Kara Grainger
We look far, we look wide, we look adorable: when it comes to finding out who's doing the do, we look a whole mess of ways.
By Andrew P Street
Who is she? Well, you could be forgiven for not knowing who Kara Grainger is: this Sydney girl has spent two years living in the US. Then again, if you spent much time at The Basement in the late 90s, you might remember her as vocalist and guitarist with Papa Lips.
What's her sound? While her overall sound falls into the overused basket of "alt.country", Grainger's music mixes up jazz, blues and modern country into an unusually potent brew.
Who's giving her props? Former Cold Chisel drummer Steve Prestwich liked her chops so much he hired her as guitarist in his band. But if you want real kudos, look at the calibre of sidemen she got for the album: Longtime Elvis Costello sideman Pete Thomas plays drums on ‘Cannot Be Denied', while ‘On My Way' is a duet with up-and-coming US country star Amos Lee.
Amos Lee? How'd she manage that? "Amos was also working at Redstar studios and overheard us working on the track," Grainger explains. Originally it was written for one main vocal but I think it works really well as duet. I'm a big fan of Amos so asked if he would like to be involved. He is really natural in he studio and it was a real joy to sing with him."
And Pete Thomas? "Pete's is actually a neighbour of mine in Silverlake, Los Angeles. He's a six-foot-three Pommie with a fantastic sense of humour and a great back beat. He works at Redstar studios all the time and is a good friend of the album producer Dave Kalish. That was true of many of the musicians I worked with, including Richie Hayward and Reggie McBride."
So isn't she more or less an American artist these days, strictly speaking? Not really, although her music has a definite American flavour. "I plan to release my CD there in August and will continue to travel and perform there. There is also much more to discover in Australia and I plan to come back home on a regular basis."
Where can I hear her? Grand And Green River is out now through Craving Recordsand Ms Grainger is opening for Jeff Lang on his current tour. "Jeff is an old friend," she explains. "We performed at many of the same festivals and venues when I played in Papa Lips. His management and he thought it would be a good combination." Hear for yourself at the Brass Monkey on Fri 30 May and the Basement on Sat 31.
You can listen Kara's On My Way using the player below
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