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"CANADIAN GUITARIST BLENDS HUMOR, HEART, HARMONY IN A NIGHT OF MUSIC AND STORYTELLING

LONG BEFORE THE CONCERT STARTED, THE LOBBY WAS ALREADY BUSTLING WITH FANS, SNAPPING UP GRAHAM’S LATEST ALBUM

AS THE HALL LIGHTS DIMMED AND A SOFT BLUE GLOW EMERGED ONSTAGE, GRAHAM OPENED WITH A PIECE THAT SOUNDED CLEAR AND GENTLE LIKE WATER. AFTER A THUNDEROUS ROUND OF APPLAUSE, GRAHAM BROKE THE SILENCE WITH A DOSE OF HUMOR. BETWEEN EACH INSTRUMENTAL SONG, GRAHAM CHARMED THE AUDIENCE WITH HIS EASYGOING HUMOR AND STORIES BEHIND THE MUSIC. 

ONE TOUCHING MOMENT CAME WHEN HE INTRODUCED “WAITING,” A SONG HE WROTE FOR A FRIEND WHO HAD A STROKE.

“I WROTE THIS NEXT SONG FOR A FRIEND WHO IS LEARNING LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN AT 65 YEARS OLD,” GRAHAM SAID. THE GUITAR STRINGS VIBRATED IN THE WARM YELLOW LIGHT, EVOKING MEMORIES OF LIFE’S FRAGILITY.

LATER, GRAHAM INTRODUCED “TASAKAAL,” AN ALBUM HE CO-CREATED WITH NEUROSCIENTIST BARBARA MINTON IN IDAHO, DESIGNED TO STIMULATE DIFFERENT BRAIN FREQUENCIES FOR RELAXATION, MEDITATION AND CONCENTRATION. “MUSIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING THAT’S BROUGHT ME PEACE” GRAHAM SAID. “AND MY HOPE IS THAT THIS ALBUM BRINGS A LITTLE PEACE TO EACH OF YOU AS WELL.”

THE FINAL NUMBER FEATURED A DRUM-LIKE, HIGH-ENERGY PIECE, AND AS GRAHAM CLAPPED IN RHYTHM, THE ENTIRE HALL JOINED IN, ENDING THE NIGHT ON A HIGH NOTE.

AFTER THE SHOW, FANS LINED UP IN THE LOBBY TO MEET GRAHAM ONE BY ONE. NESTOR GUTIERREZ, A LONGTIME FAN FROM CUPERTINO, SAID, “I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO HIM FOR 10 YEARS. HIS STYLE IS UNIQUE. I DO LIKE THE WAY THAT HE’S JOKING AROUND. I WISH THIS CONCERT WOULD BE LONGER.”

“IT IS A REALLY GOOD EXPERIENCE AS AN AUDIENCE TO HAVE AN ARTIST THAT IS TALKING TO YOU,” SARAH GUTIERREZ, NESTOR’S WIFE, SAID."

-“Calum Graham mesmerizes Cupertino with soulful strings.” La Voz News, Gordon Yang, 3 May 2025.

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"CALUM GRAHAM IS A YOUNG CANADIAN GUITARIST WHO IS GREATLY INSPIRED BY FINGERSTYLE LEGENDS LIKE MICHAEL HEDGES AND DON ROSS. IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT HIS PLAYING TAKES A LOT OF INSPIRATION FROM THOSE GUYS. NOT ONLY THAT, HE IS CLASSICALLY TRAINED AS WELL, WHICH DEFINITELY CAN BE SEEN IN HIS PICKING AND LEFT-HAND TECHNIQUE. HIS SONG “THE NOMAD” IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST PERCUSSIVE ACOUSTIC SONG THAT I LEARNT, AND I CAN HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO YOU GUYS AS WELL (FOR LEARNING OR JUST PLEASING YOUR EARS)"

-“30+ Best Fingerstyle Guitarists Of All Time” Harmony Vine, Pranshu Nigam, 30 June 2023.

