It is becoming increasingly clear Nick Anderson is a musical force. In 2015, he and his bandmates in Granite Rose released a self-titled record which was well-received by fans and critics from inside the Valley and out. According to Anderson, “We had some big names in the industry paying attention and chatting with us about our future,” he said. “We even had the opportunity to go full-time as musicians.” For Anderson, becoming a full time musician and having his music reach more people is central: “The most rewarding part to me was having several people in the industry tell me ‘you’ve got it kid, this music can sell, I can market this, this is good.’  Although some people will scoff at that as selling out, I see it as getting my music to an audience that identifies with it. And reaching people is my passion.” It would seem everything was going Anderson’s way, but due to divergent goals and commitments, Granite Rose is a thing of the past. Anderson was clearly disappointed with how things transpired with the band, but he was far from ready to give up on the dream. Rising from the ashes of Granite Rose is a fiery phoenix known as Ephrem, Anderson’s new solo project. He won’t give away too much about Ephrem’s sound, but he says, “It sounds like me.” Anderson recently shared a snippet of what’s to come. While it is clearly not Granite Rose, it is clearly Nick Anderson. As he dips the brush into the paint at the onset of this new venture, Anderson says, “I’m jumping into painting that new picture, with fierce goals and hard work.” You can catch Ephrem live as he debuts his project with an intimate show at The V1 Gallery on Friday, June 17. For more information, go to www.ephremrocks.com. The passion that drives not only Anderson’s vocals, musicianship, and songwriting, but also his commitment and approach to creating his art, is the same passion that has formed him into the musical force he already is. And it would appear, with Ephrem, the best is yet to come.