Quick & Dirty - Eamon McGrath
By: Cody McGraw
July 6, 2009 – Edmonton, Canada
Gritty, raw and beer-soaked are common adjectives used to describe the music of Edmonton's Eamon McGrath. Comparisons to Tom Waits and other bluesy, folksy musicians aren't lost on this 20-year-old. And with 18 records under his belt, he may already be giving his musical colleagues a run for their money.
That's right, 18 records and he's 20. Feeling pretty lazy now, aren't you?
On his new record, 13 Songs of Whiskey and Light, McGrath has compiled both new and old tracks to give listeners a taste of what he's all about.
"This record is comprised of the high points of a bunch of other records that appeared over the course of a year-and-a-half, and then reached this kind of breaking point," he explains. "The breaking point is described by this collection of songs, in this order, to be heard in this way. These are short stories that could stand on their own, but they're better read as one big book."
He continues, explaining his reasoning: "You have a slice of time go by you, and then you either document it as it's happening or you summarize it to a friend later. These songs were all on records that soundtracked the things going on in my life and everyone's around me. This record has done the same but in a different way."
Seems pretty introspective for someone at 20, eh? Not according to McGrath. He shrugs off the entire concept of age being a factor.
"How young or how old you are doesn't really play a role in what you do. There's no increased or diluted value to anything because of someone's age. I'll do what I do, and I'll want to do the same when I'm twice my age, just like I wanted to when I was half my age. It's like a painting, the marks are on the canvas and you either like how they look or you don't," he says.
You want living proof that talent can't be judged by age or by how many albums you make? Talk to this wunderkind.
"If I feel like writing and recording music I will, and if I feel like doing anything else I'll probably do that. I like to think of life as one set of ten songs at a time, no matter how long it takes you to record them. It can be three months or three days and ultimately they both mean the same thing."
Video: "Welcome To The Heart" by Eamon McGrath
