GARRETT are seasoned rockers who, separately and collectively, have been making music for a long while. The North Carolina-based band was formed in 2005, and is comprised of husband/wife singer/songwriters William and Nannette Garrett, along with veteran drummer Jason Patterson. William plays guitar and sings lead, and Nannette plays bass and also sings lead.  They play rock’n’roll steeped in blues and a retro 70’s vibe, the kind you love hearing full-blast at the local roadhouse on a Saturday night. But they also know a thing or two about the power of a slowed-down ballad to move us to tears.

William and Nannette first met when they played in a rock group together way back in 1986. After that group disbanded, they went their separate ways, only to find each other again 18 years later. Nannette had been in the band Snakes-n-Angels with her late husband JC Stephenson; they released two albums in 2000 and 2002 that you can find on Spotify. William released a solo self-titled album William Garrett in 2004, featuring ten bluesy rock’n’roll tracks, which you can also find on Spotify. I highly recommend that my readers check out these previous works, as they’re all excellent. After reuniting, William and Nannette continued on as Snakes-n-Angels for a year until deciding to change their band name to GARRETT after they married.

William’s music style is influenced by 70’s rock icons Robin Trower (with whom he shares a birthday), Gary Moore, Pat Travers, KISS, Journey, RUSH, Styx, and UFO. Nannette’s music influences overlap some of William’s love for 70’s rock, Journey and KISS, but also women rockers Ann and Nancy Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar and Melissa Etheridge. Drummer Jason Patterson was formerly with the bands Cry Of Love and Nantucket.

Since forming GARRETT, William and Nannette have written and recorded new songs, as well as recording new versions of some of the songs they’d previously made separately. And, like many bands, they also do pretty awesome covers of others’ songs. Here’s a live performance from around 2010 of them covering Heart’s “Magic Man.” It clearly shows off William’s exceptional guitar-playing and Nannette’s dynamic bluesy vocals:

In 2016, they recorded “Hero,” a beautiful, moving tribute to the United States Military and U.S. veterans, and a song they’re extremely proud of. The poignant lyrics speak to the sacrifices made both by those who’ve served and their families: “A little boy only eight years old, saying his bedside prayers. God bless mommy, god bless daddy, little sister upstairs. Hero, hero, he’s just daddy to me. A young woman barely 20 years old. Married less than a year ago. Sleep well sweet angel tonight, he ain’t coming home.” If that doesn’t put a lump in your throat, I don’t know what will.

For the equally moving video, they put the word out on their social media asking followers to submit photos of relatives and loved ones who’d served in the military. The result is tremendously powerful yet comforting. Both song and video were released just prior to Memorial Day 2016.

GARRETT has been in the studio working on their forthcoming album Believe. The first single from that future album is “The Island,” a hard-driving beast that’s best played as loud as your speakers can handle. William rips and shreds his six-string, laying down some tasty riffs while Nannette adds heft with her powerful bass. Jason aggressively pounds out the beat, making the track a real head-banger. They’ve also recorded a new version of “Save Your Love,” a song originally from William’s solo album, and will be featured on Believe.

I can’t wait to hear more new music from these talented musicians. Support GARRETT by following them on:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Stream their music:  Reverbnation / Soundcloud, and purchase “Hero” on iTunes and cdbaby