Richard Garvey
Folk musician
Richard Garvey is an energetic performer and creative story-teller. He is a settler living on unceded territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples (Victoria, BC). He is a musician, songwriter, performer, arts educator and community organizer.
Richard’s songs bring people together to sing about hope for community, connection and collaboration. His warm presence and stories get audiences to laugh, feel and sing together making each concert a joyful celebration of humanity. He crafts effervescent melodies that feel inviting and familiar. His musicality weaves together driving guitar and clawhammer banjo with his rich and smooth tenor vocal styling.
ARTIST STATEMENT
We sing ourselves together
I am a folk musician and entertainer.
I am an activist and I hope to make the world a safer and just place.
In my life and my art I aim to connect openly and have as much fun as possible.
The structures of the world pits us against each other in competition and isolation.
My hope is “We sing ourselves together” a little more every time.
I feel responsible as an artist to share meaningful songs and to create authentically not following trends/fads that are marketable/formulaic. Through my songwriting and being in community I keep learning, healing and growing as a person so that my truth and understanding of the world expands.
Lyrically, I share who I am becoming and what I want to see the world become.
Musically, I want the songs to be inviting, warm and easy to sing together.
I want to stir questions and invite thoughtfulness, not just sing/rant about my ideas.
I want to see the hope and beauty amongst all of the destruction and oppression.
Each album, show & sing-a-long is an experiment in sharing, connecting and collaborating.
In a divisive world and uncertain times, I share that hoping and dreaming make us human. Sharing our hopes and dreams together is how community is built. Collaborating on hopes and dreams is how we make peace, friendship and good times.
Discography
Light Heart (2022)
The pandemic lent itself to two albums created “Light Heart” & “High Hopes” working with six Kitchener-Waterloo based musicians.“Light Heart” is an 8 track release with a big band folk sound. For this production Garvey moved away from the acoustic guitar and banjo towards a full-band production with a horn-section. These songs shine with the spirit of collaboration. All seven of the musicians recorded and arranged their parts at home.
Kim Regimbal (woodwinds)
Jack Cooper (trombone & tuba)
Laura Sones (voice, trumpet)
Keenan Reimer Watts (piano)
Dan Corrigan (bass)
Steve Aylward (drums)
“These songs are about moving from the frustrations of burn-out and self-sabotage towards hope, collaboration and dreams of a better world. It is hard to imagine working together if we can’t share our hopes and dreams. When we gather and share music, dance, art, food and participate in culture together it brings hope and builds community. We sing ourselves together.”
High Hopes
2022
High Hopes is a big-band-folk-punk sound that lyrically explores dimly lit and gritty places.
“My hope is that sharing the harder parts of life releases them so they aren’t in the driver’s seat but the rear-view mirror. These songs are about the fallout I’m experiencing as a creative person, community builder and performer since the pandemic started.
These songs reach back to that panic pandemic moment of having 85 gigs cancelled and frustrations about the cost of living/corporate greed to fears of climate collapse.
“High Hopes” is an 8 track release with a big band folk sound. For this production Garvey moved away from the acoustic guitar and banjo towards a full-band production with a horn-section. These songs shine with the spirit of collaboration. All seven of the musicians recorded and arranged their parts at home.
“This album is a creative evil-twin with “Light Heart” (released Sept 22’).”Light Heart” is about mustering hope and stumbling to find strength. “High Hopes” is more enraged, disenfranchised and needs talking down from the ledge.”
You can't just assume everyone wants to have sex with you
2019
“You can’t just assume everyone wants to have sex with you” is Richard Garvey’s 3rd full length studio album. This album moves toward a louder & fuller production with electric guitar, drums, bass & horns. These lively full band productions range from a folk-punk-big-band-sound (title track) to a Beatles pop rock sound (Penny Lane & Guess I ain’t Going Nowhere). The album starts light-hearted but dips to very dark & personal Cohen inspired (I Was a Lover). Lyrically, Garvey shares frustration with his own sexuality, mental health, political paralysis & the music industry. A raucous follow up to his well-loved & travel-worn sing-a-long folk album “Where Fools Gather”(2015).
Where Fools Gather
2015
'Where Fools Gather' features 14 original songs written with his signature sense of relevance, crafted with wit and intention to engage listeners across generations. Garvey tackles songs of love, self discovery, social comment, vulnerability, joy and celebration. Recorded at Kitchener's formerly known as Duke Of Erb studio entirely on two-inch analog tape, 'Where Fools Gather' offers the soothing warmth of low-fi glow as if Richard and his band are performing right in your kitchen, living room or back seat of your car.
A landscape of session musicians join Richard to create 'Where Fools Gather' including tender duets with various guest vocalists and a full string section arranged by Julia Narveson (aka. the Ever Lovin' Jug Band's 'Minnie Heart') on 'Abigail' and 'All My Life'. Notable instrumental contributors include 'Uncle' Dan Henshall on mandolin, Kate Romain on accordion, Richard Driedger on clarinet; complementing a session band of over 16 players. Though most of the album features full-band treatments, several songs highlight Richard as a soloist on 'I Know A Forest' and 'Speaks To Me'. Original artwork for the record was created by Shaela Kinting. Produced with the support of the Region Of Waterloo Arts Fund, 'Where Fools Gather' is Richard's fourth full length studio release among a sprinkling of shorter EP projects.
‘Where Fools Gather’ received attention from Penguin Eggs Magazine, CBC radio and community radio across Canada. The song ‘Abigail’ won the 2016 Island Mountain Arts songwriting contest. In 2014, Garvey was nominated and voted “Best Local Musician” by the Cord Community Edition. Garvey has had great support from the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund with several projects. In 2016 the Ontario Arts Council awarded Garvey a creation grant with which he was able to generate content for two new upcoming albums. In 2016, FACTOR supported Garvey to attend the Island Mountain Art songwriting workshop.
Early days
The Garvey Story!
Garvey began cutting his teeth on the Canadian folk scene by self-producing shows, tours, press-releases and albums in 2008. His first tour in 2009 took him across South-Western Ontario via bicycle playing shows at cafes, bars, farmers markets, house concerts and even a rural-bluegrass festival. Richard’s dedication to independently building his career and fan base one show at a time has taken him across Canada and more recently into the UK. Richard has performed at countless grassroots festivals as well as repeat invites to established festivals like Owen Sound, ON’s Summerfolk (2013/2016) and Wells, BC’s ArtsWells (2016/2017).
Richard became an artist after finishing his degree in science (Psychology, minor Biology) at Wilfrid Laurier University, 2008. He had been writing songs since he was a child and began playing guitar in highschool. Throughout university he shared songs occasionally at coffee houses and open mics. In 2009 he joined “The Radical Choir” of Waterloo Region which was composed mostly of music and global studies students. The choir sang a variety of folk, choral music and music theatre pieces about making the world a better place. Often the group would be invited to perform at special events in the community that had more stage time so Richard began sharing his songs and collaborating with choir mates. The community that formed around the choir encouraged Richard to write, record and grow as a performer.
Around this time Richard started recording his first album “To Become” which included 13 tracks of songs, poems and instrumentals. After this album was released he started performing as “Far From Rich '' with Josef Bell (double bass), Evan Ossington (drums) and Matt Donnelly (mandolin, woodwinds). The band transformed Richard’s songs into dramatic folk rock with political statements and hope filled rage. Richard learned how to be an entertainer during this time. Far From Rich grew a supportive local following but never toured or released any music.