April is National Poetry Month, and Storytellers Spotlight is highlighting Emmy Award winner and multi-platinum acclaimed singer/songwriter Andy Grammer, who has been incorporating poetry into his collections for the past two years. Grammar, who recently announced his upcoming “The New Money Tour,” which will kick off in Asheville, NC on July 11, sat down with ABC on the red carpet to talk about his journey as a storyteller.
“I got into music at a very young age, without really knowing it just because my mom and dad wrote songs together,” Grammer told ABC. “My dad is a Grammy-nominated children’s singer. And so around the dinner table they’ll talk about, like, the hook and ‘Does that bridge work’ and ‘How do you use the words’ and ‘How do they fit together’ and ‘How do they actually affect people? “
Growing up with that foundation molded Grammer into the artist all fans know and love for his honest, soulful, and soulful pop albums.
“I’ve spent my career trying to make music that’s uplifting, positive and grounded in reality. A lot of times the way it works is when it’s rooted in pain,” he said. “One of my first big-hit singles was a song called Keep Your Head Up, and on the surface of it, ‘Keep Your Head Up’ can get cliché, but I wrote it because my mom had just died. And I was also trying to figure out my life.”
Through his development as a songwriter and producer, Grammer discovered his love of poetry, which he drew from the people who inspired him while he was growing up.
Lauryn Hill was an inspiration for Grammer.
“I remember being in my mom’s pickup truck, and ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ came on. And I was blown away. I’d never heard Integrity so, like, banging and groovy. Before I was like, ‘Oh, it’s going to sound so different.’ We’re not the same, it’s going to look different,” but as you’re doing something I really want to do and would love to try, he said.
Years later, Grammer began incorporating entire spoken word poems into his performances, which proved a hit with his fans. Like his songs, Grammer’s spoken poems also highlight issues that plague him, which is how he created his new spoken word song “I Need A New Money,” which was released in honor of National Poetry Month.
“I think I’ve really struggled with having money in my life,” Grammer said. “You grow up in America, you just say, ‘Make as much as you can! Go for it! If you can get the most then this is the game then you win. And that seems not to have been the case in my life. So I am constantly looking for the right balance, with money, the way we work, and the way it affects us.”
Fans looking to experience Grammer’s high-profile performances during this summer’s “I Need A New Money Tour” can purchase tickets on his site. website.
“I’m so excited to be back on the road this summer,” said Grammer. “I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year writing and recording new music and I can’t wait to perform those and all of my favorites to amazing fans across the country.”
Andy Grammer Tour Dates:
May 7 – Memphis, Tennessee / Beale Street Music Festival
July 9 – HAMPTON, GA / ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
July 11 – Asheville, NC / Salvage Station
July 12 – Durham, NC / The Carolina Theater in Durham
July 14 – Waterloo Resort, New York/Del Lago and casino
July 15 – Buffalo, NY / Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival
JULY 16 – Lowell, MA / Lowell Summer Musical Series
July 18 – Morristown, NJ / Mayo Center for the Performing Arts
July 19 – Virginia Beach, VA / Oceanfront Concert Series at 17th Street Stage
JULY 21 – INDIANAPOLIS, IN / ROCK THE ROUNDS AT HOLIDAY PARK
July 22nd – Lancaster, OH / Lancaster Festival
July 23 – Grand Rapids, MI venue to be announced/*
July 25 – St. Louis, Missouri / The Contest
July 27 – Tulsa, OK / Osage Casino
July 28 – Decatur, IL / Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater
July 29 – Plymouth, Minnesota / Live at Hilda’s Concert Series
July 30 – Omaha, Nebraska / The Admiral
August 1 – Denver, Colorado / Denver Botanical Gardens
August 3 – Salt Lake City, Utah / *Venue to be announced
November 4 – Ivins, UT/Tuacahn Amphitheater
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