updated news and information

CD of the Week: Grames Brothers: Strange Beautiful

The three Brothers Grames were always a tight funk band, but now the songwriting is catching up with the riffing. Numbers such as Shine, Kinky Machine, and the ballad Strange Tones (with it’s echos of Jimi Hendrix) not only have soul, but an intellegence to support their social and political idealism.

It’s a pleasure to hear exciting, thoughtfully developed guitar solos (from Johannes) and a rhythm section that knows when to leave open spaces. Strange Beautiful gets the crisp, sharp sound from engineer Shael Wrinch and mixer John Webster that the album deserves.

Tom Harrison, The Vancouver Province, Feb 3, 2000

The Bros have been writing a pile of new songs expect to hear some at the upcoming shows. They have also been picking up some covers for the hell of it. Any requests for stuff you think we should play?

Our youngest brother, Kristos, is working on an album. All the Grames Brothers play on it, as well as dozens of other Vancouver Musicians. Ya want names? Johnny Raham, Rob Bracken, Jamie Havorka, Geoff Hicks, Cory Weeds, Coco Love Alcorn, Jerry Cook, Joyita Ruben, Jen Tolmie, Brian Harding, Mark Wild, Mike Kenny, Darrin Paris, Paul Rigby, Steve Dawson, Jesse Zubot, Chris Jaas, Lindsey Davis, Kinney Starr, the list goes on and on. These are members of bands such as Crash, Millinium Project, Bocephus King, Zubot and Dawson, Green Room, Reflector, Brickhouse, Groupo Jazz Tumbau, Lily Frost. Besides the requisite guitar, bass, drum, keyboard stuff there is a choir, french horn, violins, cello, glockenspiel... you name it. It's all being recorded at Orge Studios run by Kory Burk. He runs the studio out of a funky old church--very cool. The Grames Brothers have recorded some demos there and they sound great. Look for Kristos' album sometime in the fall.

The brothers are doing lots of cool stuff these days. Look for Johannes playing up at the Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler where he plays jazz guitar with an amazing piano player Cameron Chu.

Panos is performing at the vancouver jazz festival with Alpha Yaya Diallo (Sunday June 25 at the Commodore), The Mo' Funk Collective and Reflector (Tuesday June 30th Dr.Sun Yat Sen gardens)