Recording: Shannon Graham and The Storytellers

Artist: Shannon Graham and The Storytellers

Songs: Samsara + You Are the Answer/Claustrophobia

Recorded at Gallery 345, April 17, 2013.

Shannon Graham and The Storytellers - Samsara

Shannon Graham and The Storytellers - You Are the Answer/Claustrophobia

Full review to follow. Celebrating the release of her first album with the eight-piece Storytellers band, Shannon Graham is up to something interesting, using pop ebullience to synthesize both the swing of a jazzy rhythm section and the sweep of orchestral strings. The genres at play here could point to a sort of stuffy, "technical" sort of vibe, but beyond the music's playful energy, the cheap beers and Spice Girls mixtape between sets show this is very much not the intention. And while this music hints at Graham's rigourous skills as a composer (she's recently had pieces played by Spectrum ensemble, where she's co-artistic director, and other local New Music presenters) this is also something that can be appreciated by people who dig the orch-pop end of the indie-rock continuum — folks into, say, Kite Hill, L CON, The Meek, etc. should definitely check this out.