Jack Garrett
About 10 years ago there was this shift in music creation. Computers replaced the need for specialized recording hardware, synthesizers ran inside of your laptop, and low cost microphone manufacturers in China started producing microphones that were more than sufficient for the needs of most people. Anyone with a $40 keyboard, a half decent laptop, and a $200 microphone had everything they needed to make some serious music. Simultaneously, products built to support improvisation and live performance emerged, a software product called Ableton being a prime example of this.
This trend was developing for at least a decade prior - I was using software to record and produce music in the mid 90’s - but the costs came down and quality improved to create this tipping point in the mid to late 00’s. An entire generation grew up in this brave new world and the implications were massive. They could have any synth they wanted. They could lay down the bass, keys, drums, and synth tracks without the need to find bandmates. If they didn't play instruments, they could go onto YouTube for tutorials and then play themselves back over and over to accelerate their learning. It’s tough to understate the impact of this shift on the creativity and technical progress for this cohort of musicians and producers.
It’s from this generation that the affable Jack Garrett emerged. He’s a multi-instrumentalist producer, singer, performer, and songwriter. But what makes him so interesting is that he’s all of those things at once. When Jack takes the stage, it’s just him. He approaches a keyboard, drum pads, microphone, looping machine, and laptop. Oh, and guitar. He’s a ridiculous shredder on guitar. He keeps it strapped to his back like a rifle. When he lays down the drums and gets the keys looped, he’ll whip the guitar around and then take your already blown mind and blow it again.
Because Jack is a leader in producing innovative genre bending indie-pop, I think it's easy to miss the traditions in his music: blues, R&B, and jazz. If I was to zoom out, Jack is actually in the tradition of UK blue-eyed soul, but he has pushed the boundaries so far you have to listen close to really hear and internalize what is happening.
I’ve seen Jack three times. Twice at Le Poisson Rouge in the Village and once at Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg, where his parents were cheering him on from the small crowd. Shortly after the Williamsburg show his career took off - getting on the festival circuit in Europe and interviews on Beats 1 radio. I’m not sure when I’m going to see him again, but I’m certain it won’t be in a venue as intimate as Baby’s.
Water
Far Cry
Fire
Make sure you at least watch from the 3:00 mark to the end. This is what Jack looks like when he's really going for it.