


Watching “1964” … The Tribute perform is like entering a time machine, returning magically to the 1960s, when The Beatles were making girls scream and parents were shaking their heads wondering who these four guys with the long hair and the funny suits were.


Graham started his career in music after seeing a video of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show at age 9.
Soon after he found the guitar (and eventually Bass, Drums, and Piano) and a year later started playing in bars and nightclubs.
Songwriting became his main interest and with his first band "The Roadrunners" he toured the Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York area for several years.
After releasing two albums and gaining notoriety not only for their age, but also for the quality of music they were releasing…Graham and his band parted ways.
His love for The Beatles and their music lead him to join 'Beatlemania Now' a Beatles show touring company featuring broadway cast members of the Broadway hit "Beatlemania".
Graham (a right handed guitarist) taught himself to play bass guitar left handed for the 'Paul McCarney' role and toured the U.S, Canada, U.K, and The Netherlands for more than 4 years.
During this time Graham continued to write and record his own music for publishing by other artists even contributing a batch of music to a film by 10 time Emmy award winning director Kenneth Sheil. He also made cameo appearances in films (ie; 'Splinterheads' 2009), Television, and even Video games (Motion Capture actor ie; "The Beatles: Rock Band") to name a few...
In 2008, Graham joined the Broadway show "Rain" for its pre-broadway tour. With Graham onboard the show opened on Broadway in 2010 at the Neil Simon theatre (eventually moving to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 2011). The cast accepted the Broadway Drama Desk Award for 'Best Musical Revue' and a few months later the show closed on Broadway with Graham having performed 150 shows in both theaters.
Graham notes, "I love Rock n' Roll. After having performed on Broadway for a year, I felt I really needed to be able to play this music the way it was originally played by those four guys over forty years ago. Ive always loved the energy and the spirit of 1964: The Tribute and THAT coupled with the incredible level of musical accuracy is why I am here. I am as much a Beatle fan as I am a music fan and to me, any project I associate myself with is a reflection of how I feel this music should be perceived. In other words, There are a lot of shows out there performing this music, but there are none that perform it with the spirit, and ferocity of those four young men from Liverpool (as you saw them in 1964), quite like…..1964 The Tribute.”
The band 1964 the Tribute will re-create the early touring years of The Beatles. The Orem show begins Monday at 8 p.m. at The SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater. Steven Gardner, the press manager and photographer of the tribute band, said with a band as popular as The Beatles, there are bound to be imitators, but not many can do it this well.
The tribute band strives for authenticity, both in sound and appearance. The musicians that portray the Fab Four mimic the body movements and characters of the individuals, and work to look as much like The Beatles as possible. The musician portraying Paul McCartney imitates him by playing the bass left-handed, despite the fact that the musician is actually right-handed.
In addition to Beatles fans, those with an interest in history might also enjoy the tribute concert. Gardner said everything is done in its original form. The instruments are identical to the ones played by The Beatles in 1964 and the suits that the members of the tribute band wear for performances come from the same company that made the original suits for the lads from Liverpool.
The most recent 1964 tribute show drew a crowd of 7,000 people. Gardner said some of the people who came to the show are original fans who saw The Beatles, and some fans weren’t even born during the era. Sometimes, grandparents, parents and children come to the shows together.
Gardner said the reason young fans are interested in The Beatles is because they made good music. He said many musicians respect The Beatles, whether or not they are actually fans.
“People can identify with good music,” he said.
Gardner said something always felt right about The Beatles’ music and although times might have changed, kids haven’t. He said when kids today become fans of The Beatles, they are experiencing the same feeling people had when they first heard the band’s music in 1964, and that is exactly what the tribute show strives to re-create.
Short URL: http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/?p=7403