BIO

At the heart of it, Melbourne based Stephen Grady is a songwriter. His aim is precise; mastering the craft and getting in touch with the words and music on a personal level. And it is this in-depth, soul searching approach that shines through on his new album Wonder, out October 23.

Recorded over one weekend in February 2020 at Union Street Studios in Brunswick, Melbourne with producer/engineer/musician Roger Bergodaz (Lost Ragas/Paul Kelly), Wonder is an album with timeless sounds and influences. Grady & Bergodaz performed all the instruments on the album and it mastered by Grammy-nominated Pete Lyman (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, John Prine)

The lead track single Spring is available now. Grady wrote the song walking home from Essendon station after work one late afternoon. “Queensland will always be my home but I’m so inspired by this great city (Melbourne) and it’s change in seasons, I wanted to capture some of its beauty in a track like Spring. Easy to say harder to do”.

Since the hiatus of The Ahern Brothers, Grady went on a writing journey and wrote a total of 60 songs all the while attempting to rediscover an individual sound. “I started a band, did some recordings here and there, then finally I self-recorded in my room what would become the ‘Streets of Gold’ album which was released in July 2020. I experimented with bigger sounds and layered production, and it was a challenge. Still, I’m glad I pushed myself to do something out of my comfort zone. However, it taught me that I needed to get back to the basics of singing and playing my nylon guitar. That’s where I feel I can truly connect with the song, and hopefully with the listener. I called Roger and booked in some studio time, picked 11 songs and off I went to record ‘Wonder’ LP. It was by far the most enjoyable recording experience of my life. I’m really proud of the album and feel as if I’ve found my sound. Maybe it was there the whole time, but I needed to go through what I went through to truly know!”

Grady will continuing to release (and re-release) both new and old music over the coming year; a chronology of sorts that highlights the evolution of an accomplished songwriter with a career of ups and downs in the industry, much of which has given Grady plenty of grist for the mill when it comes to creating meaningful art.

“Fame has never interested me; its always been about the songs meaning something to someone.” 

And for us that is just a bonus.

Contact

General

Stephen Grady
stephengradymusic@gmail.com
 

Publicity

Chris O’Hearn
chris@thrillhillmusic.com