(Toronto)

Finding the universal in the commonplace while making heads bop and toes tap.

Bio: During his University days, Graydon worked at Canadian Tire Acceptance Lts sand lived with his family in Welland. It was here that he first began playing guitar and writing songs; made friends, lost love and grew up.

In April 2009 Graydon James had a band, but no album. By August, he had an album but no band. He also had a two-week east coast tour booked, culminating in a CD release show in his home base of Toronto. The fledgling singer-songwriter, who released his debut solo EP in 2007, had spent the past three months arranging and recording his sophomore release: a harmony-driven, roots-based, hyphen-inducing double-album of 40 songs titled goodnight, young novelist that tackled heartache, small towns, Canadian fame, and dropkicks with equal aplomb. Now, looking down the double-barrel of a CD release tour, he needed a band to bring the recording to life.

Fortunately Graydon had deep roots in the music community, being a drummer for Toronto indie bands ranging from jazz to pop to roots rock to funk to mod beat and back again. Armed with a wish list of local musicians, and with barely a month to rehearse, Graydon assembled The Young Novelists and took to the road, performing in clubs from Peterborough to Vermont to Montreal to Halifax, often playing up to three hours of original music plumbed from the newly minted double-disc. The band forged their sound between the hammer of creativity and the anvil of the stage, rehearsing in the van, motel room, or around the campfire, and returned to perform to a capacity crowd at Toronto's venerable Cameron House.

Since then the band has made several festival appearances, including the Harvest Festival, Midnight Madness Festival, Winterfolk Festival, and What Are You Doing Down There? Arts Festival. They have also been busy garnering word-of-mouth buzz and critical praise from the media, including reviews on CBC's The Hour Music Blog, NxEW, and Grayowl Point, and appearances on Canadian Spaces on Carleton Radio (CKCU 93.1FM) and Trent Radio (CFFF 92.7FM). The infectiously energetic band has a tight sound, punctuated by warm four-part harmonies and salted with layers of bouncy piano, moody organ, romping bass, plucky banjo, heartfelt melodica, spry mandolin, and plaintive guitars, all centred by a deep-down roots-driving drum beat. They have been compared to The Traveling Wilburys for catchy roots hooks, The Band for heartfelt harmonies, and Wilco for intricate arrangements, but Graydon James & the Young Novelists have a sound all their own - and they thank you for listening.

THE YOUNG NOVELISTS
Laura Spink provides a powerful harmony vocal, a sweet melodica solo, and a sassy tambourine all with charm and grace. She has pitch-perfect high-fiving abilities, and can wear a dress like nobody's business.

Noel Di Tosto sounds like he employs a third hand in his skills with stringed instruments and the trumpet. When he's not blowing his horn, he's wrangling a billion notes all at once from a variety of classical, acoustic, and electric guitars, his trusty mandolin, or his rusty banjo. He's as Italian as apple pie, and twice as delicious.

Shawn Jurek is the nineteenth Beatle, and brings a measure of McCartney to the fretboard of a bass guitar. He can sing a blue streak as well, and provides ion-powered counterpoint to Laura's lush harmonies. Shawn is also a mastering engineer with a resume twice as comfortable as his beard.

Jason Chesworth fronts his own band (The Pocket Co.) and pounds a keyboard with aplomb and chivalry while providing a sweet, apple-cheeked harmony and stomping a foot on the floorboards. He's also an actor of ill repute and a lover of some reknown.
Mike Paddags' heart has a secret fifth chamber where he stores energy that is released as either a heartfelt gaze of overpowering emotion, or as a perfectly synchronized series of drum-based seismic events. He holds down the musical fort with his drum groove, and he sings as well, and people seem to enjoy that.
Taken singly, these folks are pretty hep. Together, they generate music that they hope you like and will share with your friends, because it's pretty gosh-darn catchy and sounds awful good. Thanks for listening.

Listen here: http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/bands/Graydon-James