WERS Sits Down With Jack Garratt

By: Carrie Mackevich

A groundbreaking first show on his tour, Jack Garratt brought the passion, charisma, and sexy dance moves to The Sinclair on Friday night. Opening with “Water,” Jack was definitely feelin’ himself. I could almost see the waves of excitement and giddiness spilling from his bodacious beard. We sat down with Jack before the show, only to learn that he’s a totally normal guy with a simple love for what he does.

“It was totally out of my hands that music was always going to be a huge part of me and a huge part of my life.” Jack noted, crediting his parents for his love of music at a young age and throughout his life.  He grew up listening to artists like Stevie Wonder and the late-great David Bowie. “The music I was attracted to as a kid was the music that I try and make now that’s not alienating, and so far left field that it’s impossible to find the one, but challenging enough that it’s interesting to listen to and familiar enough that you could listen to it again and again.”

That definitely holds true with Garratt’s music. His Deluxe album, “Phase,” debuted last week with 19 powerful tracks. He believes that it’s difficult for people to pigeonhole his style, and the best way for them to understand is by listening to more than a couple of songs. “The album is different enough where you can play any number of tracks and still find it just as hard to  ‘genre’ it.” If someone listened to the upbeat tone of the hit song, “Worry” and then heard Jack’s personal favorite, “The Love You’re Given,” it’d be easy to say that they don’t have the same sound. And just like his songs, no two shows are alike. “I like to have every show be different and I build the set with that in mind. I don’t have anything on a grid and nothing is predetermined.”

It’s clear that he takes “freedom with expression” wholeheartedly. At the end of the day for Jack Garratt, it’s all about and for the crowd. “The crowd has a personality. The rooms are getting bigger and the personalities are getting louder. I like to just come here and play for a crowd of people. It’s always the crowd.”