“Grayson Capps plays rusted-out, countrified swamp-blues, whittled down to the dirt floor. His weathered drawl recalls Delbert McClinton, while his subject matter channels Tom Waits’ fixation on junkyard lowlifes. Like an off-color barroom prophet, Capps exposes the peculiar, rotten and praiseworthy in the human heart.” – NO DEPRESSION
“It takes less than 30 seconds for the debut album from this New Orleans-based singer/songwriter to pull you in…languid, a little grimy and dangerous…a stirring first effort, it conveys the sense, sounds, and dark allure of New Orleans.” – ALL MUSIC
“Whether he’s rocking hard or whispering over a single note of slide, Capps’ songwriting skill is dependably incisive; his character-based narratives are guaranteed to make you ache and exult.” – NEW ORLEANS TIMES PICAYUNE
Grayson Capps’ debut solo album
If You Knew My Mind turns ten in 2015. In light of the milestone, Royal Potato Family is honoring the now classic recording with a special 10th anniversary reissue edition. The set will feature three previously unreleased bonus tracks, including Grayson’s stunning version of the roots standard “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning.” It also includes an essay written by Grayson addressing the period in his life when he recorded the album along with as yet unpublished photos. Produced by Grammy Award-winning engineer Trina Shoemaker (Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls), she was reenlisted to oversee the re-mastering process for the album’s first ever release on vinyl in a double-LP configuration.
If You Knew My Mind was initially issued in conjunction with the major motion picture A Love Song For Bobby Long starring Scarlett Johansson and John Travolta. The film was titled after Grayson’s song of the same name and was adapted from an unpublished novel written by his father Everett Capps. Throughout the album, Grayson recounts his time living in an abandoned house on the outskirts of New Orleans (“Get Back Up”), playing for change on Royal Street (“”Washboard Lisa”) and the birth of his daughter (“If You Knew My Mind”), while songs like “I See You,” “Mercy” and “Buckshot” remain staples of his live repertoire to this day.
Grayson’s songwriting draws direct inspiration from the celebrated American southern literary tradition, often writing about the South and the idiosyncrasies of its people, landscapes and tempos. His lyrics, imparted with a profound poetic wisdom, take form as steamy, front porch blues and road-wise Americana. Music critic Bret Love wrote, “Like a whiskey-soaked, back alley poet sired by Tom Waits and Robert Johnson, Capps’ stripped-down sound is rooted in the dark side of the Delta.” While comparisons like such help paint a picture, Capps clearly has his own singular iconoclastic vision. Ten years later, his legacy has only grown as he’s currently regarded as one of the South’s most consistently compelling songwriters and performers.
