Even though a specific type of sound has been heard and done before it can still elicit emotions that makes you want to hear more. This is decidedly true of the one-man band Granian, whose sound is reminiscent of Matchbox 20 and Nickelback.
Garen Gueyikian, the solo musician that is Granian, is from Holmdel, N.J. He’s had an interest in music since the age of 14 when he began playing guitar. By 16 he was a front man for a local band and its youngest member. He tried college for a few years, transferring from Northeastern to the University of Maryland to Brookdale Community College. After three years and three transfers he realized that college wasn’t his scene.
In 1995 he came together with three others to form the four-man group Granian. They released Without Changes the following November and then a second album in October of 2000 called Hang Around before the group became a trio. Soon the group dwindled to just the one man Gueyikian to hold up Granian. In 2003 his solo career began to prosper, writing songs and playing the acoustic guitar. After he found his producer Mike Shimshack, he needed a band to back him up.
He found his band in four other gentlemen who would help create his debut solo album On My Own Two Feet. First drummer Nir Z came along, having previously worked with John Mayer and Peter Gabriel. Then came Kyle Kelso, counterpart guitarist, bassist Pemberton Roach and Chris Ginoux, supplier of the electronic sounds that litter the album.
“I didn’t meet these guys until the day we started recording. That was the beauty of it: to get together with great musicians, play them my songs and then have them run with that,” says Gueyikian on his website www.Granian.com.
Together the group created an album that has soul and passion. Granian belts his heart out and the others complement, rather than compete, with his voice and his lyricism. For a solo project, the debut definitely has potential, showing that he is going places with a sound, while similar to those before him, which has strength and delight mixed together.
The title track “On My Own” begins with a melancholy strumming of the guitar and a subtle whine by Granian. The guitar picks up as Granian belts the chorus “Tell me what you think of me now/ That I can get by on my own two feet.” The guitar is simple but hard and powerful as it goes up and down with the lyrics and Granian’s voice. The drum beats harsh but monotonously in the background, which compliments the force of Granian’s singing. The song has force as the guitar, which at once is soft quite suddenly, becomes loud and commanding.
“On my own two feet is exactly what I was hearing in my head: more in your face than anything I’d done before,” said the singer.
The track “Uncovered” is slower and more melodic, the guitar more fluid and consuming, with different riffs littering the track. The bass is subtle but adds an extra flair to the song, as it sits in the background, plucking away lower notes to compliment the higher ones being strummed on the acoustic guitar. In the background can also be heard soft electronic beats playing over each ear, luring the listener into the tunes. Granian’s voice is finely tuned and harmonious in conjunction with the guitar as he sings, “We’re leaving this all uncovered/ For the demons to hold us down.”
The album shows the ability of Granian to make it into the pop mainstream. A powerful sound such as his shows his confidence in himself and his music, which is important. His sound is pleasant to the ear and has a beat that’s fun to listen to.
