Eric Griffin
Eric Michael Griffin (born December 28, 1976) is an American heavy metal and rock guitarist and bassist. He has been the lead guitarist in the industrial metal band Genitorturers since 1999. He is most famous for playing bass in the horror punk supergroup Murderdolls, and has also played lead guitar in Wednesday 13, Synical and Davey Suicide. Originally from Boston, he is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and resides in Los Angeles.
Eric Griffin | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Eric Michael Griffin |
Born | December 28, 1976 |
Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 1999–present |
Gear
- Dean Guitars
- Custom B.C. Rich Mockingbird bass guitars
- Custom ESP Les Paul bass guitars
- Gibson Blackbird
- Marshall VBA400x2, Marshall VBA810x2
Career
Music
Griffin started playing guitar at the age of 12 and states his childhood influences as KISS and Mötley Crüe. He joined his first band Synical in 1999 with his friend Ben Graves.
In 2002, Tripp Eisen showed a video of himself jamming with Griffin and Graves to Joey Jordison for a band in which he was involved while Slipknot was on hiatus; the Murderdolls. Although not his preferred position of lead guitar, Griffin agreed to join the Murderdolls as the bassist. Murderdolls had already recorded their debut album by the time Griffin had joined, although he does feature in the album artwork for "Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls."
Griffin toured five continents all over the world with the Murderdolls and found great success with the band. He is featured in promotional videos for "Dead in Hollywood," "White Wedding," and "Love at First Fright".
In 2004, as guitarist Joey Jordison returned to his primary band Slipknot, the Murderdolls went on hiatus. Since this time, Griffin has played lead guitar with a number of other bands, such as Faster Pussycat, Genitorturers, Davey Suicide, Wednesday 13, The Dreaming, The Napoleon Blownaparts and Synical for a tribute show.
In 2006, Griffin rejoined Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 in 13's solo band and toured with him for a year. As of Friday, August 3, 2007, Wednesday 13's tour page, MySpace, and Eric's website stated that Griffin had reportedly left the Wednesday 13 tour band.
In October 2007, Griffin entered The Chop Shop in Hollywood. and performed a guitar solo on Undercover Slut's "Kastration Kar Krashes" song, featured on "Amerikkka Macht Frei" (Undercover Slut's new album).
Griffin finished work on 'QUIT WHILE YOU'RE BEHIND' album/DVD to be released fall 2008. He and Ben Graves were joined by live bassist Dan Kincaid (Spit Out Star), and toured internationally.
In 2009, Griffin joined Genitorturers as the lead guitarist where he remains.
In a 2011 interview with Rock N Roll Experience Magazine, Griffin stated he was not invited to join the re-activated Murderdolls, stating "there's been debate over whether or not I was asked & whether or not I turned it down and I just want to be clear up one thing. Those 2 guys (Joey Jordison & Wednesday 13) did not invite or ask any of the members, they just did what they did and I'm not going to get into the why's or the how's or the who's, but yeah, it was their show, they didn't ask, they didn't tell...just like the military & that's the end of it."[1]
In 2018, Griffin and the remaining members of the original Murderdolls lineup reunited to perform together in Los Angeles at a memorial show for their drummer and Griffin’s best friend Ben Graves who died of brain cancer earlier in the year.
Bands that Griffin has played in:
- 1999–2002 Synical - guitars
- 2002–2004 Murderdolls - bass
- 2004 The Napoleon Blownaparts - guitars
- 2005 Faster Pussycat - guitars
- 2006–2007 Wednesday 13 - guitars
- 2008–2009 Synical - guitars
- 2009–present Genitorturers - guitars
- 2011–2012 The Dreaming - guitars
- 2012–2013 Davey Suicide - guitars
- 2014–2015 Six Days Til Sunday - guitars
- 2022 - present Dan Kincaid - guitars
Video
As well as featuring in videos for the Murderdolls, Wednesday 13 and Davey Suicide as a band member, Griffin has featured in a number of other promotional videos as an actor.
- Depeche Mode – I Feel Loved
- Alien Ant Farm – Movies in which he played the part of Axl Rose
- Static-X – Cold where he played a vampire.
- Goo Goo Dolls – Broadway
- Deftones – Back to School where he plays a student
Griffin also made a brief cameo appearance in the movie Queen of the Damned.