Gregory Alan Isakov

Gregory Alan Isakov
Background information
Born (1979-10-19) October 19, 1979
Johannesburg, South Africa[1]
Genres
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Website www.gregoryalanisakov.com

Gregory Alan Isakov is a singer-songwriter born in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 19, 1979. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1986 and he was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[3] He currently resides in Boulder, Colorado.[4]

Isakov's music combines indie and folk, featuring instruments such as the guitar and banjo — and he is widely know for the songs "The Stable Song", "Big Black Car", and "Raising Cain". Isakov has released seven albums, most recently Evening Machines in October 2018.[5]

About

Isakov was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 19, 1979. He immigrated with his family to the United States of America in 1986 during theapartheid because his father Nissen started an electronic-engineering business in Philadelphia.[6][7] In Philadelphia, he began touring with a band at the age of 16.[4] Isakov later moved to Colorado to study horticulture at Naropa University.[8] Isakov had played instruments his whole life, but began a life as a professional musician playing ocassional gigs while also working as a gardener.[7] His musical career became more serious when he began touring with Kelly Joe Phelps.[8]

In 2003 Isakov self-released his first album Rust Colored Stones.[9] In 2005 he self-released Songs for October. In 2007 he self-released That Sea, The Gambler. In 2009 Isakov self-released The Empty Northern Hemisphere which featured vocals by Brandi Carlile on five tracks and a cover of Leonard Cohen's "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong".[10] In 2013 Isakov created his personal label Suitcase Town Music on which he released The Weatherman.[11][12]

In 2016 Isakov released Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colorado Symphony, an album of eleven of his earlier songs orchestrated by several composers and recorded with the full Colorado Symphony.[6][13] On October 5, 2018 Isakov released Evening Machines on his Suitcase Town Music label.[5]

He has been influenced by the music of Leonard Cohen, Kelly Joe Phelps and Bruce Springsteen.[1] Gregory has played at many music festivals held across the United States, Canada and Europe. Outside of music, he spends his time working in his garden growing market vegetables and medical cannabis outside Boulder, Colorado.[14]

Discography

  • Rust Colored Stones (2003)
  • Songs for October (2005)
  • That Sea, The Gambler (2007)
  • This Empty Northern Hemisphere (2009)
  • The Weatherman (2013)
  • Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colorado Symphony (2016)
  • Evening Machines (2018)

Appearances in media

  • The song "Big Black Car" from the 2009 album This Empty Northern Hemisphere was featured in a 2012 McDonald's commercial. Isakov donated the proceeds to non-profit organizations that help further sustainable farming and nurture community.[14]
  • The song "Second Chances" from the 2013 album The Weatherman plays towards the end of the sixth episode of the first season of the American drama television series Forever and was featured in the 2014 Veronica Mars movie.
  • The song "This Empty Northern Hemisphere" from the 2009 album of the same name plays at the conclusion of the final episode of the fourth season of the American drama television series Suits.
  • The song "If I Go, I'm Goin'" from This Empty Northern Hemisphere plays at the end of the fourth episode of season four of Showtime's Californication.
  • The song "She Always Takes It Black" from The Weatherman was featured in season seven, episode 11 of Showtime's TV series Californication.
  • The song "Time Will Tell" from The Weatherman was featured in a 2015 Subaru commercial.
  • The song "Suitcase Full of Sparks" from The Weatherman was featured in episode 20 of season three of The Blacklist.
  • The song "Second Chances" from the 2013 album The Weatherman plays toward the end of the short film "One Man’s Mission to Revive the Last Redwood Forests" by National Geographic Society.
  • The song "Amsterdam" from the 2013 album The Weatherman was featured in episode 1 of season six of Girls.
  • The song "Second Chances" from the 2013 album The Weatherman plays at the end of the first episode of the fourth season of the American drama television series Rectify.

References

  1. 1 2 "Biography". gregoryalanisakov.com. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Ismail, Noora. "Gregory Alan Isakov: The Indie Folk Singer Building His Own Off-Grid Paradise". Huck. TCOLondon Publishing. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Van Leuven, Chris. "Deep Music From Up In The Hills". Elevation Outdoors Magazine. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 Monger, James. "Artist Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Gregory Alan Isakov: Evening Machines". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  6. 1 2 Lacroix, Kate (2017-01-16). "Gregory Alan Isakov's Dad Beams as His Son Plays With the Colorado Symphony". Westword. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  7. 1 2 "Gregory Alan Isakov". P O T F. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  8. 1 2 "A Singer-Songwriter Who Puts His Garden First". Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  9. ↑ "Rust Colored Stones - Gregory Alan Isakov | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  10. ↑ "Gregory Alan Isakov - This Empty Northern Hemisphere (Suitcase Town) | Northern Sky Magazine". www.northernskymag.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  11. ↑ Desk, BWW News. "Gregory Alan Isakov Comes To Boulder's Fox Theater". Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  12. ↑ "Gregory Alan Isakov album review, 'The Weatherman'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  13. ↑ "Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colorado Symphony Album Released Today, Receives National Critical Acclaim". Colorado Symphony. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  14. 1 2 "Gregory Alan Isakov interview: 'It's a scary time to be alive'". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-10-05.

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