The Gracious Few
Encyclopedia
The Gracious Few is an American
rock supergroup
featuring guitarist Chad Taylor
, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer
and drummer Chad Gracey
from the band Live
, along with lead vocalist Kevin Martin
and guitarist Sean Hennesy
from the band Candlebox
.
With Chad Taylor claiming that he no longer wanted to play guitar solos, Martin suggested that his Candlebox bandmate, guitarist Sean Hennesy, could do the job. Hennesy explained, "Tonally, he’s got a big, fat, manly beast sound. I have more of a high-cut karate sound that cuts through, so our tones complement each other very well." Once Hennesy was recruited, The Gracious Few's line-up was completed.
On November 30, 2009 Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey issued a statement announcing that Live
had disbanded following the departure of lead singer Ed Kowalczyk and that The Gracious Few was now their main focus. Their statement alleged that Kowalczyk had demanded a $100,000 "lead singer bonus" to appear with the band at the 2009 Pinkpop Festival, and had obtained sole publishing rights to the band's songs without the knowledge of the other three band members.
The Gracious Few played their first concert date at Fat Daddy's in York, Pennsylvania
on May 27, 2010. This was followed by shows at Summerfest
in Milwaukee on June 25, 2010 and The Troubador in Los Angeles on June 28.
. It was produced by Jerry Harrison
of Talking Heads
and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge
. The first single from the album is "Honest Man". In September 2010, Kevin Martin explained that it had been difficult to schedule the recording of the album because Chad Gracey's wife was about to give birth, Martin and Hennesy were working with Candlebox and Taylor and Dahlheimer were involved in a film project. Also the band members live far apart; Taylor and Dahlheimer in Pennsylvania, Gracey in Orange County and Hennesy and Martin in Los Angeles. Eventually twenty songs were written in two sessions totalling only twenty two days.
The band undertook an extensive American tour in the latter part of 2010 in support of the album, beginning in Buffalo, New York on September 24 and ending in Ventura, California on December 11. In February 2011 the band undertook a short European tour, beginning in London on February 18, with a concert at The Barfly
in Camden. They also played at the Rocklahoma
festival on May 28, 2011.
In June 2011, Chad Taylor announced that Live would be re-forming without Ed Kowalczyk. He added that new Gracious Few material would also be forthcoming.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
featuring guitarist Chad Taylor
Chad Taylor
Chad Taylor is a guitarist in the bands The Gracious Few and Live. Live have sold over 20 million records, including the 8x platinum album Throwing Copper.-Biography:...
, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer
Patrick Dahlheimer
Patrick "Pat" Dalheimer is the bassist for the bands Live and The Gracious Few. Live have sold over 20 million records, including the 8x platinum album Throwing Copper.-Biography:...
and drummer Chad Gracey
Chad Gracey
Chad Gracey is the drummer for the bands Live and The Gracious Few. Live have sold over 20 million records, including the 8x platinum album Throwing Copper.-Biography:...
from the band Live
Live (band)
Live is an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania, composed of Chad Taylor , Patrick Dahlheimer , and Chad Gracey . Lead singer and principal songwriter Ed Kowalczyk left the band in November 2009....
, along with lead vocalist Kevin Martin
Kevin Martin (U.S. musician)
Kevin Martin is an American hard rock singer who is best known as lead vocalist of the band Candlebox. He also provides lead vocals for the bands The Gracious Few and The Hiwatts.-Career:...
and guitarist Sean Hennesy
Sean Hennesy
Sean Hennesy is a guitarist currently playing for the bands Candlebox and The Gracious Few. He has previously played for the bands The Hiwatts and The Kings Royal.-History:...
from the band Candlebox
Candlebox
Candlebox is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since their debut, the group has released four studio albums, which have achieved multi-platinum and gold certification, as well as numerous charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD....
.
Formation
With Live on what they initially termed a "two year hiatus", Chad Taylor, Chad Gracey and Patrick Dahlheimer needed a vocalist for the new songs they had written. Chad Gracey called his friend Kevin Martin and suggested that he should join them. Martin explained, "He called me and said Pat, Chad, and I have been writing and we think you are the perfect singer for this project.”With Chad Taylor claiming that he no longer wanted to play guitar solos, Martin suggested that his Candlebox bandmate, guitarist Sean Hennesy, could do the job. Hennesy explained, "Tonally, he’s got a big, fat, manly beast sound. I have more of a high-cut karate sound that cuts through, so our tones complement each other very well." Once Hennesy was recruited, The Gracious Few's line-up was completed.
