Who Is the Graham St. Clair Band? The Story Behind Their Journey to Country Music
Who is the Graham St. Clair Band? Lead singer, Graham St. Clair joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising band here…
Graham St. Clair Band
Quick Facts:
Birthdate – 5/12/2003 (Graham St. Clair)
Hometown – Lubbock, Texas
Current city – Lubbock, Texas
Musical influences – Jason Isbell, John Fullbright, Evan Felker, Marty Robbins
We love introducing you to new artists that we believe in. Today, we’re sharing a band from Texas that we’re loving: Graham St. Clair Band. We chatted with frontman, Graham St. Clair all about his journey in music, his band, and of course, their brand new project, The Narrow Gate.
As a Lubbock, Texas native, St. Clair spent his childhood immersed in all things music. “I got brought into it by my dad I would say, listening to some Texas country artists like Rob Earle Keen, Lyle Lovett, those are his favorite guys. I started playing guitar. I grew up playing piano, stopped playing piano because I got bored going to the lessons, and I started playing guitar when I was ten, and I started playing in front of people in high-school, sixteen or seventeen probably, and writing songs around that same time.”
As he cultivated his own love of music, the singer-songwriter became enamored with artists that he discovered on his own. “I would say my biggest inspirations in terms of songwriting came after the fact. My dad introduced me to a ton of guys that I still listen to and love today, but growing up with the invention of Apple Music, that was the coolest thing ever,” shared the singer. “I got to start listening to everybody. I stumbled across Jason Isbell that way and Turnpike Troubadours that way, and there’s John Fullbright, so those three are some of my biggest influences in terms of songwriting. The Turnpike Troubadours are my favorite band of all time.”
The Turning Point:
Despite trying to start multiple bands in high-school, it wasn’t until St. Clair attended college at Baylor University that his dreams of starting a band began to take shape. “I got to Baylor, and that’s where I met the rest of the band. […] We kinda came together on accident a little bit, but it was just a fortunate thing and we hit the road running, and we’ve been playing ever since,” began the singer. “I tried to start probably five bands in high-school, and none of them worked out, and I played solo acoustic at bars and restaurants in Lubbock for a few years, and I don’t ever want to go back to that. Playing with a band is so much more fun.”
Coined as a “fraternity band,” even though they never played a fraternity event or party, St. Clair met the rest of the band organically through college. “The idea for the band kinda came together cause we were going to play one darty, which is a day party, and we never did,” shared the singer. “I had met some friends in the music industry from playing around in Lubbock, and I had played some songwriter nights and what not, and I got a call to ask if we could open up for one of them, and his name was Hank Weaver, so Jackson Wright and I opened up acoustic for our buddy, and then I got another call to open up, and they wanted full band. […] I told him I could make it happen, and I called up all these guys, and said we have a show in two weeks, and we worked our tails off and got to practicing.”
The full band had their first show at Cheatham Street in San Marcos, which is a really special place for music in Texas. “I realized that I didn’t really want to be a fraternity band, and we hadn’t played any fraternity stuff yet so there was still time. I had written all these songs prior to the band starting, and I asked if they wanted to come to Lubbock for a week in the summertime to record.” The band agreed, and the rest was history.
Today:
Flash forward to today, Graham St. Clair Band’s first album, XX opened a lot of doors for the newcomers. “People started calling us a little more and answered our emails when we sent them. […] It really kind of felt since we released that album that it wasn’t just for fun anymore, we were going to try.”
Most recently, the band released their incredible EP, titled The Narrow Gate, featuring songs like “Junior Stayed Home” and “The Deep End.” “I have been waiting to put these songs out for a very long time, so I’m very excited for these to come out. I think “Junior Stayed Home” and “Lose Yourself” are the youngest ones. The record is meant to be listened to all at once. The idea is it’s kind of our initial impression of some of the stuff we see in the music industry especially some of the harder things. The music industry is really romanticized. It’s a lot of fun, but at the same time, it’ comes with a lot of difficult problems that you face with being on the road and being so close with seeing musicians have problems with substances and all of these things. It’s also a beautiful thing that you get to share your music with everybody and to play your music with people that the songs are going to mean something to.”
The record is one of those projects that people will fall in love with instantly. Each and every song has a distinct purpose, and the EP is a mark of true artistry. While St. Clair shared this about the song, “Junior Stayed Home,” we think this statement exemplifies much of the record. “There’s some personal stuff and also some non-personal stuff that went into the writing of that song. Really the message that I wanted to get across with it is when you see someone who is going through something like that, grace is an important thing, you don’t know where they’re coming from or why they’re in the position they’re in. You can respond with grace and love instead of judgement.”
2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for the Graham St. Clair Band. Stay tuned for more music and a show near you!
Connect:
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Graham St. Clair Band’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
