Garrin Benfield

Living a Dream

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Skilled electric/acoustic guitar and vocals. Well crafted songs and crystal clear production - the guitar, at times percussive and driving, is also evocative of American folk, country and blues.

tracks

: 1 Living a Dream
: 2 Vacation
: 3 Too Much Information
: 4 What You're Hiding
: 5 AlreadyHeard
: 6 Easy to Guess
: 7 WeDon't Dance
: 8 Theme from Calaveras
: 9 If You Find
: 10 Leave Me Alone
: 11 The Only Friends We Need
: 12 Slave
: 13 Walking

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By Location

USA: California - SF

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notes

Garrin has been surrounded by music for as long as he can remember. Growing up the youngest in a family of nine kids, Garrin's earliest musical memory is hearing his brothers and sisters play guitar and sing at his parent's parties. For hours, his siblings and their friends would call out tunes and jam around the kitchen counter. Although Garrin was young and shy, he was a sharp observer. This early musical education seeped in: a mixture of timeless rock, folk, blues, and country songs that were instantly familiar and singable. "One of my greatest aspirations is to write a song that someone else might want to sing, that they can relate to enough to learn and play."

At the age of 10, his family gave him his first Rock n' Roll record, "The Beatles Second Album". He couldn't have asked for a better starting point in learning about melody, harmony, and raw emotion in pop music. Garrin awkwardly formed his first guitar chords on a hand-me-down acoustic. He was on his way to becoming a versatile musician who eventually played electric guitar in musical theater productions, high school jam bands, and even enjoyed a long stint as a fretless bass player in the psychedelic funk band, MAYA. These experiences were invaluable to his next focus: the art of songwriting. "I had to stretch out and improvise to really understand the beauty of a concise composition. And I'm so thankful that I ended up as a bass player for a few years. Not only can I write and play my own bass lines now, I know how to support a song".

On his debut recording for eighth note records, "Living a Dream" Garrin showcases his varied talents as a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and bassist. This collection of thirteen songs while stylistically eclectic, is held together by the ever present warmth of Garrin's acoustic guitar and voice. The guitar, at times percussive and driving, is also evocative of American folk, country and blues. Garrin's plaintive and present voice wraps around the listener as the lyrics journey through a full range of emotions-love, jealousy, alienation, and finally, independence and self-determination. These songs are also an excellent vehicle for his live performance skills. Whether with a full band or solo, he enjoys reinterpreting his own material on stage. Garrin continues to explore new musical ground as he brings together his love of pop, folk, funk, and blues in his writing.

Also check out Garrin's new CD, Nowhere is Brighter, also available on CDBaby.

reviews

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This is Great
author: soce, the elemental wizard
I first heard Garrin play some of the songs of this CD when his tour led him to my school. He absolutely blew me away just singing over his solo accoustic guitar. I immediately rushed to get this album. The album itself comes complete with an extremely talented band that helps make Garrin's solo work even better, although he still allows one to hear his personal genious on less layered tracks, such as Slave and Walking. All and all a great album and a worthwhile buy. I'm excited about getting the sequel, Nowhere is Brighter, as well as any future work from this wonderful artist.
Sweet Dreams....
author: Jason Durant
Listening to Living a Dream is like reading someone’s diary. Perhaps it’s more like having the author read it out loud. Once in, you just want to know more and more about this man's heart. Garrin uses sensitivity and insight to seduce us into his world, giving one little choice but to beg for more. Though at times literal, he forgoes typical love-song melodrama and makes a beautiful, uneven trade for sharp, cutting honesty and mature, developed metaphor. The music is cut from the same cloth. Like great musical theatre, the melodies curve around the lyrics and flow like ribbons creating a cohesive sensory experience. Benfield's guitar playing is nothing short of expert. It is a rare but worthwhile find to discover a pop artist with such technical mastery without a trace of pretense. In spite of occassional self indulgence, he is a virtuoso player and his playing adheres to the first and most important commandment that all the great players abide by, "serve the music first". Highlights include an uncomfortably poignant yet playful lament about changing relationships called "We Don't Dance" and a startlingly graphic tribute to the martyred Matthew Shepard titled “What You’re Hiding”. There is very little about this album to not like. When you listen, you are likely to forget that it is an artist’s debut. Observations usually reserved for the seasoned veteran are easily reasoned and his words resonate with a history older than his years. This is truly a great treasure to be found amid the din of fledgling pop artists clamoring for the spotlight.