Patty Griffin Sets Series of Online Shows To Help Save Live Venues

Today, songwriter Patty Griffin is considered one of the greatest in the world at her craft. She writes spare songs that tear at your heartstrings and rattle the marrow of your bones. Griffin, who has lived in Austin, Texas, for decades, got her start, though, in New England, playing small coffee houses as she honed her craft. She first learned about music at the feet of her mother, singing along with her, and bought her first guitar for $50 at 16-years-old. Ever since, she’s been creating, writing and touring her work around the globe, first in small clubs then later in larger venues.

Now, Griffin is giving back to those spots, many of which are independently owned. Griffin, who released her Grammy-winning, self-titled LP last year, has scheduled three unique shows livestreamed from the historic Continental Club in her hometown of Austin, Texas to help raise money and awareness for those venues who have dramatically and severely suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets are available here for the gigs, slated for November 7th and 21st and December 5th.

Venues all over the United States have had to close their doors and will have to keep them shut for an undetermined amount of time. They need help. And Griffin is here to add her support. We talked with the exquisite songwriter about why venues matter to her, what she’s learned by playing their stages, how the government may or may not be helping and much more.