the opening verse.

“We were writing that song stream of consciousness,” Doug says. “That song is as bleeding-heart honest as possible that we could write.”

Other songs, like “Worst Parts of Me” and “Little Fires,” highlight The Grahams’ playful side and ability not to take themselves too seriously. While “Little Fires” shares marriage advice from Doug (“you both have to be able to win fights”), the opening track “Worst Parts of Me” recalls Carole King’s melodic movement.

Raised on Carole King, Joan Baez, and Carly Simon, Alyssa says King’s Tapestry album was a mainstay in her childhood home. “I know every single word to every single song, and I always felt a connection to her,”Alyssa says of King’s seminal album. It was only natural to nod to King within the song’s melody.

“The line that started that song is funny: Honestly, I know how I can be. The way I sing a little off key when I'm drinking,” Alyssa says, reciting the track’s lyrics. “That’s a real thing. It started as a silly infraction that is endearing to Doug. Then we were like, ‘There are a lot of those. What are the worst parts that we still love about each other after all these years?’ That’s a fun song and a cool throwback to the Carole King era.”

While the intriguing “Georgette” pays homage to their daughter with haunting instrumentals, The Grahams credit their studio band for pushing them and making them better musicians. The band features an A-list of studio and touring musicians, including drummer Matt Chamberlain (Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan), bassist Sebastian Steinberg (Fiona Apple, Soul Coughing), keyboardist Ray Jacildo (The Black Keys), pianist Rob Berger (Iron & Wine), and synth mastermind Patrick Warren (Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann).

This musicianship is best seen on the powerful closing track, “Only NewYork.” A song that pays homage to a city that The Grahams call part of their heartbeat and one of the main characters in their life, “Only New York,” serves as a bookend to the deeply personal project.

“This record sets the tone for us as evolved songwriters who have lots more to say,” Alyssa says. “We would love people to delve into these personal stories.”

The Bridge was recorded at 3Sirens, The Grahams’ East Nashville studio and record label. Opened in September 2021, the space was conceived to inspire fellow creatives and dreamers in a communal environment.

“We want people to come and have the setting to create, whether it’s writing sessions, recording sessions, or videos,” Alyssa says. “Part of what we wanted to do with 3Sirens, and why we started doing compilations for charity, is because we wanted to give back to humanity as well as make music.”

The Grahams also give back through their DAG Foundation, which provides financial assistance to one musician, writer, and fine artist annually. “It’s another way for us to give back to the artistic community,” she adds. “We’ve been trying to help other artists avoid some of the pitfalls we went through, and give them access to places to write, places to collaborate, build community, and fund it.”

With nearly 40 years of creativity, The Grahams continue to expand their artistic journey while inspiring others. Throughout the process, Alyssa and Doug Graham leave the world better than they found it.

Contact the host of eTown Presents The Grahams

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