Grace Griffith, whom local Celtophiles have come to know as one-third of Connemara, has become a solo flier for at least the time being with the release of Grace. “This should give me a lot more freedom, artistically and in terms of putting a tour together,” explains the D.C.-born, Charles County-bred Griffith. “It wasn’t easy ever getting everybody [in Connemara] to go on the road at the same time.” Griffith also hopes to get tour support from her new label, Blix Street Records. Blix Street signed Griffith to fill a slot formerly occupied by Mary Black in the Hollywood-based label’s stable, which is significant in that she hopes to also duplicate Black’s success in finding an audience interested in non-Celtic material. “The sort of Celtic stuff I did with Connemara is very big now, but there could be an even bigger audience for the type of music I’m focusing on now, which is sort of middle-of-the-road folk.” Griffith says the best example of this middling brand of tuneage on Grace is her take on “Summertime.” Local guitar hero Al Petteway and harpist Tracie Brown sit in on the Gershwins’ cut, which as rendered here might also be tagged “new-age blues.” Griffith describes her solo flight from Connemara as a temporary one, and prays it won’t put off the audience she earned in her days with Mary Fitzgerald and Cathy Palmer. She can poll the group’s fans Nov. 2, when she appears with Connemara at a costume party at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Silver Spring. Tickets are $7.50-10. For information call (301) 946-3731.—Dave McKenna