WEBSITE: http://kgw.me
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/italianmusician
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/grahamsmith
Graham Smith (of Kleenex Girl Wonder fame) has been making music for quite some time. "Kleenex Girl Wonder" is the moniker for his main indie rock outlet, which (although disbanded several years back) had an extensive run of putting out records and touring all over. Established in a suburb of Chicago, Kleenex Girl Wonder has seen a number of musician changes throughout its lifetime. Graham has been the central, driving force behind the project since day one, and as of late has not only been working on new material, but also working to make his entire library available for purchase to his fans. As I mentioned, the touring may have stopped several years ago - but the records have not.
Graham's last release, "Yes Boss," is available on his website. Not only can you stream each track, but you can also download the album in its entirety (in 128 kbps). If you like what you hear, you can purchase it in higher format (whichever format you'd like, actually). It's a very clever way to distribute your album.
Ironically, I discovered Graham by running into a YouTube music video for his song "Long Time, No Sleep." Directed by DJ Douggpound (of Tim & Eric fame), it's obviously a very creative, obscure and uniquely awesome video. After just a couple of listens I found myself rocking out to the fast-paced, simple, and very effective guitar riffs. Graham's vocals, albeit very unique, fit the music well. In other words, he knows how to write music that works for him. There isn't much detail to divulge when describing KGW's sound - it's relatively standard, powerful and catchy rock/pop. The video (embedded below) features a full band recording, which differs (for the most part) from the album version of this track, as well as most of the others on "Yes, Boss."
In the very near future (and by very near future I mean sometime within the next week or so) Graham intends on releasing yet another new KGW record available for download online. I have yet to hear any samples of the album yet, so I've embedded a track off of "Yes Boss" entitled "Carried Away" - it's one that embodies what I mentioned regarding his simple, yet effective guitar riffs. Enjoy.
"Carried Away:"
THE SKINNY: Kleenex Girl Wonder is a standard (indie) rock & roll group that will have you singing along in no time.
FAVORITE TRACK: "Long Time, No Sleep" off of "Yes Boss"
FOR FANS OF: The Mountain Goats
