There is so much talent in Baltimore when it comes to music. I mean music all stars were made here like Dj Frank Ski, Dru Hill, Ms. Tony, K-Swift, and the one and only RYE RYE. It’s so many to list. I just think that Baltimore musicisians should get more credit and exposure than they do. I am definitley here to push that!
Grad Dai a dope band from Baltimore who’s on their way to stardom! So check out this exclusive detailed interview of the all star band Grad Dai!
1. So how did the band all start, the name? Who makes up the band and who does what?
GRADDAI: GRADDAi is a six member “PowerSoul” band from Baltimore Maryland originated in 2008 by Kato Ceaser the writer/poetic lyricist and Josh Zeno the writer and melodic vocalist/lead guitar player. The name “Graddai” is short for graduation day. It demonstrates the day nerds will over come. The “i” in Graddai is a symbol of solitude within the band. Back in 2008 Josh Zeno and Kato Ceaser were separate artist In Baltimore moving forward in different directions. Zeno had a passion for producing and writing R&B and soul records, Kato was performing Poetry and writing hip hop and rock records. Kato and Zeno met through a mutual friendship and became best friends and business partners.In the Fall of 2008 Zeno became a finalist in the Baltimore Apollo and asked Kato to perform one of the hit acoustic records they’ve writing. Accompanied an intricate pianist by the name of Smoke. After the success we decided to bring in the dynamic drummer Caddi Chris, the sexy soothing saxophone player Gary Who, and the ground rumbling bass guitarist Jay Alsina. As a complete set GRADDAi was born and we’ve never lost a competition ever again.
When you first starting, what were your thoughts on being a band from Baltimore and striving to make it? Did you guys think it would difficult?
GRADDAI: In the beginning GRADDAi was just a brotherhood, a bond of people with the same interest and equal love for music. We just wanted to make art even if no one could hear us. Yes, we’ve thought it would be difficult, with the amount of notoriety we have now it’s even more difficult. I believe anyone can build something, but it takes a brute force to maintain the success. GRADDAi has been through a lot, and we aren’t going to stop at any cost.
How do you guys feel about the music scene in Baltimore? Is it vibrant, supportive, combative?
GRADDAI: The music scene in Baltimore is congested. I say congested because although there is tons of real artist out here doing it for the passion of music and the enlightment it brings to the world there are a lot of “music makers” out here that are just making music just to make music. It’s like a new fad. “Music is not a fashion, it’s a passion” –Kato Ceaser. However we love to go to organic club nights to hear poetry and music with messages, so it’s a bitter/sweet experience to say the least.
What would you say your genre is? How would you classify Grad Dai?
GRADDAI: Our music is a fusion of well organized sound and emotion. Every sound is strategiclyplaced in its perfect position to tell a story with not only with words but with our instrumentation. We’ve mastered the control of dynamics and emotional balance, this sound is classified as “PowerSoul”. Powersoul music is an artistic collection of soul music with a more aggressive commercial edge, fused with other popular styles of music such as rock, hip-hop, pop, jazz, and R&B.
How are you guys different from other bands? What makes you stand out?
GRADDAI: We are very different from other bands. For starters we’ve been forced to create our own genre due to our unorthodox style of music. We separate ourselves from today’s cliché image with a unique sense of style that compliments our music ability. This nerdy group of young men pushes the envelope by mocking the current impression of today’s pop culture by rebelling against what is accepted in society. Although our music could speak for itself, our success has been reared by our ability to stand out in a crowd visually and musically.
As a group or individually how would you describe you guys fashion style?
GRADDA: Our fashion style is a depiction of our personalities and a visually to our genre. We are a bunch of artistic geeks living outside of the box. We are the voice for everyone that is not afraid to be themselves. We believe UNcool is the New Cool.
What’s the next move for Grad Dai? What’s coming up next?
GRADDAI: Our next move is a big one. We are currently in process of moving our style and music to the west coast. We are planning our departure from Baltimore to L.A California. Until then we are working to drop our freshman album “seize the dai” in the winter of 2010/2011 in the city that made us. We also are performing in the Fells point music festival in downtown Baltimore Oct 1st, and we are currently working out a deal to perform a benefit concert in ATL with Kerri Hilson late October. For more information on our upcoming shows and release dates and videos go toWWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GRADDAi and to purchase songs go toWWW.REVERBNATION.COM/GRADDAi
