Josh Gracin With a Little Help From His Friends

What do you do when you have several hundred people waiting to hear you sing and your throat goes all scratchy?  Well, if you are country newcomer Josh Gracin, at Indian Ranch in Webster, MA. on July 3, you depend on your band and even your merchandise manager to keep the music going.

You could tell right from the start that Gracin was hurting.  During the first song, Gracin’s hit “I Want to Live,” he coughed repeatedly and looked for water between each chorus.  Despite the 45 minute delay before the concert and voice warm-ups, Gracin was unable to shake a sore throat that developed after he performed in the rain in Albany, NY the night before.  He tried several more songs, apologizing repeatedly to the audience. He even mentioned during the intro for “The Other Little Soldier” that the Marines had taught him to always keep on going but it might not be possible this time. The upbeat, “Turn It Up” from his debut album finally seemed to do him in. He turned to his band and said it was their turn.

John Mason, guitarist, stepped forward and sang a few songs.  In the meantime, Gracin ran off into the audience and began shaking hands, talking and having his picture taken with a delighted crowd.  Between songs, Mason jokingly said it was like playing bars in Nashville and all he needed was a tip jar. As he began singing a Dwight Yoakum song, many people in the audience began lining up and before long he was ankle deep in dollar bills.  He was even joined by the merchandise manager as he sang a David Allen Coe cover.  Gracin finally returned to the stage, apologized again and vowed to stay and sign autographs for as long as anyone was still there. He then sang his latest hit, “Nothin’ to Lose,” and the concert ended to loud cheers.

 While Gracin met briefly with fan club members backstage, hundreds more lined up to meet him and get an autograph.  Almost no one left and even those at the end of the line seemed content to wait.  It may have been the weather, a beautiful, clear day with no humidity. It may have been the setting, a 17 mile lake front (Lake Chargoggagoggmanchaugagoggchaubunagungamaugg) nestled in a pine forest. It may have been this 25-year-old singer, who looks like your average frat boy, but with a whole lot of personality and talent.  But there was no doubt he had endeared himself to the audience with his willingness to “soldier on.”

By the way, if you don’t get a chance to see Josh Gracin in concert, you may want to catch his new video, released last Thursday on CMT.  “Brass Bed” is the third single from the album and is a slow ballad that shows off Gracin’s strong voice. The video shows him trying to talk a beautiful young woman into staying longer and finally getting her into his large brass bed. The hotter scenes involve other actors, but Gracin comes across as sexy, young and very charming and his female fans will love it!

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