Bio

A Creative Presence

Ayden Graham is an indie folk rock singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist from the San Francisco Bay Area. His music combines heartfelt lyricism, chamber music elegance, rock, jazz & funk grooves, with eerie electronica atmosphere.

As an artist he displays a rare talent

talent for weaving hopeful melancholy with raw rhythmic edge, combining whimsical storytelling, heartfelt lyricism, chamber music elegance, and rock, jazz & funk grooves. His passionate live performances range from wistful soloist to an explosively cathartic full band, taking the audience on a journey both intimate and expansive. 

Ayden Graham released his debut Wooden Bones EP in the autumn of 2017, garnering praise both locally and internationally.

Born in Toronto, Ontario to professional dancer parents, Ayden spent the first several years of his life on the road, eventually settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. His musical upbringing included his mother’s worldbeat albums, Sting, Al Green and Cat Stevens.

First a singer at the age of 5, Graham began playing violin when he was 8 years old. By high school he was writing his own songs on guitar and piano, busking outside the local Three Twins Ice Cream shop, and performing as a featured act at The Sweetwater Station in Larkspur.

Whilst living and traveling in Ireland, Ayden sharpened his fiddle playing in the pubs and sang on the streets for his supper. Graham attended UCSC for literature and electronic music where he studied poetry, synthesis, recording, and film scoring. He was also introduced to the underground rock, jazz and reggae scenes of Santa Cruz.

Graham was the recipient of the prestigious Helene Wurlitzer Foundation songwriting artist-in-residence grant for 2020/21, and received his MA in Songwriting from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at University of Limerick, Ireland in 2023.

Constantly crafting his sound, Ayden uses the cutting-edge Ableton Live software to incorporate sampling and synthesised elements into his performances. He is also an avid proponent of live looping technology, making use of complex routings to perform solo with all of his instruments.