Garrett Gardner of Ringwood, NJ, was eliminated from the NBC hit show “The Voice”. Posting on his Facebook page after being eliminated, Gardner ended with, “I may be off the show, but I’m not out of the game.”
And it was game on across the Oakland border at Thatcher McGee’s in Pompton Lakes this past Wednesday as Gardner appeared with the Brother Jerome Band.
“The Voice” is one of many reality TV/Talent shows in the vein of “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent”. “The Voice”, obviously, is all about a singer’s voice – but a voice alone does not make a great musical artist.
Gardner’s voice was good enough to get him half way through the this season of “The Voice” – but more important – it is good enough to get him through a life time of making a living doing what he apparently loves to do – make music and share it.
It’s understandable that Garrett Gardner, only 17 years of age, would have caught the attention of a lot of young girls from his stint on “The Voice” – that was evident at Thatcher McGee’s… But Gardner is no Justin Bieber; and, it’s doubtful we’ll ever hear Gardner whine, “I’m an artist and I should be taken seriously” – Gardner is serious.
It’s easy enough to teach technical singing, and so that is what a lot of people try and do; but, it’s a lot more difficult to be an artist.
According to David Byrne of the Talking Heads, “The better the singer’s voice is, the harder it is to believe what they’re saying”. And that’s really what makes a great musical artist, someone you believe.
Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mayer, Dave Mathews, Tom Waits, Louis Armstrong, Lou Reed, Howlin’ Wolf, Neil Young, Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge, John Mellencamp – the list could go on – they all have voices that are their own.
At Thatcher McGee’s, a classic Irish pub, Gardner was a 17 year old kid busy setting up for a gig, mixing with some fans, and apparently having fun.
Gardner, and The Brother Jerome band which includes Ryan Bria , offered up a mix of bluesy rock with a singer songwriter feel – meaning they took ownership of the song even when doing a classic like Crossroads.
Ownership is one strength Gardner has mastered at a young age, and you can’t go to school for it. He exemplified this skill on “The Voice” and breathed his own truth into the chosen cover tunes – and that’s what a great artist is always searching for, and what an audience is always yearning to hear.
We could end this article with one of Gardner’s many Youtube videos, but we won’t. You can find a lot of those video in the links provided below.
Instead, the video below features Gardner on drums and doing a guitar-solo in the last recording by Drew Bria before he passed away…It’s a great song, and it goes to show that Gardner’s not just a voice, he’s got game.
(Keys and Vocals-Drew Bria; Lead Guitar-Sean Ronan; Drums and Guitar Solo-Garrett Gardner)
https://www.facebook.com/garrettgardnermusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/GarrettGardnermusic/
http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/artists/garrett-gardner/
Interview With Garrett Gardner
Garrett is an amazing singer and we look forward to hearing more music from him! We will buy anything he puts out! 🙂