Jamming with Garrett Brown
The Panama City band Jam Therapy may be on the young side, but they know what they are after. This week alone they will be opening up for the Goo Goo Dolls at the Marina Civic Center.
Another notch in their music belt happened a couple weeks back at the ‘Battle of the Balladeers’ – a song writer competition put together by Kc Phelps. Frontman Garrett Brown took home the gold.
We picked Garrett’s brain about music, songwriting, and his hopes for the future.
When did your relationship with music first begin?
Both of my parents had an eclectic collection of music that stayed on repeat during any given car ride. I took a particular liking in the music of The Beatles, Carol King, Michael Jackson, and Jim Croce. However, growing up I found it difficult to find a genre that I could call my own. I started playing music when I was 12 in the marching band and played the drums exclusively until I was introduced to Led Zeppelin a couple years after. I finally found the sound that best described me. That was the moment I knew I wanted to pick up the guitar and explore all of its possibilities.
How did you first know that you wanted to perform for others?
My folks always had porch “pickin’s” for as long as I can remember. It was a chance to get up and play around people you know and have a good time. I always received positive feedback from everyone who happened to sit in at one of our gatherings, but I always wanted to play in front of a group of my peers. After many rehearsals, I got a small show at the Corner Gallery in Downtown Panama City. When I finally got the opportunity to perform, I made sure I was prepared.
What is your advice for someone who wants to write their first song?
Don’t be afraid of your own bad ideas. Everyone’s got them, but you have to push through it enough times to get to the good stuff. If John Lennon had bad ideas, you will too. Just start simple and keep an ear out for what’s coming next. You may be surprised.
Does writing a song for the band feel different than writing one as a solo artist?
I never write a song with one or the other in mind. It’s a decision I make along the way. If I can hear the full band in my head while I’m writing it then I can start to tailor it to Jam Therapy’s sound, but if I don’t, it will usually end up in my personal vault.
What are your future goals in the music world?
I certainly have huge dreams like any other musician but I really want to find out what my music has in store for me. My mission is to keep a little slice of rock and roll alive for generations to come and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. Jam Therapy has gained a ton of momentum within the last couple months and we have no plans on stopping. We try not to obsess over the big picture, but instead keeping our vision just a couple yards ahead at a time.
Anything coming out soon?
As of now, we are trying to push our current album as much as we can but there has been some talk of cutting another record in 2014. You’ll just have to wait and see.
Be sure to check out Jam Therapy!
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