Calum Graham & Nautilus Pinot Noir

Been gone for several months due to a classic case of writer’s fatigue. In the past eighteen months I’ve published six new thriller novels containing a total of 468,000 words and since they’re now available as ebooks, I’m starting to get some traction. But just because I’ve been gone doesn’t mean I haven’t been discovering some great new guitarists.

I first became aware of Calum Graham while sifting through video performances of the 2010 Canadian Guitar Festival competition. I believe he was 18 at the time and became the first teenager to ever win. What’s even more amazing to me is that he’d only been playing for five years when he won.  Since then he’s continued to increase his guitar chops exponentially.

Maybe it’s because the winters are so cold, and there’s nothing else to do but stay inside and play the guitar, but Canada seems to be a spawning ground for incredible guitarists and Calum is one of them. He was born in British Columbia in the small town of High River. He grew up in a family that surrounded him with various forms of music that he says had a strong influence on his style. His picking technique and sense of melody are self-taught and not the result of any classical training. One thing is certain. Few people on the planet can play the guitar like him.

Waiting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhFJXgBMlZM

12:34: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB4GRmgUpR8

Phoenix Rising: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqn-7ZkYUYM

It is what it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcrflRwGRyI

The Channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iP5OGXGqmw

Indivisible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D4RwrMyjGQ

3-Way Street: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4aQZeNP57w

1^st Place Canadian Guitar festival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MadlZwIeD5k

Carol of the Bells: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbblsGRKLOU

Stonebridge visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MNbuwoy3bs

Song for Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4owmSM_46gI

Hey Ya, with Don Ross: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HGmgPGyGm4

Since I’m climbing back in the saddle, I thought I’d pair Calum with one of my favorite wines, a Nautilus Pinot Noir (the 2011 is $22.00 at CostCo). The first thing you notice as you pour it is the bright ruby red color. The second is the nose of cherries, raspberries, and baking spices.  The taste is full of tart, succulent cherry with accents of red raspberry and vanilla. Great wine and a great guitarist.

Cheers!