Feb. 15 at The Rex: Singer-songwriter Griffin William Sherry will win you over
Griffin William Sherry has been performing a steady stream of shows in support of the full-length release, and he has a gig coming up at The Rex Theatre in Manchester on February 15 starting at 7:30 p.m.
MANCHESTER, NH – No matter which profession or creative medium it is, sometimes it’s important for a person to go out on their own and make an impact while forging their own identity. This is exactly what happened to singer-songwriter Griffin William Sherry after the band he was a part of, the Portland, Maine-based folk act The Ghost Of Paul Revere, decided to call it a day back in 2022. While entering a new chapter of his life, he decided to craft a new batch of songs. This eventually resulted in the debut album, “Hundred Mile Wilderness,” which was officially unveiled in September of last year. Sherry has been performing a steady stream of shows in support of the full-length release, and he has a gig coming up at The Rex Theatre in Manchester on February 15 starting at 7:30 p.m.
He went down to Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, a legendary place that has had the likes of Todd Rundgren, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello record there, to work on the album with producer Eddie Spear, who also handled the mixing. Sherry worked with a wide array of session musicians featuring Seth Taylor on guitar, banjo and mandolin, Askel Coe on drums, Ian Miller on piano and Kristen Rogers on backing vocals among others.
“It represents well over two years of hard work by some of the most incredible people I’ve ever worked with,” he says about the album via social media. “I started writing these songs a couple days after we decided to end [The] Ghost of Paul Revere. Those initial feelings of being lost and grief transformed into a sense of appreciation and love for where I’ve been and where I’m from. It felt like a risk at first, flying to Nashville to make my first record with folks I had never met, let alone worked with. However, these songs could never have found more capable hands.”
“It has been an honor to get to know and work with Eddie Spear, and everyone he brought in to realize the full potential of these songs,” Sherry adds. “Truly, I am beholden to everyone on my team and in my life that stuck with me and continued to believe. This is a crazy thing to pursue, a dream you survive instead of live. I wouldn’t be able to do it without those around me who can put up with all my rough edges, unending office hours, and particularness. This is the beginning of something new, grown out of something old as all things do.”
There’s a ton of great songs within “Hundred Mile Wilderness,” but I’ll whittle them down to a few and whoever gives the album a listen can form their own opinions. Anyone who enjoys the storytelling and observational aspects of songwriting is bound to love “Our Town.” The arrangements are wonderful as well and it’s one of the many examples of Sherry’s lyrical brilliance. “Ain’t It Amazing” has a way of hooking in the senses right when the chorus hits, it’s a profound feeling that’s a rarity in music. I also like how “When The Lights Go Out” serves as the conclusion while being sort of like a ballad along with maintaining the sonic emphasis that’s consistent from beginning to end.
“Things pass on, and are replaced,” Sherry mentions. “On almost a molecular level, I have to make music and I had to make this record, which is both deeply personal and reflects where I call home, with all its failings and all its beauty and charm.”
To hear this wonderful album performed live, then you gotta hit up The Rex this Saturday night. It’ll surely be the highlight of the weekend while being a grand opportunity to see a spectacular musician from the New England region take the stage.
