Birmingham, AL native Celeste Griffin was the songwriter and front woman for folk-soul outfit Monarchs. The band recorded a total of three albums in Griffin’s hometown and in Austin between 2008 and 2011, but change was in the air. It was not a decision Griffin came to lightly; she moved on to New York City to focus on her solo material, and began making music simply as Celeste.
Celeste’s reflections on her experiences and the challenges she faced as a music artist in a big city – a vast, unfamiliar environment that one can easily lose herself in – are found on her new EP, More Please. Combining her soulful vocals with electronic grooves and beats, Celeste bares the emotional extremes; things may not always go as hoped for, but she rises stronger than ever, with unwavering testimony: “I got more lives,/I am glowing ember/Now I’m on fire,/now I’m frozen timber.” (from “More Lives,” featured on today’s Austin Music Minute).
Celeste will be in her former ATX stomping grounds for a show tonight at the Hole In the Wall, 2538 Guadalupe. The music begins at 9:30 p.m. with another songwriter who knows the challenges and wonders of NYC, Suzanna Choffel, followed by Celeste at 10:30 p.m., and local Zydeco band The Gritones at 11:30 p.m. Recommended.
– Photo courtesy of the artist.
