Career
She plays guitar and piano. In 2005, she launched her solo music career with the release of the critically acclaimed album, What Love Is, which was heralded by All About Jazz as one of the “Best New Recordings of 2005.” Her subsequent studio album, Echo, released in 2008 was critically acclaimed and commercially successful debuting at #24 on the Billboard contemporary jazz charts. The New York Times named Echo a “Critics’ Choice Civil Defense” and iTunes named it one of the “Top 10 Vocal Albums of the Year.” Echo was featured in ELLE Magazine and National Public Radio called it “poignant… openhearted.” Alyssa Graham was recognized by Amazon as one of their “New and Notable Artists” and made musical history as the first singer to record the track “Involved Again,” originally written by Jack Reardon (The Good Life) for Billie Holiday in the 1950s.
Born and raised in a small town outside of New York City, Graham is the daughter of Jewish-American parents Susan and Fredric Altschul who were greatly influenced by the New York City art scene and the 1960s music revolution.
She is the sister of American fiction writer and political commentator, Andrew Foster Altschul. Graham’s grandfather was an Emmy nominated actor and radio personality during “The Golden Age of Radio” most famous for his work on “Gangbusters,” “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” and “Mystery Theater.”
In the 1990s, Graham got her start in music when she and longtime boyfriend and songwriter, Doug Graham, co-founded an Ithaca-based psychedelic rock band called Blindman’s Holiday.
She and her bandmates were featured in Entertainment Magazine, as one of the best college bands in the country, Relix Magazine and Seventeen Magazine. After 5 years with Blindman’s Holiday, Graham, seeking more of a challenge musically, headed to Boston, Master of Arts to study Jazz and contemporary improvisation at the renowned New England Conservatory.
In 2003, The Grahams (as they are often referred to) moved back to New York City and immersed themselves in the underground jazz and singer-songwriter scene playing with local musicians at local venues such as Rockwood Music Hall, Joe’s Public and The Cutting Room.
Alyssa Graham has released 2 solo albums. The music features a melding of folk, jazz and popular influences and a raw simplicity throughout. The 4 song European Parliament was released on August 23, exclusively on iTunes, with a full-length album forthcoming.
The full-length Civil Defense "Lock Stock and Soul", produced by Craig street was scheduled for a January 31, 2012 release on Walrus Records / Sunnyside Records.
American Songwriter named her Writer of The Week for the week of May 21, 2012.
