A delicate finger pattern opens this tale of soldiers resigned to a grim fate.
“Between The General & The Grave” is a track from Sid Griffin’s recent release the Trick Is To Breathe.
Griffin delivers their story with a whispery, matter of fact and well enunciated approach. His wonderful lyrics pull the listener into a that moment when fate turns.
Griffin shares, “How odd the centenary of the First World War has inspired so many songs. Songwriters, and I boldly include myself in this category, should never have stopped using the Great War, the so-called War To End All Wars as a metaphor, particularly as armed conflict continues all around us. We damn well know where all the flowers have gone by now. Old men start the wars, young people fight them. And one young person is sung about in ‘Between The General & The Grave.’”
The Trick Is To Breathe is first solo album by Sid Griffin (the Coal Porters, the Long Ryders) in a decade. Recorded in Nashville, Tenn. at the home studio of Thomm Lutz in February 2014 over four days.
When Sid Griffin started recording 30 years ago the term Americana was unheard of. Now he is considered one of the genre’s founding fathers. With the now legendary Long Ryders he crossed punk’s spirit with country music chops and pioneered cowpunk and alt-country. Currently a Coal Porter playing acoustic music, Griffin now uses bluegrass instrumentation to play original folk/Celtic songs. “It is the familiar heard anew,” he says.
Griffin played mandolin on two tracks, guitar on about six more, but the core of the band was Mark Fain from Ricky Skaggs' Kentucky Thunder outfit on bass, the virtuoso Sierra Hull on mandolin, Paul Griffiths on drums, Thomm Jutz on guitar, Justin Moses on banjo, fiddle and dobro, and gospel legend James T. Brown on backing vocals. Other than Jutz and Griffiths none had met Sid before the sessions began.
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The Trick Is To Breathe announces Sid Griffin is back on the world stage as a solo artist, globetrotting troubadour and singer-songwriter. “I am in a good space as the saying goes and The Trick Is To Breathe is going to help keep me there. Yes, I am an American who lives in Europe but my heart resides south of the Mason-Dixon and it shows on this album. I can’t wait to tread the boards again and play these songs for the people.”
Acoustic Nation is written by Laura B. Whitmore, a music industry marketing veteran, music journalist and editor, who has contributed to Parade.com, Guitar World, and others. She has interviewed hundreds of musicians and hosts the She Rocks Podcast. As the founder of the Women’s International Music Network, she advocates for women in the music industry and produces the annual She Rocks Awards. She is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Positive Grid, making the world safe for guitar exploration everywhere! A guitarist and singer/songwriter, Laura is currently co-writing an album of pop songs that empower and energize girls.
