Our Journey

Les Griffon is a duo that came into being after a lot of introspection, years of studying music, and early attempts at songwriting. Wayland is a classically trained pianist who can sing with soul, a rare combination. We met in college and became friends. He was a music major, and I was an English major. My first introduction to music was singing in the University Chorus. I always loved to sing, and my first instrument was the piano. Creative writing was also an important part of my life, whether it was simply journaling or writing stories. As Wayland and I became closer, I had a vision of us in a band and mentioned it to him.

In the vagaries of life, Wayland and I went in different directions, and I never thought I would see him again. Though I missed him, I realize now it was a blessing in disguise. I fell into a deep depression, working, trying to make ends meet, and turned to the piano for solace. Though I never considered myself a great pianist, I created melodies that gave me comfort in dark times. I continued writing and found a new medium, songwriting. I submitted songs to contests with no results, going round in circles with no progress, until I met Wayland again.

He called me out of the blue, and we immediately rekindled our friendship. One day, he heard me sing and was surprised. He said he never knew I could sing like that, and he helped me become a better musician. Studying piano, we went back to basics. Things started moving quickly, the pieces of the musical puzzle seemed to fall into place and the early dream of forming a band became a possibility.

I took up the guitar and found a teacher who had production experience. He gave us good advice; we began recording songs and producing our musical creations. We were finding our voice, and Wayland gave structure to those songs. We are continuously learning new things together. Our first songs emerged from sadness and loss, but we are now ready to create happier songs with more upbeat tempos as we transition into a more positive phase of life.

Mary