Photo credit: Joseph Llanes
Andy Grammer
Andy Grammer has earned a reputation since coming on the music scene in 2011 for being Mr. Positive, an artist who consistently builds optimism and sometimes downright happiness into his songs. But he cautions that being upbeat does not mean being shallow when it comes to his music and the topics and situations he examines.
Grammer even has a podcast called “The Good Parts” (which shares the title of his third album) where he—with some irreverence—delves into weightier waters with celebrity guests. They discuss big questions like what do you think happens when you die or what is good and bad about money?
“I like to try to take this thing deeper and remind people that there’s a lot going on here. For myself, with the art that I make, I seek that ‘oh man, there are a bunch of levels to this’ feeling,” Grammer says. “And when you come to my show, hopefully you get hit with things—or when you listen to one of my albums—the culture doesn’t touch on too much.”
Grammer said he’s getting the sense that his latest album, Naïve, is striking a nerve with some of his fans. “It’s crazy because I don’t think this is a sappy album,” he says. “But one of the biggest comments I’m getting is people are like ‘Ah man, you’re making me cry.’ I’m like, ‘Man, what’s so interesting, why are people crying at these songs that are seemingly, I don’t think they’re sad songs, but there’s something about being overwhelmed with spirit that will make you tear up.”
On Naïve, Grammer often finds inspiration in people who work through difficulties and come out of the other side stronger and wiser.
One of the album’s key songs, “She’d Say,” was inspired by the loss Grammer felt over the death of his mother. The song ponders what advice his mother would have for his two-year-old daughter if she were here to provide it. “My Own Hero” finds the determination to persevere and even thrive within his fear of facing a future alone. The latest single, “Wish You Pain,” isn’t a song of revenge or vindication, as its title might suggest. It’s a reminder that bad things happen to make us stronger and better people. As Grammer sings, “I know that it might sound strange, but I wish you pain.”
Grammer has made no secret of his positive attitude from the outset of his career. “Keep Your Head Up,” the top 5 adult-pop single from his 2011 self-titled debut that first put him on the map, led to bigger heights with his second album, 2014’s Magazines or Novels. That album featured “Honey I’m Good,” which topped the adult-pop chart and reached the top 10 on Billboard magazine’s all-genre Hot 100 singles chart. His 2017 album, The Good Parts, gave Grammer another top 10 adult-pop single with the song “Fresh Eyes.” If anything, Grammer feels Naïve pushes even further with the positive tone of his music.
“Naïve is even more recklessly optimistic. It feels almost rebellious. I like that a lot,” Grammer says.
On Naïve, Grammer sticks to the basic stylistic blueprint of the first three albums. Once again, the album offers a mix of upbeat tunes that feature sunny folk-tinged pop melodies, bouncy rhythms and big choruses (“I Found You” and “My Own Hero”) and melodic ballads that retain a strong rhythmic presence and soaring choruses (“Some Girl” and “I Am Yours”). But the new album does shift his sound a bit away from the synthetic sounds that punctuated the earlier albums toward more of an organic sound.
“I think that I had fun experimenting a little bit more on previous albums with production and stuff,” Grammer says. “This one, it just felt so sincere that the way to get that sincerity across sonically was to be more grounded in acoustic guitar. A lot of guitar, more live drums than normal, a lot of voices, live choir singers’ voices, to kind of get this authenticity across, so the words can be surrounded by that type of feeling.”
His concerts this fall will allow Grammer to capture the sound and heft of Naïve. “We’re going bigger than I’ve ever gone before,” he says. “I’ve got a big band, extra backup singers. I like to go big. I listen to this record, this most recent record has a lot of voices on it, a lot of anthemic, big stuff. It was important to bring the big machine that’s going to help make that work. It’s really exciting. When we come to town, we try to hit everybody in the heart. Our main goal is to try to light people up.”
Andy Grammer performs at Turner Hall Ballroom on Monday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m.
