Griffin House’s music is described as rootsy atmospheric Americana.  Call it what you want to call it.  It’s all good music, that’s all I know.  He’s equally at home with a rockin’ band made up of members of Tom Petty and the Heartberakers as he is playing solo.  He knows how to connect with audiences and make people care about what he’s singing about.  His fan base is growing by leaps and bounds.  It’s very exciting to see someone like Griffin rising to the top of the talent pool  In this crazy and insane music business.

To learn more about Griffin House, visit his website.

Here’s a moving video of his song, “Native.”

Griffin House will be performing at the me&thee in Marblehead, MA on Friday, November 8.

Your biography states that you didn’t start playing guitar and writing songs until you were eighteen years old.  Did music play a part in your life prior to that time?  Did you gravitate toward music as a little kid or take music lessons on other instruments?

Just listening to a lot of records growing up. We always had vinyl and cassette tapes and I always seemed to really love music.  But as far as musical education, singing or playing an instrument, that wasn’t part of my childhood upbringing.  I found it later on my own through curiosity of trying out for theatre and singing popular songs with friends who were learning to play guitar.  I didn’t attempt to really play until I was 18.

It sounds pretty amazing that you opted not to take a golf scholarship for college but instead chose to go down the path toward becoming a singer-songwriter without the essential skills.  That’s like someone saying that they would be trying out for the Olympic swim team even though they didn’t know how to swim!  Did your family and friends think that you had completely lost your mind?

Yes, I think so. They knew I’d always been kind of a “renaissance man” but I distinctly remember my mother saying something about a plan B or getting a real job after the “music” thing was done. At that time I felt she did not understand that this is who I was, I’d found who I was and it was more of an identity than a career choice. I didn’t think about money, I just thought about who I wanted to be.

I used to always joke and say with my friends “fuck Plan B” i figures if you had to have a plan “B” that your plan A must not be a good enough Plan A

After college you moved to Nashville.  It sounds like you ascended the ranks there pretty quickly.  Is the scramble for gigs pretty competitive?  From what I’ve heard, Nashville can be a very intense environment.

It didn’t feel as competitive as it is now, it might have been though. There are definitely thousands more hipsters here now that were not here when I got here. I found it to feel kind of like destiny, I came down here and had a mission and I planned on accomplishing it, and I just kind of naturally believed and thought positively and envisioned myself succeeding and I spent a ton of time writing songs and getting better.

Who or what do you listen to when you’re in the mood to listen to music?

Right now, 40’s music, Sade, NPR and classical.

What have you learned about recording since you’ve been involved with the music business?

Probably just staying in time and tune better, recording always felt pretty instinctual for me and it still feels that way.  It’s like a Nike commercial, i “just do it”

 Are there any places where you have never toured that are on your bucket list?

Everywhere I haven’t! ha, no. More Europe and some South America for sure. I wouldn’t mind going around the world doing it for a couple years as long as I knew some crowds would be there 🙂

What’s up next for you?  Working on any new projects?

I’m pretty busy trying to work on my character and be a better person,(that takes A LOT of concentration for me!) so although music is always there it’s taking a back seat a little these days