UNSIGNED SPOTLIGHT Meet talented British singer
songwriter Sarah Griffin... Words: Tim Slater
aking out a loan to pay for the recording of her superb debut LP Above the Parapet, 26 year old singer songwriter Sarah Griffin claims that she was something of a late starter at music. She only began singing and playing the guitar seven years ago when she was studying at university but, forgoing the usual bedroom strumming learning curve, instead she plunged straight into playing live at local open mic nights virtually from the moment that she learned her first few chords. Determined and highly focused, Sarah is a genuine powerhouse when it comes to song writing talent and is well versed in using all of the current multi-media tools at her disposal to market and promote her music. However, as an unsigned artist without the full might of the music industry machine behind her the Bournemouth-based youngster still has to scrape the cash together until she can afford to record the follow up to Above the Parapet. We grabbed a few minutes with Sarah to find out how
T
things are going... g PM: What are your memories of those early
open mic nights? g SG: “They were rubbish! (laughs). I
remember when I wrote my first songs at university, my friends said that my early songs were great but three or four years later but when I had started to write things like A Thousand Ways on the album they said ‘Your early stuff was horrible!’ I remember doing my first open mic and the guy said that he thought that I had a really nice voice and should stick with it, I wasn’t particularly good on guitar but enough people would give me the odd compliment and so I thought that I should
crack on with it and keep going.” g PM: Does modern multi-media automatically offer opportunities to the unsigned musician?
60 3pickup
g SG: “I think that it’s a bit of a poisoned chalice at the moment. On one hand the internet has blown it wide open for bands in that you can sell your music online and keep in touch with your fans. I do all the standard stuff: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and I’ve got a website but to do it properly you need to be a great marketer as well as a great musician. It isn’t just about getting people down to your shows anymore, it’s all about. Are you getting content up online? Are you blogging? There is a lot to do and it can
much written and we will release it when we are financially in a position to record it. I took out a loan to pay for the first album and once we make enough money to pay off the debt we will record the next one, which definitely will happen! It’s just a case of when, really. I finance everything on my own, the band also contribute, and I just need to clear that debt and get on with the next one!”
“To do it properly, you need to be a great marketeer AND a great musician. It isn’t just about getting people to your gigs!”
sometimes sap a little bit of the creative energy out of it. There are times when I’d rather be playing guitar and writing songs but I’ve got to go and maintain the website. It’s hard work but that’s just
the way it is!” g PM: Being based outside of London, do you feel that can be a disadvantage with regard to
getting noticed by the ‘right’ people? g SG: “I think that if you can create a big enough buzz in your home town then you’ll attract the attention of people in London but purely from a networking perspective and being in the right place at the right time the Big City is where it’s at. The way that the promoters work is they are generally reluctant to bring in bands from out of town if the band isn’t going to bring in a big enough audience. As an out of London band it can be quite hard to get in. We’ve been lucky enough to team up with a promoter called Hot Box who were willing to give us a shot, so long as we were
willing to make it work for them as well.” g PM: So, when can we expect to look out for
your new album? g SG: “To be honest the second album is pretty
Sarah Griffin’s album Above the Parapet is available from
www.sarahgriffin.co.uk
g PM: Finally, when you sign that big record deal, what’s the first thing that you’ll treat
yourself to? g SG: “I’m not really into flashy cars or things like that...I’d probably buy a funky new camper van!” PM
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