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"ON ‘THREAD OF CREATION’, HIS SIXTH ALBUM, GRAHAM TAKES US RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF HIS MAGICAL WORLD THAT INCLUDED THE ICONIC ‘TABULA RASA’. WITH GRAHAM'S HANDS, THE GUITAR REVEALS IT'S HUGE VOCABULARY OF SOUNDS, WITH MINIMALIST ELECTRONIC EFFECTS COMBINED TO MAKE IT SOUND AS BIG AS AN ENSEMBLE. GRAHAM BRINGS HIS UNIQUE MUSICAL INSIGHT AND MUSICIANSHIP TO DEPLOY ALL OF THE INSTRUMENTS CAPABILITIES EFFECTIVELY. FROM USING HARMONICS AND PIZZICATO TO EXOTICA SUCH AS BI-TONE TAPPING AND PERCUSSION, GRAHAM TURNS A SIMPLE ONE-TO-FIVE MINUTE SONG INTO A POETIC MINIATURE. HIS MUSIC IS INSPIRED, ORIGINAL AND DARING AND THERE ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF THIS ON ‘THREAD OF CREATION’ - SUCH AS ‘THE NOMAD’ AND ‘MA LUMIERE’ - TO NAME BUT TWO. BASSIST MICHAEL MANRING MAKES ‘IN LAK’ECH’ TRULY ATMOSPHERIC; ANTOINE DUFOUR DOES LIKEWISE ON ‘ABSOLUTION’. MEANWHILE GRAHAM EMERGES AS THE PRE-EMINENT ARTIST TECHNICIAN."

-Thread of Creation - Calum Graham (Album Review).” WholeNote magazine Vol. 25, issue 5, Raul da Gama, February 2020.

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TRANSLATION:

"When we introduced the fingerstyler from Western Canada, he had just swept the first prize of the Canadian Guitar Festival—at 17 years old. And back then, he already had a master plan: "Since I had read that all candidates play behind a screen and the jurors judge only by ear, I blindfolded myself so that I only heard what I was playing, and I tried for so long until I had four pieces that, in my opinion, sounded the most expressive."

Meanwhile, a few years have passed, and many guitar fans worldwide know Calum Graham. His YouTube songs "Waiting" and "Phoenix Rising" have garnered more than four million views. Yet where others would boast, bursting with pride, he remains modest; he concentrates only on his music. And he admits at least this much: "It is already very encouraging to receive so many positive reactions. That spurs me on and inspires me to keep doing what I love." 

With "The Nomad," he layers cathedral-sized sounds using delays, quoting and bowing to Michael Hedges' "Aerial Boundaries" ("A pity that he died so young and I didn't get the chance to get to know him"). In addition to his fingerstyle solo performances, Graham has also invited guests again: His mentor Antoine Dufour, who also produced Tabula Rasa, guest-stars on "Point Of Contact" ("He is still one of my greatest influences!"), while the atmospheric "Farewell" features Michael Manring ("His playing with Michael Hedges was grandiose. I knew he would give my song exactly the right depth").

Attentive YouTube viewers will already recognize one or two tracks from Tabula Rasa, such as Graham's interpretation of the Michael Jackson hit "Billie Jean"—performed on a harp guitar (alongside Beauregard, Stonebridge, and Leviora acoustics. “I wanted to explore new territory with the harp guitar and try to see if I could make the fundamental elements of the song—meaning groove, harmonies, melody, and vocals—work. The groove is the glue that holds everything together but it was quite a lesson in multitasking." Graham succeeded impressively and he shows that he has also significantly developed as a singer."

-“New Scene - Hammerlektion in sachen Multitasking.” Akustik Gitarre Magazine, February 2017.

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"LAGUITARE.COM :"PHOENIX RISING » IS, IN MY OPINION, AN AMAZING CD. COULD YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF BEING AN INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSER ? 


CALUM GRAHAM : WELL THANKS! IN THE WRITING PROCESS I HAVE TO HAVE A MELODY THAT'S INTERESTING THAT LEADS SOMEWHERE. FROM THERE I TRY AND BUILD A STORY AROUND IT THAT REALLY SAYS SOMETHING OR COMMUNICATES SOME KIND OF EMOTION. FOR ME TO EVEN FINISH A SONG, IT HAS TO MAKE ME FEEL SOMETHING, OR MOVE ME IN SOME WAY AND NOT JUST BE TECHNICALLY AMAZING. THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE."

-“Artist of the Month - Calum Graham and Don Ross.” LaGuitare Magazine, Charles-Henri G.D., 5 February 2014. 

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"Through my own personal challenges, Michael’s music has been a lifeline for me.

Every time I hear his music I feel a connection to something larger than myself. It’s incredibly rare to hear music that moves your soul and speaks directly to your heart. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without Michael and his music. Thanks to him, I felt inspired to follow my dreams, listen closely to my inner voice and “train my mind to follow the flow of my heart’s river” (as Michael so eloquently said in Rhythm, Sonority, Silence, published by Stropes Editions).

Thank you Michael for “dreaming out loud” and sharing the beauty of your imagination with all of us."

-Music that Moves Your Soul by Calum Graham | Sep 20, 2021

https://michaelhedges.com/music-that-moves-your-soul/