William Harries Graham

last month

@jondeeco tribute at @cboysheartnsoul tomorrow night, May 2, at 10pm! @jessesublett, @jeremyjnail, @mattthee, @golddoorknobs, @beavernelson71, @nathanhamilton023, @johnjmorocco, and @andrewduplantis. The Fighting Cocks will be backing all night.

last month

So many emotions from yesterday‘s sendoff’s for @jondeeco. I still can’t and don’t think I ever will be able to put words to a gathering of so many friends and family members who are so close to him over the years. Hearing people speak about my father and hearing so much music shows how important he was to the world. My brother @grayhaem gave one of the most beautiful eulogies I’ve heard. Fighting Cock closing acoustic set, with old and new members, was transformative and cathartic for us all. @gregboaz1 and I previewed a bit of what we have been cooking up with Jon Dee for his posthumous record. And last night for the final Wednesday night service we burned it to the ground just as Jon Dee would’ve wanted. We didn’t plan it but we end up pulling out the three guitar rock show and played Jon Dee hits front to back with a lot of feedback and a lot of noise from @jeremyjnail, @goody65, @andrewduplantis, and Joey Shuffield. I also want to thanks the Continental Club staff that have supported us and over the years, the sound engineers, bartenders, door guys, and everyone in between. They keep the ship sailing. I’m sure I’ll have more to share in the coming weeks. For now, I just wanna say that there is ANOTHR memorial THIS Saturday (5/2) at @cboysheartnsoul at 10pm. The Fighting Cocks will be the backing band for whole night and we have some insane guests and special friends. It’s going to be a truly special night. 📸 - @toddvwolfson and many others that I can’t begin to name

last month

This Wednesday 4/29, is the final ever Wednesday Night services at the Continental Club. Kicking off a righteous night of music at 9:30pm, followed by Los Fighting Cocks and friends at 10:34pm, and @thelouisianasurfdepartment at 12am. After 3 decades of Jon Dee’s tenure and over a decade of mine, it’s truly the end of an era. @continentalclubatx was a second home for @jondeeco and I. We had so many amazing nights and beautiful accidents. Endlessly grateful for the musicians I shared the stage with over the years, Joey Shuffield, @goody65, @jeremyjnail, @therealbobbyd, @meadowsdrums, @abra_joy, @andrewduplantis, Mike Hardwick, and so many others that I am likely forgetting to mention with my grief fog. So much love to the music community. More on what’s next soon.

last month

April 29th will be my last Wednesday night service at the Continental Club. After more than a decade of playing every Wednesday at @continentalclubatx, they’ve decided to go in a different direction. I’m really grateful for the years, the music, and everyone who showed up week after week. @jondeeco, I love you always and forever. The Church of Wednesday was a staple of this town and will be missed. More information coming too on exciting things happening in the future.

2 months ago

Man oh man, the emotions keep coming. In the summer of 2018, @jondeeco and I embarked on a tour of Ireland. I will forever treasure that tour especially. We did combined sets every night. Swapping songs, swapping stories. Exploring a country that neither of us had spent much time. We ate at 400 year old pubs, took walks around towns, and skipped rocks in the ocean. We had plans to tour when he released his next album. We talked so much about how we could play the songs live on stage. I’m so sad that we’ll never get the opportunity to tour together again. Plans were made, man oh man.

2 months ago

We’ve got a special Artist in Residence tonight at 7pm—@williamharriesgraham joins us as Guest DJ for a heartfelt tribute show honoring his late father, the legendary Jon Dee Graham. Tune in as William shares music and memories celebrating the life and legacy of one of Texas’ most respected songwriters. Stick around afterward for Blue Monday With Mike Buck from 8–10 PM. 🎶📻 Supported by: @fvflaw @straitmusicaustin @abc.texas @inspiredmindsarts

2 months ago

This one is for all the guitar nerds out there, buckle up. There is a rare camp of musicians who are known for ONE guitar. Musicians like Willie Nelson and Trigger. Musicians whose entire being, blood sweat and tears are soaked into an untrusted. @jondeeco was one of those musicians. For decades, Jon Dee has only played Zeus, a shoreline gold Stratocaster. Named Zeus by either @jplankmusic or Scrappy Jud Newcomb. On Thursday I found out the history of the guitar. It was actually made by @markyoungersmith for Jon Dee in 1982: “Jon knew that I built guitars at Newman guitars for some celebrities and asked me about making him a hard tail Stratocaster that could sound “Manly”. We arrived at Honduran mahogany. Lightweight but with a darker tone. Much like a Les Paul jr. we messed around with different pickups till he found the right combination. It’s humbling to think that he gave it a name and played it for these many years. The gold was an inspiration he had after we got close to finishing I think we were going to paint it candy apple red, but he came by and saw the base gold sparkle which is usually a very light and small flake and said stop there that looks great” ZEUS WAS ALMOST CANDY APPLE RED! Zeus still has his spirit it in, I feel myself playing more like him every time I play the guitar. Grateful to @southaustinmusic for setting it up lefty for me and to @markyoungersmith for sharing the origin story with us all.

2 months ago

Thank you for last night. JDG forever. @continentalclubatx @jondeeco @andrewduplantis Photo by Mike Henry

2 months ago

I don’t know how to describe any of this yet, there are no words. But my father, @jondeeco, was a fucking legend. Thank you to @paramountaustin for this.

2 months ago

In the @jondeeco @continentalclubatx clan, it was tradition for Jon Dee to play “Wave Goodbye” whenever someone from the clan passes away. Today I’m continuing that tradition. Thank you to everyone who has reached out. He even made it onto the @paramountaustin sign. Yesterday, I lost my father. And yesterday the world lost a giant.