Sometimes, less is more. A great song is not necessarily one that layers excessive instruments and sounds, but can also be one that takes only a handful of materials and builds something memorable out of them.
Bluegrass and Americana songwriter Jeremy Garrett is proving this with his brand new, boot-stomping single, “Won’t You Remember My Name,” which, while having a minimalist amount of sonic ingredients, still cooks up an enticing audible cuisine.
A member of the GRAMMY-winning band The Infamous Stringdusters, Garrett’s solo work is an outlet for him to experiment, from this single which demonstrates his mastery of the guitar and fiddle in a raw, acoustic way, to his recent cover of Coldplay’s “Magic,” which shows off his ability to incorporate those instruments in a more electronic setting.
Garrett said of coming up with the idea while writing with Jon Weisberger, “I remember the conversation being centered around some of my friends who had been in rodeo bull riders. How do you stand out in such a competitive field and stay in the career long enough to make your name? That’s where the hook, ‘Won’t You Remember My Name’ came from.”
From there, it evolved into somewhat of a fight song, such as those Garrett sang in his high school football days, or “a song that would get the spirits of everyone up and inspire people to be great and to win.” That sort of energy and excitement is unmistakable in the song, within the bright guitar, dramatic fiddle, and suspenseful vocals alike.
The song buzzes with electricity from the get-go, balancing an intimate one-on-one feel with a consuming power as it charges full steam ahead. The complexity Garrett wields with two instruments and his dynamic voice are remarkable, the only hints of production being a captivating panning effect sending the tension brewed by the song bouncing from ear to ear.
A fiddler since the age of three, Garrett’s expertise has only evolved over the years. Known for having an electric stage presence, the multi-instrumentalist brings with him a looping kit for his solo performances, wowing the audience with a one-man show routine that highlights his specialties. He has earned the endearing nicknames “G-Grass” and “Freedom Cobra” based on these qualities.
Garrett calls his experimentations “fiddle science,” and his latest album Circles, also released with Organic Records, includes some of these looping techniques he is becoming known for utilizing.
As for if the bull riders ever found their fame? “Sometimes we come up short,” Garrett admits, “but in the end, the hope is that people will remember the character, the competitiveness, the passion that we all put into our lives, and sometimes into what we do for a living.”
