Five Questions with Garrett Hinson
Since this article was written, Garrett has funded and produced his album "Nothing Is Destroyed."
Garrett Hinson of Trenton, Tennessee, is no stranger to the artistic struggle, but what makes his struggle so interesting is how he has grown into his own brand of aural singularity. Folk and rock music are incredibly different than their traditional interpretations, and that’s part of what makes Garrett’s sound so enjoyable. Garrett applies the traditional and contemporary styles of folk and rock for a sound that doesn’t cross barriers but fuses them instead.
Like many songwriters Garrett made his way to Nashville, Tennessee, to develop his sound and continue his education after high school. Garrett developed his writing chops along with a justifiable sense of disdain for the city in which he was residing. Hinson said, “I don’t like that songs are commoditized here. I also think that it’s counterproductive to force songwriters to compete. Instead of creating a community, the present music industry in Nashville is actually alienating us. That sucks.”
Garrett’s new album, “Nothing Is Destroyed,” will certainly trump any doubt you have about the future of folk-rock. The record is genuine, is heartfelt, and conveys the message that the reality of what you want to create matters, no matter what.
What does “Nothing Is Destroyed” mean to you? The phrase itself came to me when I was having these thoughts about reincarnation and the laws of conservation of mass and energy. It's just this idea that nothing is ever really created or destroyed; things are just transformed. As it pertains to the album, I think it's just a phrase of guarded optimism—evidence of some existential hope that crops up throughout the record.
What was the most difficult part about creating the album? It's tempting to say the funding! But I don't think that's really true. Money isn't nearly as daunting as a songwriting drought. In the middle of writing this record, I experienced almost an entire year of writer's block where I didn't write anything. And that was miserable. But luckily I broke that streak by writing "What Do You Make of This World?", which I'm so proud of now.
What do you want the listeners of “Nothing Is Destroyed” to walk away with? Well, first and foremost, I would want them to enjoy the stories. I've never been much of storyteller in my songs until this record, and I'm just really proud of how that experiment has turned out. But maybe more than that, I would want them to walk away with the same ambiguous, precarious sense of hope that I've found in writing it.
What songwriters influenced this record the most? Josh Ritter, as a storyteller; Conor Oberst, aesthetically; and Joe Pug is definitely in there somewhere.
Why do all Belmont kids look the same? White privilege? The futile quest for originality? I know for a fact that it's not because they just love to shop at Goodwill.
To learn more about Garrett and to listen to his music, visit his Bandcamp site.
Bo Kitzman is a senior at the University of Memphis' Lambuth Campus. Bo likes music and sports, but playing music is his favorite. You should buy Bo burritos. Bo loves burritos.
Music is something that has forever been woven into the culture of Jackson. While Carl Perkins and the Rockabilly sound are what most people think of first, that staccato rhythm and piano twang is only a part of what Jackson’s music scene was and is. The musical talent that Jackson has produced — from Full Devil Jacket to Erin Rae to LOLO — is as diverse as the community. The problem, though, is that Jackson never had an infrastructure to develop that talent. At least not until now.
On Sunday morning at Historic First Baptist Church, Stedman Roebuck stands ready at the keyboard, looking out over the congregation. As the preacher’s voice rises, and a tune rises with it. He moves with the music, with the crowd, with the lifting of voices. Hands are raised and tears fall. Shoulders relax into a place that feels like home.
“We don’t like it to look too clinical,” remarked Chrissy Watson, board-certified Music Therapist at the STAR Center as she pulled out her guitar. The room’s lavender walls and smorgasbord of colorful instruments, complete with Watson’s warm guitar strums, banished any thought of the adjective “clinical”. Yet, this little room holds sessions where tangible healing takes place.
Grey skies, constant drizzling rain, drooping trees, and whipping cold wind welcomed us into Covid-19 quarantine with a sky that matched our spirits. My husband Rob and I had just moved into a new house a month before the pandemic and were finally feeling settled. Life pre-March was fairly routine. I
However one might choose to gauge her, Lauren Pritchard, who goes by the stage name LOLO, does not situate comfortably into the traditional West Tennessee templates assigned to a middle class white girl. The church choir, theatre class, prom-going standards simply don’t work.
Don’t let the cold weather keep you cooped up all month! Get out to catch some unique events offered this February for lovebirds and professionals to kids and students.
The first time I heard No Time Flatt perform was at the inaugural Tennessee Music Awards event. All five members of the ensemble (Kevin Wright, Patrick Cupples, Becky Weaver, Kevin Keene, and Steve Moore) lined up on stage, each with a microphone in hand, and proceeded to deliver the most beautiful harmonies. They performed to an enthusiastic crowd, who enjoyed the familiar songs and bluegrass twang. This past August, No Time Flatt released a new album of both original songs and covers: Calling After Me.
The Halloween fun may be over, but November is jam-packed of fun community events to get you in the holiday spirit! From shopping and eating to bingo and line dancing, check out what Jackson has to offer before Thanksgiving.
