Shadows from the past come to life in Kramies’ haunting new single with Ghost Hunter Grant Wilson: An intimate and brooding serenade, the songs “Oak and the Ivy” and “Goodbye Garden” radiate stirring beauty.
“Oak and the Ivy” & “Goodbye Garden” – Kramies, Grant Wilson
Shadows from the past come to life in Kramies’ haunting new single with Ghost Hunter Grant Wilson: An intimate and brooding serenade, the songs “Oak and the Ivy” and “Goodbye Garden” radiate stirring beauty as the unlikely pair capture the resounding weight of feelings unresolved: From loss and longing to heartache and hope, Kramies and Grant Wilson spellbind with a raw, poetic, and deeply moving performance.
The summer sun sank below the ocean
Our van was dry so that’s where you would hide
Cause I knew damn well that you couldn’t swim
So I surfed out to you against all of the winds
And it’s true
Every broken day ends with you
And anything I could say won’t come true
But it’s you….
So we bought some old land
and grew tall gardens where you would
dance between weeds and yarrows
At night you’d read your books out loud
You’d say don’t leave me
As of lately,
maybe it’s true
Every broken day ends with you
And anything I could say won’t come true
But it’s you….
– “Oak and the Ivy,” Kramies & Grant Wilson
Melancholy and uncompromisingly visceral, Kramies and Grant Wilson are easily one of 2021’s most unlikely musical match-ups. Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the duo’s two-song set “Oak and the Ivy” and “Goodbye Garden,” a six-minute immersion into a world of solitude, isolation, and radiant introspection. It’s a new venture for A&E show Ghost Hunters’ paranormal investigator Grant Wilson, as well as the first time we’ve heard from Asheville, North Carolina based songwriter Kramies since his 2018 EP Of All The Places Been & Everything The End (described at the time as “a stirring journey of nostalgia and sorrow, self-discovery and renewal”)and 2019’s “Between the Moon,” a split-single with Foxtails Brigade.
“The universe has given me an incredibly artistic and unique life,” Kramies tells Atwood Magazine. “Because of music and art, I’ve been able to do things and go places I never could have imagined, but the most important part of this is the amazingly talented people and extraordinary friends that the universe has brought into my life. Instead of giving some artsy quote on this little project, I thought I’d tell a story on how this amazing world shows magic…”
Back in the fall of 2004 I decided to take a break from music and focus on getting sober. At the exact same time a new TV series started called Ghost Hunters staring Grant Wilson which I watched every week. Most folks know that I have always had an interest in ghosts, haunted castles and the history of such things, even back in the early days it was part of my creative sound.
Fast forward to 2010 after 6 years of sobriety I had slowly reentered the music world, signed to a new label, released a new EP and was doing a radio show in Colorado. On the radio show the host asked why I was so interested in ghosts and haunted history so much. I went on to tell a few stories and I talked about how I was still watching The Ghost Hunters series every week and how I would love to meet those guys….
One hour later, After the radio show I decided to drive straight to the legendary Stanley Hotel in Colorado where I had never been before. I parked my car, walked into the beautiful Stanley Hotel, and Grant was sitting right there…. I think I said his name super loud out of shock. He walked over to me, we briefly spoke, he told me he played piano and the rest is history. That all happened within an hours’ time, from talking about him on the radio, meeting him by chance, and now making music together.
So, as I’ve been finishing up a few new EPs for this autumn and into 2022, I recently came across a few demos that were set aside. I sent them to Grant, and he created beautiful piano parts for them.
You could say these two songs are a decade in the making; you could also say they’re exceptionally fresh, and in a way, brand new.
“That is how wonderfully crazy this universe works,” Kramies says. “There is an old magical connection out there somewhere, somehow and for everyone. These two demos turned into songs because of that connection. That is why I wanted to make this a free mini release.”
Kramies embraces the description, “a creator of dreamy folklore, crossing the boundaries between eerie sceneries and fairytale laden myths.” These words certainly hold true in his new songs, both of which enchant through ethereal, moody, yet warm sonics: Both tracks, whether through vocals, acoustic guitars, or Wilson’s charming piano work, invite us in to dwell amongst the artists, rather than experience their pain from a distance. If the magic of a strong songwriter is that they make you feel you’re with a long-lost friend, then Kramies and Wilson have achieved all that and more.
I’m glad that all your dreams came true
I’m glad that home felt home for you
Happy the rain didn’t flood your road
Change your mind or take its toll
But now that your gone I don’t feel so bad
Or think of the things we never had
But now that your gone I don’t feel so bad
Or dream of the things we never had
– “Goodbye Garden,” Kramies & Grant Wilson
An immersive, hauntingly beautiful set that delves into a fractured, exposed, and vulnerable core, “Oak and the Ivy” & “Goodbye Garden” hurt just right. Stream these evocative songs exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and join us in petitioning Kramies and Grant Wilson for a full-length album’s worth of musical ghosts.
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“Oak and the Ivy” & “Goodbye Garden” – Kramies, Grant Wilson
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