Catch up with Gavin DeGraw
He’s on the road with ‘Something Worth Saving’
Gavin DeGraw is a classics man. Writing fifth album Something Worth Saving, out Friday, the pop troubadour says he looked to music icons including The Beatles, David Bowie and Prince. “I lean toward classic stuff for inspiration and those influences really haven’t changed,” says DeGraw, 39. “The ones that have stood the test of time ultimately have the ingredients that belong in every songwriting kitchen.” Now touring with his good friend Andy Grammer through Nov. 9, DeGraw caught up with USA TODAY’s
Patrick Ryan to chat about his latest.
Q How’s the tour going ?
A Really, really well. We’re maybe two weeks in now. We started the first show (in Bethel, N.Y.) right near my hometown. I grew up about 20 minutes from the original Woodstock site, so there’s a lot of history there for me. My parents were at the festival together in 1969, so I spent my teens in that field by campfires with my friends, just being a wild child. It was a real trip to go back there and play that piece of property as a so-called “professional.”
Q You and Andy both competed on Dancing with the Stars. Is there a little rivalry between you guys about who got eliminated first?
A Nah. Andy does a little bit of dancing onstage, but I’m more concerned with delivering the lyric. I leave the footwork to Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Some guys were just made for it — I’m not that guy. If I do too much dancing, one of the guys I grew up with will throw a tomato at me.
Q When did you start writing the new album?
A It’s hard to say; it’s a constant process. I’m writing right now for the next album. But this is the latest and greatest. I feel like it’s the best representation of where I am musically right now. It’s not a theme album, but it is a pretty wide array of songs: a lot written with other songwriters, some written by myself.
QIs there one song you’re most excited for fans to hear?
A There are several. The ones I wrote alone, you can hear a very individual character. Making
Love With the Radio On, it’s just a feel-good song. One of my buddies reached out to me the other day and was like, “Gavin, I feel like that song is very you,” and I said, “I really appreciate that.” It’s very characteristic of my personality.
Q Who or what inspired the album’s first single, She Sets the City on Fire?
A The seed of that song was brought to me by Gregg Wattenberg, a great songwriter out of New York. He played me a little piece and I was like, “This is incredible, can I get on this?” And he was like, “Of course, you moron, that’s why I brought it to you.” (It’s) a very modern-style tune. It was important to go very modern, certainly for the first single out of the gate. It’s important for me to continue to evolve and adapt, it keeps a career interesting. Billy Joel, Elton John — these are acts who continue to change their recipes and experiment with taste.
Q You recently opened for Billy on tour. What’s one thing you learned from him?
A The best advice Billy Joel gave me (was when) I said “Billy, your career’s bigger now than it ever was.” And he said, “All I can tell you is: Don’t die.” I cracked up.