musicalmonk

Dan Griffith

Brooklyn, NY

Musical Monk is the moniker for Dan Griffith: guitarist, singer, poet, song writer and avid enthusiast of Self Expression. Since Graduating From Connecticut College in 2005, Griffith has played over 1000 shows with different bands throughout the east coast. After having a few great bands unfortunately split, he decided to start a solo career as Musical Monk while also employing a handful of gifted musicians to fill out his sound. Dec 2012 saw the release of Musical Monk's Debut Album, "The Spaces in Between." Among many other talented musicians to grace the album, the record features the likes of Natalie Cressman (Trombonist for the Trey Anastasio Band) and Sean Dixon (Drummer for Jazz Mandolin Project). The album's stylistic diversity spans Rock n Roll, Funk, Folk, Bluegrass, Phish-infused flavor, Reggae, Ska, Blues, Dead-like west coast vibes and more (yes even more!). This spectrum of sound followed Griffith's original vision of the record: a mix of James Taylor, The Band, Phish, P-Funk, Paul Simon, Norah Jones, John Mayer and Mumford & Sons. Though Griffith writes about specific themes and stories based on his own life, he succeeds in leaving the meaning of his songs up to his listeners. Whether keeping the subject matter light or delving into more serious issues, Dan's lyrics never force a message but rather act as a filter, extracting different interpretations out of each listener's unique thoughts, experiences, and personality. "The Spaces in Between" is a deeper, introspective album and features more of a laid back folk vibe then what you might see if you caught Musical Monk live. On stage, Dan typically keeps things dance friendly with filthy funk, skanky reggae infusion, or uplifting, swanked out peaking rock and roll with the occasional laid back song to give the crowd's legs a break. His unceasing energy is contagious to those in the room, and he has honed his improvisation on the guitar to be a reflection of his musical will. Thus, improvisation and musical exploration play a huge role in his concerts. Dan was born in a raised in the small country town of Pomfret, CT and has been living in Brooklyn, NY since 2007.