Griffin Graves is a Maine singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for blending folk, rock, and Americana influences into thoughtful, story-driven performances. Inspired by artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and John Prine, his music focuses on the meaning found in everyday life and ordinary experiences. A regular performer at the Ivy Manor Inn in Bar Harbor, Griffin has built a dynamic live show that incorporates guitar, harmonica, piano, and original songwriting. His style combines strong storytelling, emotional honesty, and a deep appreciation for the connections music creates between people.

Maine Native Griffin Graves

Griffin Graves is a Maine musician whose performances blend folk, rock, Americana, and storytelling into a style that feels both classic and personal. A multi-instrumentalist who regularly switches between guitar, harmonica, piano, and vocals during his live sets, Griffin has become a familiar face in the Bar Harbor music scene, especially through his performances at the Ivy Manor Inn. But his path into music was less about chasing fame and more about gradually discovering a voice of his own—one song, one instrument, and one performance at a time.

Griffin grew up with a deep appreciation for music and storytelling, drawn especially to songwriters like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and John Prine. Their ability to take ordinary experiences and turn them into meaningful stories had a lasting impact on him. That influence would later shape not only his songwriting style, but even the title of one of his albums, Beautifully Mundane. The phrase came from a conversation with a friend about why artists like Springsteen resonated so strongly with him. Griffin explained that those writers focused on everyday life—the struggles, routines, relationships, and emotions that most people experience but often overlook. That idea became central to his own work.

After graduating college in 2015 from the University of Maine at Farmington, Griffin started performing more regularly at restaurants and smaller venues. Those early gigs helped him gain experience, but they often felt more like background music than true performances. People were there to eat, talk, and socialize, while the music drifted around the edges of the room. It wasn’t until he began performing at the Ivy Manor Inn that things started to click. The outdoor atmosphere, open-air setting, and engaged audiences gave him the freedom to relax and fully lean into performing. He remembers seeing people walking down Main Street stop to listen, slowly drawn in by the music before deciding to stay for a song—or sometimes an entire set. That connection with listeners made him realize this was something he truly wanted to pursue.

Over time, Griffin’s performances evolved dramatically. What began as a simple guitar-and-vocal setup slowly expanded into a much larger production involving multiple guitars, harmonicas, piano, pedals, and layered instrumentation. Each instrument carries its own purpose and, often, its own story. One of the most meaningful pieces in his collection is a 12-string Taylor guitar that belonged to a fellow musician named Gary, whom Griffin knew through local open mic nights. Before Gary passed away during the pandemic, he told his wife he wanted his instruments to go to musicians who would continue playing them rather than letting them sit unused. A month after his death, Griffin received the guitar. He has kept nearly everything about it exactly the same, including the handwritten notes Gary left on it while learning songs later in life. To Griffin, instruments become more than tools—they carry memories, histories, and connections between musicians.

Family has also played a huge role in Griffin’s journey. His parents have been deeply supportive from the beginning, especially his father, Ron, who has become an essential part of Griffin’s live shows. On gig days, Ron helps unload equipment, wire sound systems, record performances, and manage setup and breakdown. Griffin jokes that his father has become part roadie, part sound engineer, part cameraman, and part tour manager. Together, they’ve developed such a rhythm that they can unload and set up an entire performance in around ten minutes, even during the busiest summer days in Bar Harbor.

In addition to performing covers, Griffin has devoted himself to writing original music. His second album, Beautifully Mundane, was written during a period of major transition shortly after college. The songs focus on ordinary but emotionally universal experiences: friendship struggles, relationship problems, uncertainty about the future, and the strange feeling of adjusting to adulthood. Griffin recorded the album himself over roughly nine months, learning how to mix and refine the recordings along the way. Rather than obsessing over perfection, he pushed himself simply to keep writing, believing even imperfect ideas were worth pursuing because they might eventually become something meaningful.

That philosophy of following curiosity and connection also appears in one of Griffin’s favorite stories from his college years. While walking across campus at Farmington one day, he heard someone playing a song in the distance that immediately stuck with him. He never found the musician, but the melody stayed in his head for years. Later, while visiting Quincy Market in Boston, he suddenly heard the same song being played by a street performer. After the set, Griffin asked the musician what the song was—it turned out to be “Clay Pigeons” by John Prine. Incredibly, the performer revealed he had once attended the University of Maine at Farmington and had often played that same song outside his dorm years earlier. Griffin realized he had unknowingly carried that memory all the way from college to a random street corner in Boston.

Today, Griffin Graves continues to grow as both a performer and songwriter, building shows that feel intimate, thoughtful, and deeply human. Whether he’s performing a Springsteen cover, switching between harmonica and guitar, or sharing original songs about ordinary life, his music reflects the same belief that has guided him from the beginning: even the most everyday moments can hold something meaningful if you take the time to really listen.

For more on Griffin Graves

• Facebook/Instagram: @griffingravesmusic
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6I9JK8fGIU6rHpjnyOIu9R
• Ivy Afternoons: concert series

More Maine Musicians

Ivy Afternoons

Every afternoon from May through October, musicians from Mount Desert Island and abroad gather at the Ivy Manor Inn’s garden in Bar Harbor, Maine for good drinks, great music, and some outside goodness.

Ivy Afternoons is a 6 part documentary series.

Leirigh Films LLC

A small film and video production studio focused on creating inspiring, meaningful, and enlightening films and stories.