Enchanted by NM
Colorado-based singer looks forward to show in Santa Fe
Gregory Alan Isakov is finally home in Colorado.
And what a wonderful piece of downtime it’s been.
“The last tour was my first time headlining as a band in Europe,” he says in a recent interview. “We don’t get to travel to Europe too often, because funds have to be saved up first.”
Now that the South African-born, Philadelphia-raised musician is home, he’s concentrating on finishing his next album.
And it will be a relief for the songwriter. “I’ve been working on it for a while now,” he says. “The tough part about this album is that I’ve only been able to work on it between tours. My friend Mike (Michael David Rosenberg) from Passenger asked me to come out on tour with him, so I took a break from writing. Then he asked me to go on another tour, and I did. I’ll get back to it in the near future.”
Isakov, 37, has been making music since he was 16.
His influences are Leonard Cohen, Kelly Joe Phelps and Bruce Springsteen.
Of the six albums he’s released, he’s especially proud of his 2016 album, “Gregory Alan Isakov With the Colorado Symphony.”
“I’ve always had this dream of playing with an orchestra,” he says. “I never thought it would happen. I’ve always put out music on my own small label. I was performing in Colorado, and the head of the Colorado Symphony came to see me. He told me that a collaboration with the symphony and me would work really well.”
Because the situation was foreign, Isakov put some pressure on himself. It also meant letting go a little. “I’ve always been in the driver’s seat by co-producing my albums,” he says. “I had to let go of the reins. The entire process left me very curious. Part of me was wondering if it would work out.”
Though he lives in the state just north of the Land of Enchantment, Isakov can’t wait to get back to perform in New Mexico.
He’s performed mostly in Santa Fe and finds the area inspirational.
“It feels like home when I’m there,” he says. “I don’t know exactly what the area pulls out of me as far as writing, but I need to make more trips out there.”