Essential 8: Greg Jacquin and Paul Griffin

Photo Cred: Andrew Bordeaux

With his roots and inspiration running deep in the Hudson Valley, New York-based Americana artist Greg Jacquin recently released the video for "Floating" the second track off his new LP, Hudson River. Jacquin says, "'Floating' is a song about having to move back to the town you grew up in after years of falling out of touch with everyone and everything."
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Here, Jacquin and singer, songwriter and piano player Paul Griffin answer their Essential 8 and talk favorite concerts, meeting some of their heroes, share advice for musicians starting out, and more.
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Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
We seem to be getting a really great response from the crowd when we play our songs “Yesterdaze’ and “Floating”. I think these are our best songs so far because they were written for the album by the band after it had started as a solo project.

Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended?
First concert - Foreigner with Jonny Winter opening up at Madison Square Garden during the Double Vision tour with my Dad. Favorite concert - Cat Stevens at The Beacon in NYC a couple years ago with my Dad.
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Do you have a favorite gift from a fan?
​YES! I have a merch suitcase gifted to me by a fan. It’s decorated with really old Rolling Stone Magazine covers featuring The Rolling Stones.

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Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go?
When I was a kid I loved bands like Kiss and Van Halen and Frank Zappa.  A couple friends and I went to see Dweezil & Ahmet Zappa at The Stone Pony in New Jersey. It was winter and freezing outside but we went to the club at about 10 in the morning so we could be first in line. We were the only ones in line for hours.  When Dweezil and his band arrived they saw us freezing outside and invited us in to hang out, get warm and watch them set up and soundcheck. Dweezil and the guys were so cool.  Then once I waited in line at Virgin Records for 6 hours to meet Van Halen and Eddie was a complete asshole.  

Is there a recent release you cannot stop listening to?
​Simone Felice - The Projector is so beautiful I cannot even explain. His voice and songwriting touches me.  Also Brandi Carlile’s By the Way, I Forgive You is pretty special.  I’m also wearing out my copy of Greg Connors new album Home Made Compass. 

Paul's Answers

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I am inspired by my life, my family, my meditation practice, and the world around me. I recently wrote a parody of Sinatra’s My Way to lampoon President Trump. I wrote a song about my grandmother after she died last winter. I wrote a song inspired by my daughter saying to me, “I’m too hungry for dinner!”

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
I always like this question. Because I know the answer. You want to succeed in music, you gotta hang out, man. Just hang out. At clubs, with musicians, all day and night. Make music with other people. Oh, and it helps if you can write killer songs with killer hooks. 

When/where do you do your best writing?
​At my piano or on my porch. When nobody is around to bother me. Either in the morning or the middle of the day. When I am most alone with my thoughts and my melodies.

In addition to Paul and Greg, the band also includes singer, songwriter and guitarist Rich Berta, bass player Lalit Loomba, and drummer Peter Wilson. 

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