March 5 | 8 p.m. | Harrah’s Lake Tahoe | Stateline, Nev.
If music is the language of emotional intelligence, Andy Grammer is our modern-day Mozart. When the multi-platinum singer brings The Art of Joy tour to the shores of Lake Tahoe, you can be sure his audience will be ready for a release.
“These are songs people feel and need,” says the 39-year-old artist. “They’re like an Advil someone takes when they get hurt. Maybe their husband had chemo and they played this song every day. There is a depth and sweetness and grounded optimism that everyone agrees upon. It really is a special thing to be around.”
Grammer’s concerts attract a wide breadth of audience that comes together to share in his positive message and infectious melodies. Songs such as “Don’t Give Up on Me,” “Good to Be Alive” and “Keep Your Head Up” have become the soundtrack to the some of the most poignant and difficult moments of his fans’ lives.
“You try to move people with this 3½-minute song,” he says. “They are like little potions you can get into someone’s soul. Pound for pound, it packs a high punch for such a short amount of time. A song can help you with things you forgot you super needed when you least expected it.”
Grammer was born in Los Angeles, the son of children’s songwriters. As a youth, he loved to entertain through juggling, magic and sports. He briefly studied acting, but soon realized his true passion was for musical composition and performance. In his early 20s, he earned his chops busking on the streets of Santa Monica.
“It was pretty gnarly, but there were high points to it,” he says. “It was a freedom-of-speech thing. No one wanted to let me play anywhere. So, I went out there, played for four years and slowly realized what was good and what wasn’t.”
Grammer released his self-titled debut in 2011 followed by a gold album, “Magazines or Novels,” in 2014. He was soon recognized for his upbeat philosophy and catchy compositions, which became ubiquitous across mainstream pop and adult contemporary radio.
“I think a lot of the time it comes from something I’m going through,” says Grammer of his songwriting process. “What makes it really good is when I’m a little bit embarrassed about it. That seems to be the door. That’s what I need to explore. If you have a strong feeling about something, then other people probably will, too. What artists aspire to do is to courageously go into areas that are a little uncomfortable and share it with everybody else.”
“I have no idea what a hit is, but I know if I love it. And I believe if I share enough things that I love, something will connect with everyone.”
–Andy Grammar
Take for example, “She’d Say,” featuring South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo from his 2019 LP “Naïve.” It tells the story of what Grammer’s departed mother would say to his young daughter if she could. Just thinking about it can make you well up with empathy.
Watch the video for “She’s Say”
“I have no idea what a hit is, but I know if I love it,” he says. “And I believe if I share enough things that I love something will connect with everyone.”
While Grammer acknowledges he’s always been blessed with a happy-go-lucky attitude, the past couple years of isolation threw him for a serious loop.
“This pandemic super kicked my ass,” he says. “I get a lot of my excitement and vivaciousness from being around people, playing live music and traveling. It was a real grind to get back to a place of joy.”
Grammer sought therapy before writing a new batch of songs inspired by his quest for self love in a changed world.
“I’m someone who loves to get outside,” he says. “I had to go inward. It’s a lot of invisible work around where are you getting your self-worth from. If your joy is based on a crowd screaming for you, that is very volatile. I can tell you that goes way up and way down consistently. It takes some time and effort to get it from yourself.”
As part of The Art of Joy tour at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on March 5, Grammer is encouraging people to write love letters to themselves.
“I sat at my piano and I wrote myself a love song for the first time,” he says of new single “Love Myself” “I’ve written so many love songs, but to write one to myself — it was awkward, like being on a first date. It was strange. It was a journey I really wasn’t expecting to have to go through. I’m grateful for it and at the same time I really hope it’s over.” | andygrammer.com, harrahstahoe.com