On November 30, 2009 Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey issued a statement announcing that Live
Live (band)
Live is an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania, composed of Chad Taylor , Patrick Dahlheimer , and Chad Gracey . Lead singer and principal songwriter Ed Kowalczyk left the band in November 2009....
had disbanded following the departure of lead singer Ed Kowalczyk and that The Gracious Few was now their main focus. Their statement alleged that Kowalczyk had demanded a $100,000 "lead singer bonus" to appear with the band at the 2009 Pinkpop Festival, and had obtained sole publishing rights to the band's songs without the knowledge of the other three band members.
The Gracious Few played their first concert date at Fat Daddy's in York, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
on May 27, 2010. This was followed by shows at Summerfest
Summerfest
Summerfest is a yearly music festival held at the Henry Maier Festival Park along the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The festival lasts for 11 days, is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands, and since the mid-1970s has run from late June through early July, usually...
in Milwaukee on June 25, 2010 and The Troubador in Los Angeles on June 28.
The Gracious Few
The band began rehearsing in California in September 2009 and subsequently recorded their self-titled debut albumThe Gracious Few (album)
-Band:* Kevin Martin: lead vocals* Chad Taylor: rhythm guitar* Sean Hennesy: lead guitar* Patrick Dahlheimer: bass guitar* Chad Gracey: drums-Album credits:*Jerry Harrison - producer*Tom Lord-Alge - mixing*Lawrence Goldfarb - executive producer...
. It was produced by Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison is an American songwriter, musician and producer...
of Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge
Tom Lord-Alge
Tom Lord-Alge is a four-time Grammy Award–winning record producer and mixer. He is the youngest of Vivian Lord's five children, Mark Lord-Alge, Lisa Lord-Alge, Chris Lord-Alge, Jeff Lord-Alge and Tom Lord-Alge...
. The first single from the album is "Honest Man". In September 2010, Kevin Martin explained that it had been difficult to schedule the recording of the album because Chad Gracey's wife was about to give birth, Martin and Hennesy were working with Candlebox and Taylor and Dahlheimer were involved in a film project. Also the band members live far apart; Taylor and Dahlheimer in Pennsylvania, Gracey in Orange County and Hennesy and Martin in Los Angeles. Eventually twenty songs were written in two sessions totalling only twenty two days.
The band undertook an extensive American tour in the latter part of 2010 in support of the album, beginning in Buffalo, New York on September 24 and ending in Ventura, California on December 11. In February 2011 the band undertook a short European tour, beginning in London on February 18, with a concert at The Barfly
Barfly (club)
Barfly is a chain of live music venues nightclubs in the UK operating as part of the MAMA Group. It has venues in Brighton, London & York. They regularly feature live music. Their club nights tend to feature rock, alternative and independent music...
in Camden. They also played at the Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma is an annual hard rock music festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma...
festival on May 28, 2011.
In June 2011, Chad Taylor announced that Live would be re-forming without Ed Kowalczyk. He added that new Gracious Few material would also be forthcoming.
Chart performance
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Heat. Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
US Hard Rock |
||
| 2010 | The Gracious Few The Gracious Few (album) -Band:* Kevin Martin: lead vocals* Chad Taylor: rhythm guitar* Sean Hennesy: lead guitar* Patrick Dahlheimer: bass guitar* Chad Gracey: drums-Album credits:*Jerry Harrison - producer*Tom Lord-Alge - mixing*Lawrence Goldfarb - executive producer...
|
168 | 7 | 15 |
Singles
| Year | Song | US Main. |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Honest Man" | 39 | The Gracious Few The Gracious Few (album) -Band:* Kevin Martin: lead vocals* Chad Taylor: rhythm guitar* Sean Hennesy: lead guitar* Patrick Dahlheimer: bass guitar* Chad Gracey: drums-Album credits:*Jerry Harrison - producer*Tom Lord-Alge - mixing*Lawrence Goldfarb - executive producer... |
| "Appetite" | 29 |