As part of my Valentine's Day celebration, I am offering up love songs from some of my favorite artists. I am a huge fan of Garrin Benfield's music, and have been since I purchased his 2004 album, 'Where Joy Kills Sorrow'. It was my introduction to him, and it still remains near and dear to my heart. There is something glorious about the last track on the album, "Be Love". As a singer, Garrin shows such great control, a perfect complement to his layered music. It reminds me why I fell in love with his music to start with. This is Garrin Benfield with "Be Love".
"Be Love" can be found on Garrin's fantastic album, 'Where Joy Kills Sorrow'. You can purchase the album from iTunes, CD Baby, and Amazon. To learn more about Garrin Benfield, visit his official website. You can also 'follow' him on Twitter, and 'like' him on Facebook.
It has been a while since I featured the music of Garrin Benfield, and now seemed like the perfect time to look back over the past decade, and choose a couple of the beautiful songs he wrote to make this night that much prettier. I will begin with a stunning song off the 2002 album I still play from time to time, 'Nowhere Is Brighter'. I will admit to not knowing of Garrin when this album was released, once I did hear his amazing artistry, I went out and purchased this one. Among the amazing songs on it is "Hungry Ghost", a song I still find captivating.
The first album I purchased by Garrin was 'Where Joy Kills Sorrow', his 2004 release that was a slightly dark, moody album I immediately loved. I had no idea who this handsome San Fransisco-based guitarist was, but I knew I found music that I could love for the rest of my life. And one of the great songs that found my heart was the title cut, "Where Joy Kills Sorrow".
And, finally, I will end with a song off his latest release, 'The Wave Organ Song'. I was thrilled to attend the CD Release Party in Manhattan in 2011, and heard much of the music live. I was also lucky enough to have my video camera and still camera with me, catching the picture at the top of the post, as well as a clip of the performance of "Believe Me", a stunning song. The song manages to capture the strength and beauty of real emotion, all with a soft voice, with nary a power-note in site.
To learn more about Garrin Benfield, visit his official website. While there, you might want to check in to his tour schedule, for he is also a live performer not to be missed. You can also find him on Facebook. His music can be purchase where great music is sold, like iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. You'll find five albums, all a big part of my music library, and will ready to be a part of your collection.
He is a longtime favorite of mine, with his California-cool stylings never failing to lift my heart and my mind. Garrin Benfield is a native of San Fransisco, combining the West Coast rock with folk flavors marinated in stew of cool jazz. First up is Where Joy Kills Sorrow, the title song from his 2004 album, the first of his to find it's way into my collection, and certainly not the last. In fact, I have them all. Hopefully this gorgeous song will nudge your eyes open just a little bit more than they were before.
And perhaps Give Peace A Loop can step up the waking process up a little, and give you a chance to sway a bit in your chair. There is a Haight-Ashbury feel, as Garrin offers some really wonderful guitar playing, and layers his live performance with the aid of a loop machine, giving a really full and hypnotic sound to a man at a microphone playing his guitar.
If you really need to wake up, there is I Let You Go, a country-spiced toe-tapper, and I defy anyone to listen and not need to get up and move. The song is from the Garrin Benfield Band album August Live, and it is a prized piece of my music collection. You can find out more about Garrin at his website or on MySpace. For now, relish in this video.
