"An engaging performer whose songs stay with you long after you hear them." -- Neal Robinson, Manager, Iron Horse Music Hall
"He sings like Jackson Browne with a sweeter edge...Grande has recorded a promising debut effort that should appeal to ma [+]"An engaging performer whose songs stay with you long after you hear them." -- Neal Robinson, Manager, Iron Horse Music Hall
"He sings like Jackson Browne with a sweeter edge...Grande has recorded a promising debut effort that should appeal to many new fans." -- Jennifer Layton, Indie-Music.com
"Grande's new CD Familiar Strangers sports earnest lyrics much in the tradition of David Wilcox..." -- Tricia Asklar, The Valley Advocate
"On his debut album Familiar Strangers, Grande proves himself a solid singer-songwriter." -- Roger Catlin, The Hartford Courant
Northeastern audiences are no strangers to native singer-songwriter Guy-Michael Grande. The region's acoustic music fans are already familiar with the distinct songs from his debut album, Familiar Strangers. A singer-songwriter whose contemporary acoustic folk/pop evokes comparisons to artists ranging from Jackson Browne to Del Amitri, Neil Finn and David Wilcox, Grande's original songs reveal a keen ear for his craft, wry takes on the everyday and deep sensitivity toward matters of the heart and human condition.
Grande's six-string musical sensitivities were awakened during childhood days spent in a hometown not far from New York City.
"Guitar has been a major part of my identity since I was seven years old," he recalls. Despite this history, it took a six-year hiatus in the early 90s to make the young musician realize the vital role his instrument played. "When I picked it up again, the songs just started coming, and I haven't looked back since."
Familiar Strangers is in many ways a glimpse of Grande's own life.
"If you listen closely, there's a common theme running through these songs," he reveals. "It's a record about changes -- people coming together and coming apart." The record features 10 radio-ready tracks, ranging from the opening salvos of 'Here & Now' to the closing whisper of 'Ever After.'
Produced by Jim Chapdelaine at Be-BANG! Studios (West Hartford, CT) -- who has worked with artists ranging from Paula Cole to Feathermerchants -- FS also features his impressive fretwork on an array of stringed instruments, most audibly "all the big dog guitars."
"Working with Jim is extremely gratifying because he's an amazingly gifted musician with an unc
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