SoundClick artist: L J Griggs - Southern Blues Rock Guitar

I started playing as a kid growing up in Macon, GA back in the early 1970's. Being from Macon, my influences were the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, etc... I also played in several bluegrass bands while in college to earn a little extra money. After college, my musical ambitions took a backseat to earning a real living...
As often happens, time moves on and dreams fade into the realities of life. I basically stopped playing (on a regular basis) when I was around 25 yrs old to pursue a career and raise a family. When I turned 50 I decided to see if I could still play. I'll let you be the judge of that...

Why this name?

Currently forming a new band and haven't really decided on a name for it. I guess the name will come to me when we get all the pieces in place.

Do you play live?

I love playing live. I generally play at neighborhood pubs, "biker bars", private events, and outdoor festivals. Hell, I'll play just about anywhere if people will listen.

How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?

The internet has changed everything. I am self taught on guitar. I don't read music, I just play by ear. There are so many resources available to young players that we didn't have back in the old days. I'm not sure to what extent it has changed the "music industry". There is definitely more opportunity to be heard by the public, but the "major record labels" are still driven by bottom line profits (as they probably should be) instead of "artistic quality".

Would you sign a record contract with a major label?

It would depend on the terms of the contract... Seriously, I guess the question should be "would a record label want to sign a contract with me?"

Band History:

I've played with a lot of bands over the years, but none that anyone has ever heard of. Some were really good, some were not so good. They all had that soulful southern blues rock vibe going on, though. I guess you can't escape your roots, and that's just fine with me.

Your influences?

Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Toy Caldwell, Ricky Hirsch, Elvin Bishop, and other so-called "Southern Blues Rock" pickers have influenced my "style" (for lack of a better word)... A few names that aren't on this list are Charlie Reynolds, Larry Tankersley, and Ricky Sorrells from the old days in Macon, GA. These guys taught me just about everything I know about "improvising in the groove".

Favorite spot?

Coleman Hill overlooking the city of Macon on a warm summer night.

Equipment used:

Gibson Les Pauls (Studio Light-Burst & LP Deluxe Gold Top w P-90's), Marshall & Vox amps...
I don't typically use much in the way of effects (stomp boxes) when I play. I generally just plug into the amp and use the volume, gain, EQ, maybe a little reverb, etc to define my tone. My practice amp (VOX AD30VT), that I used for recording the tracks, has several different amp models and various built in digital effects. It's pretty cool for experimenting, but I prefer my Marshall combo. By the way, its a Marshall AVT-100 (Advanced Valvestate hybrid type amp). I've used all kinds of "real tube amps" over the years and this unit is about as close to the sound of an old "plexi" as I have found--at least for the price...

Anything else...?

I wish I knew more about "desktop recording". It would be nice to be able to edit out some of the goofs on the tracks I posted. There are parts of my recordings that I really like, and then there are some phrases that just don't quite work for me. I would like to be able to do more mixing and over-dubbing so that the end product sounded more professional. At this point, my stuff is a one-take improvisation from beginning to end...

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