>Singer-Songwriter Showcase

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Starting this Friday, October 8, local musicians that sing and write their own music will finally have an outlet. David Fountain, organizer of the showcases, hopes it will give the artists in the Griffin area a chance to perform some of their own music, instead of being “exploited to play covers at local bars to make money,” Fountain says.

Though two shows are planned for the month of October, the singer-songwriter showcases will regularly be held on the second Friday of each month on the main floor of Safehouse Coffee and Tea on S. Hill Street in Griffin.

Fountain is purposefully using the main floor instead of the Storm Cellar, the music venue located in the basement of Safehouse, in order to give a more “coffee house showcase, storytellers” vibe than a one-man show, he says. “We want to get back to a communal vibe; grab a coffee and sit down with your friend and listen to the acoustic set. That’s something we had at the old shop that we have yet to regain here.”

The line-up of the night for the first Singer Songwriter Showcase is: Mike June, Joshua Hitson, Ryan and Hope Wilson, and Sghetti Head. The first musician will take the stage at 8 p.m. There will be a cover charge of $3 to cover the cost of paying the musicians.

Band bios:

Mike June: Mike has been in many bands, writing and playing many different kinds of music. He was a member of the Californias, who played 60s “summer of love” pop. In his “post-band career,” as he calls it, he has written R&B dance jams, jazz standards, and even some country music. He plans to play a sampling from both the days of his band career and his post-band career. He hopes to have guests from the many bands that he’s worked with on each genre.

Joshua Hitson – Josh is a Griffin native singer-songwriter. His style is said to be much like Jeff Buckley, an American singer-songwriter guitarist.

Ryan and Hope Wilson: Ryan and Hope are Griffin natives that moved to Nashville but have recently returned. Decca released their debut album, “Hey! Hey!” close to a year ago, but shortly dropped Ryan and Hope from the label. After their move to Nashville, they took their band, The Love Willows, in the direction of pop country and recorded a few songs. They anticipate releasing a second album. Ryan and Hope plan to play some of their new pop country, some of the songs that may appear on the second album as well as some of the Love Willows old favorites.

Sghetti Head: Sghetti and his group, The Acorns, play acoustic music focused upon lyrics. With Ross Tyler on drums and BenJammin Redden on banjo, the band tries to put energy into their live shows instead of the more laid-back, casual performances people associate with an acoustic set. “Mostly singing heart-breaking drinking songs, we try to make a fun and interesting live show,” Sghetti says.