Alyssa Graham teases her husband about “Shells.” It’s the first song he wrote while in grade school and tells the tale of a man who rode through the desert on his journey through the Sahara, met a merchant who sold him a guitar, which he then played to some shells before he reached Baghdad.
“When he was 9, his mom had to point out to him that there are no shells in the desert,” says Alyssa, one part of the Nashville duo The Grahams. Those early songwriting days now behind Doug—her other half—the childhood sweethearts have continued making music together since their teens, and have used America to inspire each of their three albums. Locals’ stories, visuals of a bygone era, a descending of America, and love are rooted in their upcoming third studio album, Kids Like Us, out March 27.
Tina Eves 