Saturday November 6 at 8 pm, $10, at Artword Artbar, 15 Colbourne St. A concert with roots Americana songstress from Port Dover, Tia McGraff, on tour with her new 
CD release “Diversity” which just received a Hamilton Music Awards nomination for best Country Recording). Tia McGraff (lead vocals/guitar), Tommy Parham (acoustic guitar/background vocals), with Kevin Murphy (electric guitar), Brian Fettes (bass guitar), Jon DeBathe (drums).
McGraff explains the new release€™s title: €œMy musical style has always been a potpourri of lyrical and musical influences, and the songs on this album represent my range. I have reached deep inside my soul on this album and stepped out of my comfort zone. The lyrics speak of my political point of view, hurt and disappointment, healing, intimacy, and … not really giving a damn what anyone thinks of me. I’ve found my voice and am free to be me.€ http://tiamcgraff.com/ http://www.myspace.com/tiamcgraff
To achieve her goal of diversity, McGraff devoted a lot of time to carefully selecting the songs that made the cut and the musicians who recorded them. To ensure a unique quality to every track, McGraff picked musicians from Los Angeles to Toronto, and when it came time to mix, she brought in past studio mates from Nashville, Seattle, and €œyes, even Port Dover, Ontario,€ laughs McGraff.
Produced by Tommy Parham (Come Early Morning-Ashley Judd, Rocks You Can’t Move-Lee Greenwood), Diversity is McGraff€™s fifth studio album, and the follow-up to 2007€™s critically acclaimed Day In My Shoes, which was nominated for Best Alt Country Recording of the Year at the 2008 Hamilton Music Awards.
Biography:
Writing and recording since the young age of 19, Tia McGraff€™s uplifting, heart-warming songs have been garnering her strong fan exclaim from her very beginnings in the industry. As one devoted fan once passionately declared, “Tia€™s music makes your heart rest!”
The Port Dover, ON native released two albums on her very own label, Bandana Records, and four music videos, which were showcased on Country Music Television (CMT), before deciding to make the move to Nashville, TN. Soon after her arrival in Nashville, McGraff met songwriter/producer Tommy Parham, who became her partner in life and on stage.
The duo quickly became a musical force to be reckoned with, as McGraff and Parham became an indie pairing that reached out to the world with their love for each another and for their music. With time, they€™ve not only found touring success, but also commercial success. Their songs have been placed in a variety of movies and television spots, most notably, All Of Us (Tia McGraff/Tommy Parham/Henry Priestman) was placed in an Australian TV commercial promoting multi-culturalism and featured in a video on World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia.
