t. griffin

In 1995 T. Griffin and Catherine McRae played one 40 minute set at Minneapolis' Uptown Bar. Afterwards Catherine went back to college and Griffin moved to New York to pursue an acting career.

In 1999 T. Griffin recorded Tortuga, on a cassette 4-track and a powermac 7600. On New Years day, 2000 he ran into McRae on 9th street and Avenue A. She began joining him every once in a while for his New York shows and played some violin on 2001's Light In The Aisles.

By 2002 they had begun working out an increasingly intricate live show based around guitar, violin, footpedal loopers and two dr. samples. The Sea Won't Take Long, was recorded in a basement down by Brooklyn's Gowanus canal that had served as a flophouse for Latvian sailors. It was released under the moniker T. Griffin Coraline, and Griffin and McRae toured extensively, crossingthe US and playing in Europe and The UK, including shows backing Patti Smith and Tom Verlaine. This was their first recording featuring Montreal-based drummer and mallet player Bruce Cawdron.

They also began playing regularly with multi-instrumentalist Dennis Cronin, who initially joined them with the caveat that he wouldn't play any instrument larger than a cat. After a year playing trumpet, melodica and lap-steel, however, he was convinced to begin bringing his vibraphonette to shows.

Lit By Your Phone was developed during the long, ramshackle tour for The Sea Won't Take Long and recorded using only the gear they took with them in the car. It represents their arrival as an inextricable unit, with McRae contributing heavily to the arrangement and recording and singing lead on two songs. To reiinforce that they function as a band now, they decided to take a band name. The Quavers suggested something electric, unsteady and dog-eared and perfectly captures the sound they conjure from that trunk full of dusty samplers and weathered acoustic instruments.


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