Andy Griffiths

Artist Information

Biography

ANDY GRIFFITHS - FOLK/ROCK SINGER/SONGWRITER
ANDY is a passionate folk/rock singer/songwriter who writes from gut feelings and personal experiences. He sings lead and tends to play a rhythmic / percussive style on acoustic guitar mostly, occasionally switching to electric guitar. Melodies and vocal harmony are prevalent throughout his tunes. He has been thoroughly enjoying playing live shows over the past 22 years, or so. And is enjoying a busy schedule currently playing venues and events of all shapes and sizes.
Andy Griffiths' first solo CD, released Sept 2011, comes off more mature than most. ‘Looking At A Life’ is a folky-pop-rock album with an honest take on a life well lived. Reviewers have indicated that Andy has an energy, feeling and sound in his tunes that could bring comparisons to Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, The Lowest of the Low, John Mellencamp, John Hiatt, Grapes of Wrath, etc...
Andy is set to release CD number 2 ... 'MIND ON OTHER THINGS'. Drawing on influences from the Beatles, Crowded House, Lee Harvey Osmond (Tom Wilson), the Verve, Tom Petty..... just to name a few. You will find a selection of tunes ranging from East Coast folk flavour to rocking folky power pop. Once again, boasting a selection of some of the top, world class, musicians from in and around the GTA.

" While Andy Griffiths studied architecture in his younger days, music always held a passion for him. He’d graduate, become an independent architectural designer (Archimage Design), start a family and even travel the world – but for the last 20 some odd years he’s also been fashioning a music career from his Burlington home. After years of slugging it out in a covers dominated scene, Griffiths has stepped out into the spotlight to offer his all original debut solo CD ( ‘Looking At A Life.’ ). "

"Griffiths has a knack for writing songs for the everyman..... "

Quotes from an interview with Ric Taylor for the View Magazine, Sept 22, 2011.

Cheers!

contact at : andy@andygriffiths.ca
booking at: booking@andygriffiths.ca

Instrumentation

Discography

NO REASON - 8 Song EP
LOOKING AT A LIFE - Released Sept 24, 2011
MIND ON OTHER THINGS – Release date Feb 15, 2013

Official Website

http://www.andygriffiths.ca

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Reverb Nation
• CBC
• YOU TUBE Channel

Audio

• You Fill Me Up
  Listen  
• Don't Listen To Me
  Listen  
• Stars Will Dance
  Listen  
• Hooked
  Listen  
• Lend A Hand
  Listen  
• Looking At A Life Gone By
  Listen  
• Bear With Me
  Listen  
• Bare Bones
  Listen  
• She Goes Thru The Market Place
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Lend A Hand
• Looking At A Life Gone By
• The Stars Will Dance
• BEAR WITH ME

Video

DLTM Moonshine Jan 21-12.wmv

MindOnOtherThings Sept 6-12.MOV

Photo Gallery

Press

• ANDY GRIFFITHS [+ Show ]
  

  View Magazine by Ric Taylor - Sept 22-11 “ With a growing list of friends that wanted to help Gri...View Magazine by Ric Taylor - Sept 22-11
  
  “ With a growing list of friends that wanted to help Griffiths’ vision come to light, or at least to ear, .... his first CD that comes off more mature than most, ‘Looking At A Life’ is a pop–rock album with a grittier edge on a life well lived – with a sound that could bring comparisons to Bob Dylan or even the Lowest of the Low. ....Musically, I like Tom Petty quite a bit and I’m a big fan of Tom Wilson. I consider these guys folk with a rock edge or rock with a folksy root. I like a lot of different flavours of music but I rarely sit down and try to pen a song in a particular style. My songs seem to have a classic rock (folk) feel that appeals to many different people.” Griffiths has a knack for writing songs for the everyman........”

• NEW ANDY GRIFFITHS CD [+ Show ]
  

  Article by Hamilton B Lous (Louis) - Tues Nov 1, 2011 "Local singer/songwriter Andy Griffiths man...Article by Hamilton B Lous (Louis) - Tues Nov 1, 2011
  
  "Local singer/songwriter Andy Griffiths manages to take the folk rock sound to modern heights on his latest CD, Looking at a Life . . .
  
  Songs like the title track, Bare Bones, Don't Listen to Me, and many others are incredibly infectious. This high energy never overpowers the solid folk foundation of the tunes."
  
  
  
  

• Compact DISCovery - ANDY GRIFFITHS Looking At A Life…(Independent) [+ Show ]
  

  Fri Nov 4, 2011 by Jaimie Vernon ‘Looking At A Life’ is an electric album in every sense of the ...Fri Nov 4, 2011 by Jaimie Vernon
  
  ‘Looking At A Life’ is an electric album in every sense of the word. First impression on spinning the disc is how much radio has missed real hook-filled pop rock.
  
  The Stars Will Dance and Hooked are power pop ditties that make you sing along and tap your feet, if not dance. In fact, “Hooked” might be ripe for radio should radio ever decide to play music again.
  
