Q&A: Cole Gramling

Cole admires a fellow pianist in legend Stevie Wonder.
(credit to www.showbiz411.com)

1) Favorite band/musician and why?

    

"So hard. I'll say Stevie Wonder. He's just got so much soul in every single note. He plays these complicated licks and chord progressions but he stays so funky and he can be really emotional and deep too. He can do keys, vocals, and drums!"

2) Musical influences (could be the same answer to number 1)

     

"I love Motown stuff like Stevie Wonder, but I'm really influenced by the jazz stuff that came before it, especially Bill Evans and Miles Davis. I also listened to a lot of Counting Crows growing up, and honestly a lot of worship music because I played in the church band."

3) Favorite Jechoes song personally and why?

    

"Probably 'Come Around.' Because I get to play piano for the whole beginning, haha. But also because the words come from a deep place, about somebody who's really hit the bottom, and Jess is singin 'I know you'll come around.' It's awesome to sing that."

4) What are some of the songs that you have the "stand-out" parts or solos on?
    

"Well, there's a lot of just piano on 'Come Around,' but I also have a solo on 'Road Angel' and a lot of cool organ stuff on 'The World Will Catch Up.' And I play the intro to 'Night After Night' which is a blast."

Star Wars is Cole's guilty pleasure as an admitted "nerd."
(credit to www.tgdaily.com)

5) What's a passion of yours outside of playing music? Could be like a guilty pleasure?

    

"Haha, guilty pleasure is probably that I'm way nerdier than you might guess. I love Star Wars and NPR and I was in marching band in high school, and I was into it. But passion is probably Jesus, cheesy as that might sound. No matter what happens, I always end up coming back around to God and how he saved me from my own rebelliousness on the cross. It gives me energy to do everything I do."

6) What is your occupation/job/place of work or plans after UT? (If you are still attending)

    

"I graduated with an English degree in May of 2012, and for the past year I've had a few jobs. But right now I'm making enough just by playing piano for a few different bands (mostly connections through Jess) and working part time for my church, leading some music and helping plan stuff for the college age people that go there. It means my schedule is different every week but it's awesome that I can get by on just that stuff right now."