About

Graham Czach is an original wildly creative and accomplished musician, composer, upright/electric bassist, vocalist and guitarist. Graham has toured the United States extensively as well as other parts of the world, such as the Caribbean. As an active writing and performing member of 2010 Chicago Music Award Winner - Chicago Afrobeat Project, Graham is always pushing the envelope and reaching new levels of versatility and musicianship. Throughout his career, Graham has had opportunities to perform with the best, including Grammy Award Winners - Paul Wertico and Howard Levy. Graham also just recorded double bass on Grammy Award Winner Lupe Fiasco's new album "L.A.S.E.R.S." 

Graham Czach began his musical career at the age of 8, and by the time he graduated from high school, Graham was already an accomplished upright and electric bassist, as well as a composer. What began with school and community orchestras soon developed into jazz and rock bands, starting with high school ska/rock band the Skalawags that also featured Kris Myers of Umphrey’s McGee.

Graham continued his studies at Illinois Wesleyan University where he received a scholarship in music, and completed a BM in 2002 for Upright Bass Performance / Composition (double degree), and a minor in Voice. His main instructors included Judith Hanna, Dr. Vayo and Dr. Streeter. During this time he also had opportunities to play and study with such notable musicians as Ed Soph, William Warfield (Old Man River), Arvo Part, Orbert Davis, and Michael Hovnanian (CSO).

Some of Graham’s most notable collegiate accomplishments include the performance of one of his original string quartets by the internationally touring Cypress String Quartet. He was actively involved with the theatre department, having played bass in productions of "Hair", "the Marriage of Figaro", "Candide", and "the Little Shop of Horrors". Graham also played out regularly with an original rock project, Father Thyme.

After college, Graham moved back to Chicago and formed the band Native Fiction where he co-wrote and released the album “First Case Scenario” 2004.

Since then, Graham has recorded and performed regularly with bands such as Chicago Afrobeat Project and GMG, both bands also recently nominated for the Chicago Music Awards 2010 with Chicago Afrobeat Project winning a CMA for ‘Best African Entertainer’. He also performs and tours with the Aaron Koppel Quartet, Andrew Ripp, the Matt Nelson Trio, and Second Hand Smoke (Sublime Tribute) to name a few!

“Lucid” is Graham’s debut album where he combines influences from being raised in a household where Led Zeppelin and the Beatles were playing constantly, to growing up in schools being educated and trained as a classical and jazz musician. Some of his main influences include Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, CSNY, Jeff Buckley, Soundgarden, Jimi Hendrix, SOAD, Mars Volta, Claude Debussy, Miles Davis, and many more!

Graham Czach is among the best in the music industry today, constantly pushing forward and expanding the boundaries by blazing unique and original pathways into the future of music. Over the years, he has learned what to do and what not to do to make great music and perform amazing life changing shows, always putting out music that stands the test of time. His passion and philosophy behind the music is to touch, unite, and make a difference in people's lives by spreading lasting universal messages through one of the only universal languages, music. Graham strives to bring about change for the better in humanity and beyond...Namaste...

"Graham Czach takes a solo that stakes his claim on Chicago's grand tradition of great bass players." - Neil Tesser (Jazz Critic - Jazziz, Jazz Times, Playboy, Chicago Reader, Sun-Times and more)

"..bassist Graham Czach and drummer Robert Tucker hold down the fort as solidly as any rhythm section on the scene today." - Matthew Warnock

"Native Fiction has an original sound and a craftsmanlike approach to writing and singing, and I approve of all that." - Philip Pullman (Dark Materials and Golden Compass author)

GRAHAM CZACH “LUCID” features:

MATT NELSON – keys (Lupe Fiasco, Matthew Santos)
CHRIS SIEBOLD – guitars (Howard Levy, Kick the Cat)
KRIS MYERS – drums (Umphrey’s McGee)

Discography

Animosity (Wars Hell) – 1991
Skalawags (By Accident) – 1995
Father Thyme (Sir Alias EP) – 1998
IWU Phi Mu Alpha (A Musician’s Christmas vol. I) – 1998
Father Thyme (Live @ Lizard Lounge) – 1999
IWU Phi Mu Alpha (A Musician’s Christmas vol. II) – 2000
IWU Jazz Ensemble (2001:A Jazz Odyssey) – 2001
Blue Logic (EP) – 2001
Felix Jones (Pop Filter) – 2002
Native Fiction (First Case Scenario) – 2004
Native Fiction (Dissolve the Dark King EP) – 2005
Let Me Introduce You To The End (A Love of the Sea) – 2006
Aaron Koppel Quartet (the Wild Call of the Multi-Tasker) – 2007
Chicago Afrobeat Project ((A) Move To Silent Unrest) – 2007
Shawn Maxwell Quartet (Originals II) - 2008
GMG (GMG) - 2008
Chicago Afrobeat Project (Off the Grid EP) - 2008
Aaron Koppel Quartet (Falling Together, Falling Apart) - 2009
Graham Czach (Lucid) - 2010