  Griffiths has emotional heft as well as witnessed by the subtle, more acoustic leaning Bear With Me and She Goes (Thru The Market Place). But the real winner is the folky, anthemic Lend A Hand which could easily pass as a Gordon Lightfoot song. It’s rolling, dynamic and mesmerizing.'

• Andy Griffiths debuts with Looking at a Life [+ Show ]
  

  Sept 16, 2001 by Kathryn Dunmore “The album has been a year in the works,” he explained. “Music ...Sept 16, 2001 by Kathryn Dunmore
  
  “The album has been a year in the works,” he explained. “Music is a passion for me and I love writing and performing. I can’t help myself.”
  
  His wife painted Griffiths’ portrait for the CD cover, while his daughter designed the cover using her mother’s artwork....
  
  

• Andy Griffiths - Looking At A Life (Independent) [+ Show ]
  

  With plenty of real-life experience behind him, as well as a two-decade career traipsing the cover-b...With plenty of real-life experience behind him, as well as a two-decade career traipsing the cover-band circuit, Andy Griffiths debut album probably felt like a long time coming. Although the journey Griffiths has taken has been circuitous, there’s no doubting the hard work that goes into a music career that remains on the bottom rungs, and there’s also no denying the available time to practice and hone a talent can be advantageous. On “Looking At A Life” he emerges as a fully formed singer-writer, with no shortage of tales to tell, and an assured musical ability to make the best of his words.
  
  He brings both gritty gravitas and sure-fire pop hooks to his compositions, and it’s names like Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and Graham Parker that seem the most suitable when comparisons are to made. As for definite influences, different songs do carry stylistic nuances. For example, “You Fill Me Up” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the first Traveling Wilburys’ collection, with its mix of Beatles dynamics and American twang, and “Hooked” is a wonderful power pop track that I feel I should have discovered via one of those amazing Sound Asleep compilations that used to appear so regularly. Maybe best of all is “Bare Bones”. It incorporates a pleasing rolling rhythm, the band turn up their amps and it’ll take you back to that special period in the late ‘70s when Petty, Nick Lowe and their ilk were considered new wave.
  
  Rob F. Jan 24, 2012
  
  

• Andy Griffiths & The Lost Groove at the Moonshine Cafe
  

  They had an awesome full band for the Saturday night show at The Moonshine Cafe! by Travis Riggin

• GREAT ENTERTAINMENT AT OUTDOOR VENUES STILL HAPPENING [+ Show ]
  

  Spotlight GREAT ENTERTAINMENT AT OUTDOOR VENUES STILL HAPPENING Glen Silverthorn Thursday, Augus...Spotlight
  GREAT ENTERTAINMENT AT OUTDOOR VENUES STILL HAPPENING
  Glen Silverthorn
  Thursday, August 30, 2012 5:16:11 EDT AM
  
  
  This past Sunday afternoon I ventured down to The Station Coffee House and Gallery and joined a small, but enthusiastic group of listeners to take in the distinctive voice of Andy Griffiths. This fine gentleman from Burlington has been making music as a solo artist and with various well known Hamilton area musicians for some time. He is a prolific songwriter and presented many of his originals on Sunday with acoustic guitar accompaniment.
  When I arrived he had just started singing the song, “Looking At A Life Gone By,” which is the title track on his first full length CD, which contains 10 songs varying in style and tempo. On this disc just released last September he used Ray Farrugia (Tom Wilson’s drummer), Frank Koren on electric and lead guitar, Astrid Young (Neil’s sister), doing backup vocals, and eight others.
  On Sunday he performed many of these songs, each one being inspired by an event, place, person, or situation in the world such as Lend A Hand, which was written after the disaster in Haiti, and he plans to add this song to a future video. He related that his first attempt at writing this song didn’t work out but the second one did. After writing the first verse he headed upstairs to bed. When he got half way up he thought of a second verse and came back down to get it on paper. After heading back upstairs a second time he thought of the third verse and had to get back down to complete it. Check out this great song at www.andygriffiths.ca soon.
  His strong strumming guitar style came through on many songs which had a folk/rock beat including one written for his niece at her wedding this summer. His expressive tenor voice revealed a command of dynamics, which would occasionally venture into a falsetto range to emphasize the message of the song lyrics.
  At the mid point in the show Jeremiah Budnark showed up with his bass and joined Andy on The Beatles’ Ticket To Ride and Knock Knock Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. There was even some bass sounds coming from the shunting diesel which provided a little competition during the afternoon, however the song, “Don’t Listen To Me” really covered the noise of the engine. The exciting song “You Fill Me Up” was inspired during a trip to France with his wife. Another beautiful ballad written for his wife of 25 years and also on the CD is, “Bear With Me”. One of his own favorites that he sang was “Carry Me” a song written by his vocal coach, RAY LYELL. Besides The Beatles, Andy did some other covers including Steve Miller and The Tragically Hip. The concert ended with toe-tappers, Can’t Do That, Saw Her Standin’ There, and Hippy Hippy Shake.
  

Setlist

Set lists include many original tunes and can be expanded/tailored with pop rock cover tunes by bands such as The Beatles, Tom Petty, The Verve, Crowded House, The Stones, etc.

Basic Requirements

Calendar