Alaska-born Folk/Americana songstress now based out of Asheville, NC, Hope Griffin has a passion for musical story-telling. She is well known in musical circles for her angelic vocals, free spirited stage presence, and deep, poignant subject matter. She is often accompanied by her talented cellist Jamie Leigh. Together, their combined fusion of her silky vocals and Jamie Leigh's deep, rich cello lines has made for a listening experience quite unlike any other. As best described by Steve Wildsmith of the Daily Times: “In her capable hands, [the guitar] becomes an expression of longing, love, sorrow, joy and heartache, and when her duo partner, Jamie Leigh, adds in cello parts…the results are transcendent ones.”
cheer! is a combo presenting ramshackle ditties exploring urban depravity, heart break, fashion diets, and Brooklyn wrapped up in melodies that may have you whistling for days. This is a special performance featuring the wildly intonated Eric Bandurski on cello.
$5 Adv – $8 Door
Doors @ 7:30 PM
All ticket sales are final. No refunds. Door is Cash Only.
Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Hope Griffin was literally born into music. Surrounded by a musical family, she began singing and performing when she was very young. Hope first got turned onto the idea of writing her own music when she received a guitar at age 17. She attended Carson-Newman University and went on to receive a Bachelors degree in classical voice. It was there that her true flair for songwriting developed. Hope’s drive to perform her original works was launched after winning a songwriters contest in college in 2007. She eventually moved to Asheville, North Carolina where she began introducing her angelic vocals and folky lyrics into the music scene.
Since her time in Asheville, Hope has entered and won several singer/songwriter contests, including 2nd place of thousands to open for Dave Barnes. In 2012, her debut single “Hanging In The Balance” made international radio play. She was recognized in regional publications such as the Herald-Journal, The Mountain Xpress, and The Daily Times. She appeared on WNC television, and began touring all over the Southeast USA. In 2014, in an effort to expand her acoustic sound, she teamed up with NJ born cellist and Asheville transplant Jamie Leigh Bennett to create a dynamic guitar/cello blend of original sound. In 2016 & 2017, she consecutively snagged both best “Singer-Songwriter” and best “Acoustic/Folk Band” titles in Western North Carolina though community votes. Together, their combined fusion of her silky vocals and Jamie Leigh’s deep, rich cello lines has made for a listening experience quite unlike any other. Hope’s “in your face” style of ballad writing, as well as the duo’s reputation for playing fresh versions of songs that span through the decades has made them popular amongst a wide range of age groups.
Hope continues to wow audiences and stretch the musical boundaries by switching from soulful ballads to high-energy blues with ease. Her 6 original song EP, entitled “Say What You Will” released on February 6th, 2015 to a sold out show at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall in Asheville, NC. Her third song on the album titled “A Fisherman’s Life” was awarded “best song” in WNC in 2016. Each song on the record offered a diverse style and hook worthy of its subject matter, but all were linked with Hope’s angelic voice, catchy beats, and poignant imagery. The album was one that fans of folk music and singer-songwriters had been waiting for since Hope first began mesmerizing her audiences, and was the perfect exhibition of her extraordinary talent.
Riding on the wings of the success of 2015’s album, Hope jumped back in the studio to record a larger project titled “Where the Soil & the Stars Meet”, which released on October 31st, 2016. As a strong follow up to her previous release, Hope’s album—her first LP—was as eclectic and as unpredictable of a musical journey as those who fell in love with her debut might have expected. Song after song, Hope defied convention, leading her audience by the hand through honest reflections of true love, a broken heart left devastated, a chance meeting with strangers, to the celebration of a long life well-lived. Constantly blending genres, the very essence of Hope’s trademark style constantly remains: Her lyrical quality of capturing the simplest of life’s moments and rendering them profound reflections on the emotions that unite us all. A haunting and always evolving collection of ballads, “Where the Soil and Stars Meet” peered into the soul of an artist whose fingers remain firmly on the pulse of the curious odyssey in which we all find ourselves.
At the conclusion of 2017 (and just in time for the season), Hope released her latest project “And the Lights Will Shine” – a 6-song collection of holiday tunes. Reflective of her usual folk flair, the EP was well received by all. As expressed by Bill Kopp from the Mountain Xpress: “With ‘And the Lights Will Shine,’ folk/Americana artist Hope Griffin bravely takes on a clutch of holiday classics (adding an original of her own) and creates a fine, distinctive record in the process.”
Hope can currently be seen touring as a Folk/Americana duo with her cellist Jamie Leigh at many venues throughout the US. Her free spirited personality and ability to tell beautiful stories through song make her a true force to be reckoned with – and a hard excuse to miss.
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Cheer! performs original ditties about brooklyn girls, too-kool-for-skool indie bands, quinoa, gluten intolerance, taxidermy, and blah, blah, blah, blah, b.
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