New Artist Proves Herself a Seasoned Professional...

Swallow Hill Music Association

May 19, 2001

Cullen Gravit burst on the scene tonight at Swallow Hill in Denver. Cullen sang a series of well selected songs that ranged from Irish ballads to Simon and Garfunkle's piece, "Bookends."

She was backed by a highly complementary group of musicians playing piano, cello, bass, lead and rhythm guitars, drums, uielliann pipes, and mandolin. The pieces performed ranged from support by piano and cello to full band backup. They provided the lucky audience with a highly varied demonstration of her talent and capability to entertain.

Cullen's voice is captivating and a unique identity that should not be missed. She sings with deep emotion that shows great love for her music. Her voice cannot be easily described because it appears to be multi-faceted. At times, Cullen's voice seemed to be ethereal and floated above the audience while at other times, the power and grace in her voice were quite befitting the fun of an Irish folk song.

Although this was an introductory performance for Cullen, she demonstrated the grit of a polished performer who trusted herself and her compatriots. In the folksy setting of the Swallow Hill Music Hall, she patiently waited while technical glitches were solved - such as her performance at the piano with her son Michael, on guitar. A non-working microphone threatened a glitch in the so-far successful evening but Cullen's easy style, gracious smile, and comfort with the audience downplayed the problem long enough for her voice to erase the memory of the technical difficulty.

The second set began with a blazing syncopated drumming exhibition by Brian McCrae, that initially appeared to be just a warm-up while the other musicians drifted onto the stage. This masterful stroke of genius, however, was completed with vocals that provided a very nice finishing touch to start a strong second set for the night's performance. During the second set, Cullen sang her trademark song, "Listen", from her current CD. This heartfelt rendition was really a synopsis of the evening's performance where Cullen's clear voice and love for her music provided the audience with a memorable experience. One value that was evident throughout the evening was a very uncommon ability to select and perform songs of beauty and meaning with a professional yet extremely comfortable and friendly stage presence.

A performance by Cullen is an experience highly recommended and not to be missed as it offers a refreshing perspective and talent that can simply be enjoyed.

John "Buzz" Kyle
Greenwood Village, CO

That day in Seattle started an hour of darkness that lasted well over 60 minutes, stretching through months of physical and emotional pain. In addition to the physical repercussions from the accident, Gravit soon lost her job and went through a divorce.

After a while, the words of Townes Van Zandt seemed to rule her life - "Days full of rain/Sky's comin' down again/Man, I get so tired of these same old blues."

Gravit, 46, finally had enough of the dark clouds one day and decided to turn things around.

"My passion has always been singing, it's the best way I know to express what's in my heart," Gravit says. "I don't want to travel and stay in hotel rooms and do all that. I just want to sing in coffee shops and hopefully make a living at it."

The first stop on this local journey is May 19 at Swallow Hill, 71 E. Yale Ave., where Gravit will perform with a host of area musicians to celebrate the release of her first full-length CD, Listen.

A teacher at Aurora's Wheeling Elementary School for 19 years, Gravit was no longer able to perform the duties of her job after the car accident. For one, she was left with the inability to hear two things at once, a serious setback when dealing with a classroom of 32 children all asking to go to the bathroom at the same time.

"I loved teaching," Gravit says, "I used to play the piano and sing songs with the kids to teach them to read. They'd read lyrics and sing along which was great fun for them. It was a way for them to learn words and reading without even really knowing that they were doing it."

Though she was given disability compensation from the school district and left without work, it wasn't as if she tried to get back into teaching and was sent packing, she says.

The people at APS really went out of their way to help me, offering other jobs at the schools they thought I might be able to do," Gravit says, "but I just couldn't. So, after all the physical therapy I went through to regain my power of speech, I decided it was time to pursue what has been a lifelong dream."

The dream started by getting together with Blix Street recording artist Celeste Krenz, who produced Listen with her husband, Bob Tyler, and wrote three of the songs recorded on it. Krenz was an instrumental part of the actual song selection and recording process, but the album may have never been realized had it not been for Gravit's friend Sue Harding, who was the one that helped shift her view from hindsight to future dreams.

"My most special thanks goes to Sue Harding for walking along this path with me like some kind of angel here on earth," Gravit read from the liner notes of the CD in an interview last week. "This day would not have come without you."

The CD itself is an airy blend of songs offering messages of deliverance, hope and subtle spirituality. It is a collection that finds itself at times blessed and others cursed by following rough crib notes in the school of Daniel Lanois-style production. Through the words of Krenz, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Iris Dement, among others, the bottom line is to take to heart the words Robin Williams breathed through the prep schools in Dead Poets Society - carpe diem, or "seize the day."

The oldest of five children growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, Gravit was a part of a musical family. Her mother spent time serving as a pianist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, her dad played guitar and banjo, and her aunt sang with the Metropolitan Opera. The five children - sisters Katie, Sue and Mary and brother Rich - watched evening hours wind down by gathering around the piano to sing songs.

Continuing the trend of family involvement in music, Rich plans to be at the Swallow Hill show to introduce Gravit. And in addition to guest musicians including Krenz, Tyler, Mollie O'Brien, Jim Todd, Jeremy Lawton, Brian McRae and Rich Moore, Gravit's son Michael will join her on stage to play guitar. The 20-year-old will return to Denver from his digs at Mesa State College especially for the occasion.

I cannot stress how important Michael is to me and how much it will mean to have him with me on stage for our big night of celebration at Swallow Hill," Gravit says.

Although she doesn't have lofty ambitions to support the album with a national tour like Stevie Nicks would, don't think that Gravit is not interested in getting people to pick up her album or come to see her perform.

"My CD is at a bunch of area record stores like Tower Records, Virgin Records and Twist and Shout," she says. "Lots of small stores have a section for local artists, but as far as big ones go, the management at Tower Records is by far the best at supporting the up-and-coming people from the area."

Local support is what jump starts any up-and-coming musician's career; it got Gravit into the studio with a notebook full of others' lyrics and her own aspirations.

Most importantly, support from area friends helped her not only regain the life she almost lost, but it led her to finally realize her dreams, something that most likely would not have happened had she not been involved in that car accident on a rainy Seattle afternoon.

"You ask me my age, and I'll tell you I'm 46," Gravit says. "I've got friends who are turning 40 and think it's the end of the world. I say to them, 'What if you weren't turning 40 - think about that.' It's not until now that I'm really doing what I've always loved to do. There's still a lot of life to live."