“It was nice because I was able to devote way more time than I would normally be able to do working a 9 to 5 job,” he continued. “After you get off, you only have a few hours to devote yourself to music.”
Griffin plays guitar, keyboards, bass, drums and even cello on the material but he did get some help. His brother Jacob played drums on five of the album’s nine tracks and he also got contributions from guitarists Chris Demma and Gregory Szkudlarek.
The Dayton native’s music has changed considerably since his debut solo album, “Sanitary Cemetery,” was released in 2010. Where that album was influenced by indie rock and even some contemporary pop, he made a hard turn into psychedelic music with his second album, “The Fantastical Menagerie of Mr. Winslow” (2018).
“I didn’t put as much care into the production of that last album as I did on the new one,” Griffin said. “I really tried to make the analog sound come through this time. There’s a lot of digital drums on ‘Fantastical Menagerie.’ Everything on this is analog. There’s real bass, piano and drums.”
In addition to forming a band to play his original songs, Griffin is also planning to play solo.
“I’m excited to really be serious and play out again,” he said. “The music makes me happy and the job I have now lends itself to flexibility, so I’m able to play on a Tuesday night where I couldn’t before in the other scenario.
“So much of my time in the last 10 years has been devoted to my career outside of music,” Griffin added. “It’s a little bit silly to devote that much of your time and your energy to something that doesn’t make you super happy.”
“You’re Gonna Lose Your Mind” was released to streaming services on May 22. It will be available on vinyl in late summer.
Artist info: danmcgriffin.bandcamp.com.
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
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