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Tom Dellinger photo Andrew Griffin, singer, guitarist and songwriter of the band Felsen, which is to perform at Club Fox in Redwood City on Saturday, July 6, 2013.

Music saved the life of Andrew Griffin, singer, guitarist and songwriter of Oakland-based indie rock band Felsen.

In 2006, Griffin was diagnosed with cancer. His chances of surviving appeared to be very slim. And he had just become a father.

After years as one of the Bay Area's top drummers-for-hire, Griffin grabbed his guitar and stepped to the microphone to sing his own powerful songs. The result was the poignant first Felsen album, "Accidental Drowning."

"I started writing songs about what I'd been through," Griffin says. "That opened up Pandora's box. It was a means to hold onto my sanity. And it was potentially a record for my son to get to know my music. A lot of people make a record because they want to be rich and famous or they want to meet girls. But to leave something behind for your child, that's a whole different thing, a very pure motivation. It was kind of a heavy record, but, at the same time, it's uplifting."

Griffin has just completed the fourth Felsen record. Due in September and titled, "I Don't Know How To Talk Anymore," it's the band's most potent and thought-provoking yet.

"Rock and Roll's Not Dead," the first song he wrote for the project, set the tone, both sonically and thematically.

"We're all feeling how hard it is to be a musician, living in the Bay Area. I've lived here since 1998. In 1998, it literally felt like, in San Francisco, you could throw a rock up in the air and it would fall on an artist's head. Now, if you throw a rock up, it's going to fall on a tech millionaire. We all moved to the Bay Area because you could let your freak flag fly and you were surrounded by crazy, compelling artists, who were all kicked out of their little towns in the Midwest and the South. Now it feels like they're a dying breed.

"That led to other thoughts about the insanity and pace of life right now. And the record stems from that. We felt it was something we just had to do. It felt really good to say some of those things. And, when we play the songs on stage, it's cathartic."

A line in the song says, "Upload your identity."

"We're giving up so much of ourselves, in exchange for technology," Griffin says. "I feel like the one saving grace for us is art. It's the most human thing that I feel I can do. That's like this little cracker that we're floating on."

'Chapters in a book'

There are individual gems on the new album, including the title track, as well as "Gunfighting at Dawn," "Tierra Del Fuego" and "Lorazepam." Felsen has succeeded in making the album a cohesive entity.

"All the songs on the album fit together like chapters in a book," Griffin says. "Not like a rock opera. It's more personal, less of a linear narrative and more of a pastiche."

The more superficial songs he hears on the radio these days disappoint Griffin. "It feels like a lot of artists are abandoning their posts, compared to say, the Golden Age, '60s protest music. You had people like Bob Dylan really saying something deep with songs like 'Masters of War' and 'Hard Rain,' timely tunes, saying things that needed to be said. Now a lot of people are shirking their responsibility, making music that's just nice for the ear. But there's so much at stake right now. And if I can contribute, even a little, with a record like the one I just made, that's what I want to do. I don't want to sound self-important, but I'm proud of us for making this record."

Helping to shape the record's sound were Griffin's fellow Felsen musicians -- drummer Art McConnell, bassist Cristian Hernandez and guitarist Dylan Brock. They believe in the project. Commercial potential was secondary.

Griffin says, "We looked at this record like throwing the Hail Mary pass. It's risky. But I'm feeling like the record is so genuine and honest, people are going to really relate to it. And the best of rock and roll, the most timeless stuff, is like that, where artists were willing to take a chance on complete failure. You can't hold back. Rock 'n' roll is going for broke."

Rock 'n' roll has always fascinated Griffin. He grew up in Indiana, near Chicago, the youngest of 12 children.

"It was a musical family. Everybody was playing instruments. But they were all classical musicians. I have a brother who plays French horn in the Chicago Symphony. I was the one who got into rock 'n' roll."

Ringo Starr became one of Griffin's favorites. "It's the economy of his playing, his taste, his sense of humor and his personality."

Griffin began playing drums in eighth grade. Soon he was writing songs. After studying at Berklee College of Music, he became successful as a session and live gig drummer. "That took me for a long, long ride, all over the United States and all over the world." He also began producing for other artists.

Everything changed when Griffin was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer. It spread to his liver. "It looked like I was going to die. I had major surgery, lost 66 percent of my liver. It was painful and terrifying. During my long recuperation, I decided I was going to make a record."

Despite chemotherapies and five major surgeries over four years, Griffin kept at his music.

"I was given this little book, and they had looked for commonalities in 10,000 people who had survived stage four cancer. It was health and diet and all the obvious things, but also other things, like a sense of purpose. Being a father of a newborn definitely gives you that. But then having this work, having to get this record out, that was a big part of my surviving. I've always felt that making music, overall, has been positive, healthful. And I think probably people who listen to a lot of music are healthier and happier."

After the release of the new album, Felsen will embark on a national tour. But you can discover the music early, by attending Redwood City's Club Fox on Saturday. It's the CD release party for hit-making band Luce. Felsen is sharing the bill with their buddies.

Though many of their songs are serious-minded, Felsen delivers a fun, engaging show.

Griffin says, "I love being on stage, interacting with an audience, getting them on their feet. Breaking down the wall between the audience and the band, that's a thrill for us."

The 43-year-old Griffin, his wife and 6-year-old son, live in Alameda. He drums with a wide range of artists, including Brad Brooks and Paul Manousos. He's part of the ultimate Bay Area session rhythm section, East Bay Wrecking Crew. Griffin also teaches music. But Felsen is his main creative passion.

"Friends I went to high school with are making fortunes, doing what they do. We don't have a whole lot of money. But it's like, what's the joy of breathing? What's the joy of drinking water? We have to do these things. I can't speak for other artists, but, for me, I have to do this, for better or for worse. It's satisfying on a spiritual or psychic level, having a voice."

A new era

"I think we're heading back into a troubadour kind of era. We obviously have transitioned out of the big money, bloated rock star era. There's a handful left. But it's now about people getting out and performing, even at house concerts. Look how popular those are. It's a renaissance. That's a powerful experience, something real. We have so much in our society now that's so unreal, so unhuman, so disconnected. But art wins, humanity prevails."

Email Paul Freeman at


What: Luce, Felsen
Where: Club Fox, 2209 Broadway, Redwood City
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Tickets: $15-$17; 877-435-9849 or
Artist website: