Upcoming singer-songwriter Andy Grammer is taking the music industry by storm. He signed to S-Curve records, and his debut album, self-titled Andy Grammer, was released in June of 2011. Though he was born in L.A., Grammer grew up in Chester, New York. He graduated from Monroe-Woodbury High School and attended Binghamton University before leaving to return to L.A., where he is currently based. He worked as a performer on the streets of L.A., which was the inspiration for his song “Keep Your Head Up.” It was written as encouragement for himself after working a long day with little to show for it. Artists Coldplay, Common, Jack Johnson and John Mayer influence his clean and mellow sound. His melodies are infectious, and his lyrics are relatable. Grammer has even toured with musicians such as Natasha Bedingfield, Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Caillat and Train.
After being named one of Billboard’s 2011 Artists to Watch, 2012 was an important year for Andy Grammer. He performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He became the first male pop star since John Mayer in 2002 to reach the Top 10 on Adult Pop Radio with his first two singles “Keep Your Head Up” and “Fine By Me.” His music has gained popularity on the radio and was also featured in the movie Pitch Perfect.
Andy Grammer has accounts on most social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. He has increasingly been using social media for promotion of upcoming events and often communicates with his fans, especially through Twitter. His twitter handle is @andygrammer, and he often responds to his followers. Follow him on Instagram (@andygrammer), and you are sure to see photos of his life on tour as well as many clever memes. As a member of his Street Team, I work to promote him on many social media sites by liking and sharing photos, tagging him in posts and retweeting his messages.
Personally, I have been a fan of Andy Grammer for several years now after finding his “Keep Your Head Up” music video on the Internet. I appreciate how genuine his song lyrics are and how honest his sound is. I have seen him live probably more times than I should admit and each time is just as good, if not better, than the last. He sounds even better live than he does on his CDs, which is a rare quality in a musician. He doesn’t rely on Auto-Tune or crazy electronic beats. In fact, he can actually beatbox, which he proves in the opening of his song “Numbers.” He can vocally imitate the sound of a bass, percussion instruments and a trumpet.
In June of 2012, I went to see the filming of the Fox & Friends Summer Concert Series when Andy Grammer was performing. It was easily my favorite time seeing him live. In between filming songs to air on TV, he was given long breaks. Whereas most musicians would take the breaks and leave, he stayed up on stage and essentially took requests. He asked the audience to call out what we wanted to hear. His willingness to please his fans and his evident musical talent is what sets him apart from many other musicians that are popular today.
For those interested in seeing Andy Grammer perform live, he has an upcoming show on Sunday, Feb. 24th in Orlando for the Downtown Food & Wine Fest at Lake Eola. The online presale tickets are $10 with a $2.20 processing fee, but tickets at the door are $15. Additionally, Grammer recently released the dates for his Spring 2013 Tour with the band Parachute. There are 13 dates announced with two dates in Florida: April 17th at the State Theatre in St. Petersburg and April 19th at Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach. Tickets are currently presale and VIP only, and more dates are to be added next week. For the full list of tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.andygrammer.com/tour.
Samantha Delle can be reached at samanthadelle@aol.com