Jan 18, 2025
Daniel Neihoff
That songwriters come from the western Kentucky clan of Neihoffs is a surprise to no one aware of the land and family. In number and colorfulness, there aren’t many rivals. But few have natural storytelling and melody baked in quite as thoroughly as in Daniel Neihoff. Born in Texas and raised in Kentucky, Daniel grew up in a family of songwriters, with both his father and grandmother crafting melodies and lyrics. He wrote his first song at 8 years old, surrounded by a family fit for country songs – the old kind about struggle and lonesomeness, mistakes among enduring love. The melodies and legends were all around him in his family, and it all seeped in.
Living now in Paducah, KY, Neihoff honed his skills while playing at church and learning from masterful guitar player, Cheryl Yates. Over the years, whether it was for paying gigs or for open mics, Neihoff turned heads with his voice and rewarded the interest with his lyrics. The simmering burn of his talent and craft suddenly led somewhere big. At 20, his first audition for a set at Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Cafe was successful. The Reidland kid’s smooth and soulful sound had already landed on Music City’s doorstep from the river town’s flood plains.
The area’s journalists took notice: WKMS’s Something From Nothing Podcast and The Spiel in Southern IL delved into his work. The world is hearing his range of storytelling and compelling melodies, all with a soulful bend. Neihoff’s debut album reached number 32 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts, further solidifying his place in the music world.
His accolades are impressive: he won the Kerrville New Folk Competition in 2019, was a 3-time finalist of Songwriter Serenade, placed 3rd in the Woody Guthrie songwriter contest, and won the Rocky Mountain Songwriters Contest in 2023. Neihoff has also been featured on PBS and received praise from Lori Walsh, host of In The Moment on SDPB, who said, “Daniel Neihoff, you are just what we need.” We are hearing the launch of a voice familiar and unique that feels as if it began quite a while ago.
JD Graham
could find. By 18 he was a bona fide seller skilled in the art of harvesting multiple doctor prescriptions, and in the scientific breakdown of exactly how much drugs his body could take each day. By young adulthood Graham was deep into his addiction as well as his angst, which he showcased through reckless
living and slinging guitar in several death metal bands. In 2010 he morphed into a more southern rock sound with his band Sour Diesel Train Wreck and released an album in 2012 to some national success and shared stages with Reckless Kelly, Stoney Larue, Cody Canada and The Departed, Jason Boland,
Turnpike Troubadours, Shooter Jennings and Molly Hatchet. In true coming of age fashion, Graham met some new people and started going to shows and open mics. His introduction to bands/artists like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Brandon Jenkins and Jason Isbell started to calm the waters a bit by the sheer impact of the truth in their writing. Their willingness to lyrically “bare the soul” hit Graham deep, and that influence mixed with a lifetime of much needed confession cast its spell, and his inner songwriter was born. In 2007 Graham relocated to Arizona, and 10 years later a catastrophic car accident dealt him a 5-year prison sentence and a last chance to salvage his soul. Still the loyal addict, he pursued the score for drugs in the pen purchasing $500 in pills on his second day there, pills that were never delivered. Instead, Graham was delivered when some church folks visited him in his cell to ask about his music. He resolutely acknowledged that God was most definitely at work in his life, and at that point he made a decision to stop drugs forever. With only his refection staring back at him in a dark cell and his mind uncluttered for the first time in 25 years, Graham’s long burdened conscience began to speak, and by the time those confessions all had their say he had written 160 songs. His first ever sober writings, Graham made history at the Arizona State Prison when he was allowed to record his first album “Razor Wire
Sunrise.” The title-track was the first song he wrote in prison inspired by the view from his cell each morning and all the decisions that got him there. By the time Graham walked out a free man 5 years later, he had left behind a deep impact on the community there in the form of a very successful music program he started that is still being taught today. With an actual curriculum and over $20,000 in donations, the program sparked a year and a half waiting list for classes.
These two singer-songwriters will guide you on a transformative journey with their soul-shaking vocals and heart-wrenching lyrics. Join us in the Grand Hall for this revelatory showcase; it is one you do not want to miss.
Door opens at 7:00 PM – Music starts at 7:30 PM