Larry Graham & Graham Central Station: First LP in 13 Years

GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION RELEASES
FIRST ALBUM IN MORE THAN A DECADE

Larry Graham and Graham Central Station are set to release their first album in over a decade, Raise Up, on September 25 (Listen 2 Entertainment /Razor & Tie).

Bassist Larry Graham – the architect of the slap-and-pluck bass technique that defined the funk sound of the ’60s and ’70s and continues to inspire bassists across virtually every genre to this day – may specialize in the low end of the sonic spectrum, but he’s just as ready to take his music to unprecedented heights. He’s been doing it for more than four decades – first as the rock-solid foundation for a string of enduring and iconic hits by Sly and the Family Stone, and later as the head of his own powerhouse unit, Graham Central Station.

After a 13-year hiatus, Graham Central Station makes its triumphant return with Raise Up, set for release on Listen 2 Entertainment / Razor & Tie on September 25, 2012. Raise Up includes new versions of three classic GCS tracks, along with ten new songs for a new generation of fans. The album features guest appearances by Prince – a longtime collaborator with Graham and GCS since the late 1990s – as well as songwriter/guitarist/producer Raphael Saadiq.

“We’d been touring for the last couple years before I made my final selection of songs and put this record together,” says Graham, who recorded the songs with the band at Studio de l’Hacienda in Tarare, France, in the summer of 2011. “So I got a chance to see what works with live audiences. I got a chance to see what they like and what they want and what they react to. So this CD is a reflection of that – what the people want when we play our live show.”

Along with Prince and Saadiq, Graham has assembled a high-caliber lineup of musicians for the 21st century edition of Graham Central Station: guitarist William Rabb, keyboardists David Council and Jimmy McKinney, drummer Brian Braziel and vocalist Ashling Cole.

“The music on this album is like a live performance,” says Graham. “I wanted to tell a complete story, with a great beginning, a powerful body and a dynamic conclusion. I want that story to be uplifting and encouraging, something to help people rise above whatever challenges they’re facing in life – whether it be personal issues or family issues or work issues. Everybody’s dealing with something. I want this music to help raise people up and enable them to overcome adversity.”

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