Bonnaroo 2022 Artist Spotlight: Goth Babe

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2022 lineup. And, for the first time in three years, we finally feel confident that there definitely will be a Bonnaroo this year, after a postponement then cancelation in 2020 due to Covid, and an unfortunate rainout of last year’s would-be September event. Returned to its traditional timeframe of June 16-19, this marks Bonnaroo’s 21st summer and 19th installment, and features a largely new lineup for the festival’s much-anticipated return!

As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend on the farm!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

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Griff Washburn grew up in Memphis and honed his musical chops playing in bands as a teen, but Nashville is where he really got started as Goth Babe, releasing his first EP, Shall We, after some buzzy early tracks in 2016. We were covering the project a lot back then, at the time very clearly influenced by garage punk but already flirting with the electronic elements that have become prominent in his sound, and even hosted Goth Babe at our former Acme Feed & Seed showcase that year. Since leaving Nashville a few years back, Washburn tried out New York then Los Angeles before settling in the Portland area, which has more or less become his home base as he tries out a more nomadic lifestyle- surfing up and down the west coast, and bouncing between living on a sailboat and living and recording out of a converted camper truck with his dog Sadie, essentially a tiny house on wheels, as he chases good weather and good people. This focus on life and authentic experiences and pursuit of wanderlust has, unsurprisingly, informed Griffin’s approach to art as well, positioning Goth Babe as a less of a commercial outlet and more of an extension of his lifestyle, a vehicle for expressing experiences like a good surf season, or time in nature or at sea, and something he can take with him and create from wherever he happens to be. Stylistically, Goth Babe has become a lot more synth-y and indie pop over the years, adopting a sound reminiscent of the chillwave scene of the late ’00s. Even five or six years ago, we had had a feeling that Goth Babe had very a bright future, and we’re trilled to see where his journey as an artist has led.

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