Local Group “Dirty Soul” to Perform at Goombay!

Aaron Griffin, bass player in the band “Dirty Soul” is also a keyboard artist.

by Clare Hubbard

It’s no surprise that local celebrity Aaron Mills, guitar and bass player for the hard-driving, often outlandish funk band Cameo, gave birth to Aaron Griffin, a creative and unique artist who displays his talent in numerous ways, one of which includes playing bass for the local neo-soul group Dirty Soul, who will be playing this year’s Goombay! festival.

With eight members in the band, it’s easy to see the similarities between the group and its old soul influence. “Dirty Soul is like old 70s soul but with a new twist. We have a lot of live instruments, like old soul, but we have more urban beats and bass lines inspired by R&B,” Griffin says.



Their
set-up is unusual for a soul band, with one drummer, two keyboard
players, a bassist, and four vocalists (two female and two male).
Griffin is modest and is quick to give gratitude to the other seven
band members. “Each member of the group brings their backgrounds to the
music. We have a mixture of gospel, jazz, hip-hop, funk, and R&B.
Everyone contributes their background to the song-writing process, so
it works real well,” says Griffin.


Griffin grew up
on the south side of Asheville and has fond memories of playing bass
with his uncle, Anthony Griffin. “My dad was always on tour, so I
didn’t see him much. My uncle taught me how to play the bass,” Griffin
says. “He was really into 70s style funk bass, so that’s what I’m into.
He sorta picks with me if I alter that.”


When not playing
with Dirty Soul, Griffin writes and produces his own music. “It’s a lot
different from the band stuff. The drums and bass are extremely
prominent, and there’s only a little bit of singing,” Griffin says. He
adds that his solo material is more geared towards production, and that
he really enjoys working with other artists, or publishing his beats
for them to use in their tracks.


“It’ll be
interesting to see where music goes next. It seems like most producers
are looking at what’s already out there, and molding their stuff to it.
That gets boring and predictable,” says Griffin. When asked what he
looks for in a hot new track, he answers unexpectedly. “I’m a strange
guy, and I like strange music.”  


Dirty Soul aims
to give people hope and inspiration, and Griffin strongly believes in
the band’s message. “We are making music for relationships, whether
they are between a man and a woman, a man and a man, a woman and a
woman, a parent and a child, people to people,” Griffin says. “We want
to inspire.”    


Dirty Soul will
perform Saturday, August 26, at 5:30 p.m. on the mainstage and will
have their album available for sale. For more information, visit
www.cdbaby.com. The group will play both original music and cover and
will have dancers for a few songs.