CANORA - There are a lot of musical artists out there that like to refer to themselves as the hardest working man (or woman) in the business, but for Jack Garton, it just might be true.
Garton and the Dream Band gave a concert filled with energy and smiles at Canora Composite School on April 18, presented by the Canora Arts Council. The comments from some of the 61 fans in attendance included: “Really funny,” “Interesting entertainment,” “Very enjoyable,” Jack Garton is so talented with multiple instruments,” and “He sang about relatable themes.”
Band members include: Garton (lead vocal, accordion, trumpet, keyboards, acoustic guitar), Jody Pinto (drums), Steve Charles (bass, backing vocals) and Noah Walker (electric guitar, backing vocals).
“It’s a good life,” said Garton about writing, performing and recording all original music. “It’s good to put my experiences into songs and then share them with people far and wide.”
Fresh from recording his new album Original Skin, Garton flew onto the stage to join his bandmates in a high energy opening number with a definite rockabilly flair, in a tribute to his grandparents.
But don’t try to label him as a certain style of musician, because Garton’s music encompasses a wide variety of musical flavours. He describes it as “fun, honest and lively.”
Garton endeared himself to the Canora audience throughout the evening with his music, as well as between songs. “Now that we know each other better, is there anywhere we can get good shishliki in Canora? We’ve been touring around Saskatchewan and have heard from everyone that this is the place for shishliki.”
Garton was born and raised in Vancouver, and shared that he had spent his whole life in B.C., except for a year in Berkeley, California with his girlfriend when he was 19, which he covered in more detail in Berkley in the Springtime.
“The way to see the town is living in your van.
“I’m not encumbered, I’ve never been so happy in all of my life.”
Garton said he and his bandmates are used to being on the road for up to 90 shows per year, including a memorable tour up north to Juneau, Alaska.
“I love it there,” he recalled. “They book us for a week at a time, mainly because they don’t get many bands that want to make the trip all the way up there.
“We played in an old Gold Rush Hotel which was like going back in time. People kept telling their friends and the crowd kept growing every night. By the last night I was kind of wishing I was on the dance floor with them.”
That led him to write I’d Rather be Dancing with You, one of the highlights of the Canora concert.
Not satisfied playing one instrument at a time, Garton demonstrated his musical chops on the trumpet and accordion at the same time during Been Too Long Since I Felt Good.
Garton and his bandmates slowed things down with a ballad called I’m Coming Home, which was all about, no matter how much a musician enjoys life on the road, it’s always great to come home.
Garton admits to frequently being nostalgic. “I’m very nostalgic about the weather we had three days ago when it was warm outside.”
He wrote a song called Good Times Look Better From Far Away describing how it’s easy to talk about the good old days, but we need to make our lives memorable right now, because these will be the good old days at some point in the future.
Garton’s bandmates decided to head off the stage for a break, and left him and his acoustic guitar all alone to perform a new composition, Imperfection is the Language of the gods.
“It’s so new, I just want to play it all the time,” he said. “Apologies to any atheists here tonight, I’m going to be saying the word ‘gods’ a lot. Nothing against atheists, it’s just that atheists isn’t nearly as catchy.”
The song is definitely in favour of imperfections. As Garton put it, “What about teeth? There’s nothing interesting about perfect teeth. But there are so many different ways a person can have crooked teeth, I love that!”
As he put it during the song, “Imperfection, don’t fear it, if you spell its name, I find that I’m perfection.
“Look around in nature. It’s messy and it’s weird. If it was a car ride, you’d assume nobody steered.”
What may have been the catchiest song of the whole evening was Move the Mess Around. As Garton explained it, the theory behind the song is that “Mess cannot be destroyed, just relocated,” and quickly added, “If you’re looking for a song to clean to, this one works. I’m the worst of anyone. When I’m writing songs, I just move the mess around.”
In an interview with Canora Courier, Garton indicated that he has been interested in music pretty much ever since he can remember. When asked why he has mastered so many different instruments, Garton indicated that “I’m easily distracted.”
To help pay the bills, he has taken on a variety of jobs over the years, including gravedigger.
“I also manage the cemetery and help people with funeral planning, including dealing with loss.”
At first glance, being a musician and a part-time gravedigger may seem like an odd combination, but Garton said both require “a willingness to be emotionally open to people.”
Garton’s future plans simply include playing more concerts for people, a privilege he has learned to thoroughly appreciate ever since it was taken away during COVID-19.
More information on Jack Garton and his music is available at jackgarton.com.
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