Andy Grammer
November 29, 2014
Hammerstein Ballroom- New York, NY
I need to be as truthful as I can be; prior to this show I have never heard of Andy Grammer. After doing some very basic research, I have discovered that Grammer is an acoustic singer who is signed to a pop label. That’s all I knew prior to shooting and truthfully, I didn’t expect much.
I’ve seen a lot of shows in my career as a photographer, and I’ve seen bands that have blown me away, and I’ve seen bands that were so bad that I’ve left mid my song limit, but Andy Grammer was in a whole new class by himself. I have never heard a one man band sound as big as him. Andy Grammer started the first part of his set doing loops on his guitar mixed with beatboxing, an effect in vain with Ed Sheeran. There is no doubt that he will draw comparisons with the British counterpart, especially since the first time I saw Ed Sheeran was him opening for Snow Patrol, and Andy Grammer’s second song in the set was a Snow Patrol cover..
Later on in the set, Grammer started incorporating more instruments into his loop, a bass drum and a tom, a keyboard and even a keytar, showing his full arsenal of music talent which seemed to be limitless… His ability as a musician and entertainer had me in awe for the entire set, which rarely happens to me unless I’m genuinely interested in the band.
Opening for O.A.R. was definitely a weird choice to go, but I understand wanting to outsource what I assume is usually a pop based fan base into one that is very much a cult following.
Andy Grammer is more than a pretty smile with a guitar; he’s a talented musician with an amazing live show, and I can’t wait to see him on his next run out. Review by: Nick Karp
Andy Grammer