A fast-rising artist with a tongue-in-cheek name that belies his buoyant sound, Goth Babe — also known as Tennessee native and indie-pop singer-songwriter Griff Washburn — makes his Vermont debut Sept. 1 at Shelburne Museum in support of his shimmering and infectious debut album “Lola,” released in January. Named after the 36-foot, off-grid sailboat on which he was living with his Australian Shepherd, Sadie — in May, Washburn upgraded to a 43-foot Shannon sailboat that he named “Juneau” — the album marries rock-inflected guitar songs and lo-fi synth-pop to great effect.
The long overdue debut album follows a series of well-received singles and EPs over the past five-plus years — including his breakthrough 2018 single, “Sometimes” — some of which have surpassed the 100-million stream mark. And while Washburn’s earnest tunes and renowned live shows have helped Goth Babe gradually amass a sizable fanbase, he’s managed to stay grounded by living a scaled-back lifestyle that allows him to pursue his love of the outdoors and the environment. Leaving Tennessee after trying to start his musical career in Nashville, Washburn has bounced around from the surf and skate scene of Southern California to hiking and rock climbing in the Pacific Northwest, living alternately in a car, a camper van and a tiny house.
These days, he, Sadie and his little mobile recording studio split their time between a modest house on the Oregon coast and, when the season is right, .