David Garza

This furious romantic can write a pop hook, but he’s more interested in making worlds collide. His restlessness originates in a tenor that thrills when it hits falsetto and blossoms in writing that marries metal rapture with troubadour grace”
-Ann Powers New York Times

Performing songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist David Garza is as independent as Damien Rice, acclaimed as Joseph Arthur, grassroots as Ben Harper, and prolific as Ani DiFranco. After releasing more than 20 CDs and cassettes during his 15-year career, Garza’s own Wide Open Records is proud to issue his first-ever box set A Strange Mess of Flowers (through Redeye Distribution). The box set features 4 CDs/71 Songs and 1 DVD for a fan-friendly $27.98.

A third generation Mexican-American, David grew up between Dallas and Fort Worth. Before he was old enough to get into clubs, Garza was handpicked by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians to open for them in the funky warehouse district of Deep Ellum. He played solo gigs by night and attended Catholic high school by day. After accepting a classical guitar scholarship at UT Austin, he dropped out a year later to be a full-time rocker

His immensely popular, critically hated trio Twang Twang Shock A Boom, cooked up energetic songs and organic outdoor jams on the University of Texas campus. As the youngest act to ever sell out the legendary Liberty Lunch, David declined a major label offer and broke up the group to go solo. One Twang song, “While My Hair” is featured on the box set.

Garza released a flurry of solo cassettes and CDs, selling them for $5 and $10, respectively. He calls this the “Single Bill Theory,” one he maintains to the present day. He performed tirelessly on the regional club and college circuit, ultimately striking a major-label deal, in 1996. In 1999, at the height of his touring popularity, David was voted 2nd only behind Stevie Ray Vaughan as Austin Musician of the Decade (Austin Chronicle).

He branched out, producing and recording four-track recordings on which he played all instruments. Then, he worked in big studios from Woodstock, NY and El Paso, TX to Los Angeles, CA on what would be the critically acclaimed Overdub album. He went on to tour as a keyboardist/guitarist for friend Alejandro Escovedo (as well as providing opening act duties) and produced a solo release for Juliana Hatfield. In late 2001, he left his native Texas for Los Angeles. There, he landed a weekly residency at the legendary Hollywood listening room Largo.
David played on CDs for other artists like Rhett Miller. During Garza’s live shows, people as highly regarded as producer/soundtrack icon Jon Brion, Nickel Creek, Grant Lee Phillips and Fiona Apple regularly sat in with him.

All the while, he kept up his own fast clip of releases – averaging at least one a year.

Press adored him – he was featured alongside such award winning and critically acclaimed troubadours as Jon Brion, Ryan Adams and Joe Henry in the 2001Vanity Fair music issue. The same week New York Times critic Ann Powers put Garza’s Overdub in her year-end top-10 list (number 2 only behind Leonard Cohen), he was released from his major label contract during a major label shakeup.

The demand for David’s pre-major label (long out of print) and post-major label (rare or hard to find) catalog was so great, he started taking orders for custom-burned mixes of his music at live shows. If he couldn’t locate masters, he recorded new versions. Meanwhile, he started to split time between California and Texas playing and recording with various musicians and producers.

Last winter, Garza toured as artist-in-residence weekly to three venues spread across Texas – in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, as well as the Pacific Northwest, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. He then spent the last year culling old and new material – ultimately choosing 71 songs. A Strange Mess of Flowers contains four CDs, as well as his first-ever DVD (with even more previously unavailable songs and live footage never commercially available). It’s a loving look back at Garza’s rich past and a nod to an exciting future.

After touring nationally for the better part of a year, David has released 3 Digital EP’s (available only at www.davidgarza.com) Oh Dread with Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Gwen Stefani, Ry Cooder), May Ides recorded in Tornillo, TX studio Sonic Ranch and Chuy Chuy Y’All. Garza is opening up for Fiona Apple and Damien Rice this summer. The self-titled full length CD David Garza, made specifically for the Fiona Apple/Damien Rice tour is on sale now at venues and www.davidgarza.com.