This week’s podcast features Garrett Pierce, a singer-songwriter whose new album, All Masks, was recently released on Crossbill Records. The album is Pierce’s third solo work and has quickly become one of our favorite records of ’09. Garrett’s voice and lyrics remain central to every song, but his music also reflects the talented community of artists with whom he is connected, featuring wonderful contributions from a variety of talented local artists, including some great strings by Jen Grady and Carey Lamprecht (of Emily Jane White’s band).
Drawing from both classical myths and personal experiences, Pierce’s lyrics tackle some dark subjects, even if they’re delivered through engaging and often upbeat melodies. Both the dark and the upbeat shine in these recordings, which retain much of the intimacy and ambience of their recording location, a friend’s barn in the town of Columbia, CA in the Sierra Foothills. Transforming the barn into a recording studio was a group effort, but it paid off big in the finished product. For all of the collaboration involved in each of his records, however, the strongest impression All Masks leaves with the listener is that Garrett’s talents as a performer and a songwriter are undeniable.
We sat down with Garrett Pierce a few weeks back to discuss the long journey to the release of All Masks. We’ve also got four songs from the new album in the episode.
Upcoming Shows:
Sunday, May 3rd
Cafe Du Nord
with Agent Ribbons and Window Twins (All Masks CD Release Party!)
8pm, $10
Garrett is touring California this month, so check his MySpace page for all of the dates.
