The long chariot ride to success

A few years ago, anyone could catch Gavin DeGraw during one of his emotionally intense live performances at clubs around New York City. His debut, platinum-selling album, “Chariot,” was released in July 2003 by J Records, and it was then that he became well known outside of the big city. This weekend he comes to VCU for the Rams for Relief Benefit Concert. A portion of the proceeds go toward victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Growing up as a teenager, DeGraw was inspired by Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. After arriving in Manhattan in March 1998, he immediately began working to further his own music career. After hearing him sing at an open-mic night at Wilson’s bar on the Upper West Side, club owner Debbie Wilson signed on as his manager the next day.

DeGraw writes his own songs, and usually plays the guitar or the piano when performing.

Early on in his career a major record label offered him a deal, but he declined because he felt it was not the right time. Another big company, Warner/Chappell, offered him a publishing deal and he signed on, releasing a six-song indie CD, “Gavin Live,” which he recorded live at Wilson’s.

Now, some years later, he has gained experience from working on his own to become a successful musician.

In a recent phone interview, Gavin DeGraw talked about his music, performing and his struggle and journey to get to where he is today.

What made you decide you wanted to be in the music business?

I thought maybe I could make a living playing music. It just sort of happened as a fluke, I started playing for fun originally but then I started to perform and that is really what hooked me in.

What is your favorite thing about performing live?

The interaction you have with the audiences. You play and you don’t have to wait around to see if you’re selling albums. You get immediate feedback and you are instantly rewarded with their smiles.

Tell me about your favorite experience thus far in you career. What was it?

Honestly I don’t think I have one favorite moment in my career. I love the feeling I get from all of my performances. One of the most memorable performances though was at the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. I got to perform on the same stage as Phil Collins, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Patty Labelle, and Queen. And let me tell you Queen just rocked out; it was amazing just to be there and witness it.

What is one thing that has really given you the inspiration for your music?

The one thing that I can think of right now is when my brother and I were flipping through photo albums looking at relatives to see what they looked like. We were both really competitive and we were comparing ourselves to different members of our family and talking about what traits we had. It’s just little things like that you remember and it is how they affect your career and how you go about your life.

What is the hardest moment you have had in your career – one that really made your heart start pounding?

Oh man. I can tell you this one. Waiting around to see how I would do releasing my second single. My first single, “Follow Through,” didn’t do so well and if the second single, “I Don’t Want To Be,” didn’t turn out well then I was going to be in a really bad spot. The anticipation of releasing the single had me really scared and it took a long time but finally I broke through.

Who is one celebrity you’d love to meet?

Chris Kooper. He is such a great actor and he is incredible at what he does. It seems like his talent his what got him where he’s at, not his publicist. Also, Seymour Hoffman. He was amazing in “Boogie Nights.”

Early on you were offered a major deal with a record label. Why did you decline the offer?

A few reasons. Mainly, I wasn’t impressed with the record deal I was first offered. And if the label couldn’t impress me, then they couldn’t impress anyone else. I figured I just wasn’t ready and I wasn’t blowing everyone away enough with my music. I decided to wait because I knew I definitely wasn’t ready just to jump into bed with someone to get a good record deal.

When you are playing your music live do you really feel like you and the audience connect?

Yes, my goal is to make them feel like they’re getting to me, not just hearing the songs. They feel comfortable with me, and all artists have the same goal-making you and the audience feel like you have something in common. Do I always succeed? Well, it depends on whether or not I’ve had a good night. Every couple of weeks I have one of those striking performances that leaves me with a feeling that everything is awesome and the audience and I just clicked in a way that makes you feel amazing. Sometimes though. there is a performance where the audience isn’t feeling it. It depends.

Gavin DeGraw performs Sunday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. Doors open at 3:30. Tickets are $20 for VCU students with valid VCUCard and $27 for general public. To purchase tickets visit the Siegel Center Box Office or call (804) 828-RAMS. Ticket price includes $1 facility fee and $4 charity donation. For more information, call (804) 828-4554.

Whenever I hear about upcoming artists, it seems like it’s been a struggle for them. Would you say that is true in your case?

I definitely have had some struggles – from growing up and then going to New York City, working as a waiter on the side to pay the bills and trying to get gigs. It took me a while to get where I am now but it definitely has been worth the journey.

When you went from live stage to recordings the process must have been difficult, was it?

It was tough because at live performances I liked to just play and then go with it. After that I was done for the night. With the production process you’d have to do it again and again, sometimes 30 times in one day. It started to make me hate the song. To me, it’s important to keep the song a little fresh. So, I eventually told the producer in order for this to work it had to go my way. We would only play the song for a few times each day and it took some time to get everything to work out, but eventually it did.

When you went into the recording studio what did it do for you and your work?

It gave me insight into the sound and the song itself. I got to hear it so many times over and over again that it put me in the headspace of when I was writing the song. It allowed me to reminisce about why I wrote the song, what it was about, and the feeling I had when I wrote it.

You said you had to learn “the language and the science of making a record.” How exactly did you do that?

I learned just by messing around in the studio and watching people work. Things have to be in rotation and you must teach yourself not to just critique performance, but also to see technically what to do, where to put the microphone in a room. You get to learn the different dimensions and acoustics of rooms in order to get the most out of any space used when recording or singing live.

After starting your career you said you wanted to look past the buzz swirling around you and keep your eyes on the big picture. What’s the big picture?

Really, the big picture for me is (having) a career where I have established an audience that allows me as an artist to continue growing and developing my music. That is extremely important to me. I want to be able to go to the recording studio and take chances to satisfy me, and also for listeners to develop that like music that is refreshing and nice to enjoy. The most important thing though I want is to have developed a fan base with people open-minded enough to let me do what I want and when I want.