It’s finally fall! Well, almost. Join us as we gear up for arguably the most beautiful time of year in Jackson as we celebrate with drinks, music, and all kinds of outdoors fun.
My love for Alison Krauss began at a young age, between cassette tapes of John Denver and Clint Black (and Willie Nelson, of course) played in my dad’s truck. It wasn’t until college, though, that I truly began diving into her music, and because of the timelessness of her angelic voice, I couldn’t tell you which songs were produced in the 90’s versus her 2017 album. Her music has evolved like any other artist, but her balance of musical genius, heartbreaking lyrics, and bluegrass twang has been a solid rock in my relationship with true country music.
September may be Jackson’s overall best month for community events, and the great weather makes it even better! While we’re always excited for classics like the state fair, international festival, and Starlight Symphony, here are five other favorites we want to see you at. And don’t forget to sync our event calendars with Google or iCal so you don’t miss a thing!
Wow—what an incredible second year of our 731Day Porchfest! Check out this highlight reel by Jameson Winter, featuring LOLO's revised version of "Wasted in Jackson," written just for this event.
At the end of every school year, I have my students create a portfolio of different types of original poetry. I’d like to think I do it in order to foster their creativity, but it’s really because I’m too lazy to grade eighty-four final exams. Either way, it’s a win/win for all of us: they get to write sonnets and pretend that they’re actually writing their first rap hit, and I get to sit back and not grade bubbled-in answer documents. One poem they always struggle with is an elegy.
July is by far one of our favorite times of the year with 731Day on its way, but there’s so much more leading up to that beloved end-of-summer event! Check out all the laughs, music, and other fun in store for this month.
If you drive through the suburban sprawl surrounding Nashville, headed west towards Jackson, Tennessee, the rolling hills will soon taper to level ground. You’ll know you’re almost there when a field of trees swallowed in kudzu forms hovering masses, almost like ancient creatures gathered alongside the road. We don’t think about it too much, but there’s something to the landscape of a place. Plenty of artists have tried, but it shapes us in ways we can’t quite name.
When I was young, my family would take vacations to different cities to watch baseball games. While I loved baseball, the thing I looked forward to the most was seeing the skyline of whatever city we were visiting. In my single digit years, it was always St. Louis. Driving past the multitude of Drury Inns in the suburbs and waiting for the skyline to materialize in the distance never got old. Seeing the Arch stretch across the sky is something I can still see in my mind today. As I got older, the cities became larger: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York.
While the weather may be dreary these days, Jackson’s social scene is most definitely not. February is bringing the most dancing, learning, and new fun our city has seen since the holiday. Here’s just a handful of the awesome events happening throughout our community this month.
I had a college professor tell me once, “Remember, you are changing your generation and the generations of the people around you.” Those words are so true and are still relevant in my life today. In fact, that professor was living proof of that statement by changing my life with mentoring, advising, and pushing me to be better. It was not just that one professor, of course. There were (and still are) many people who continually wanted to invest in me as I grew up here. My father and mother met at Lambuth University, but my dad was not in school there.
“third wave coffee.” noun. 1. The most recent cultural phenomenon in the history of the coffee industry and consumption. Comes after the first wave of coffee, which included “growing coffee consumption exponentially,” and the second wave of coffee, which began to “define and enjoy specialty coffee.” 2. Purchasing coffee due to its “origin and artisan methods of production.” 3. A movement aspiring to produce the highest quality of coffee possible at every level while pleasing and intriguing the coffee consumer. “UrbanHouse.” noun.
January might not be the most exciting month following the joy of Christmas and entering the bleak midwinter, but Jackson has plenty of fun to offer, especially with a handful of annual events we’re all looking forward to. See what’s in store this month!
It’s a cloudy, dreary December day outside, but the laughter between the three musicians I’m sitting with is making things seem brighter. It’s their first time at theCO, and I had them crash on the couches to create a comfy environment for our interview. Ben Gilbreath, Nathan Megelsh, and Tyler Marberry are meeting with me today to talk about their band, Forked Deer Homeschool Parade. If you’re from around the more southern West Tennessee area, you probably know that it’s pronounced “Fork-ed Deer.”
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, y’all! Jackson has so much family fun for you this holiday season, so check out these five favorite events happening this December.
Maybe it will be a high school production of the musical Camelot. An exhibit of stunning photography by a local class may catch your eye. Perhaps you’ll just want to see the downstairs museum, where dozens of photos, plaques, awards, and costumes recall the acting careers of Dixie Carter and her husband, Hal Holbrook. What will bring you to The Dixie? The Dixie Carter Performing Arts & Academic Enrichment Center is a historical performing arts and enrichment center in Huntingdon, Tennessee.
I bought the most reasonably-priced vinyl record of my life at a record store in Jackson. This is the kind of sentence I never thought I’d write. For one thing, reasonable prices, particularly for a brand new, remastered vinyl of an iconic rock star like David Bowie, are hard to come by in most record stores. If you go to Wuxtry Records in Athens, Georgia, you’ll find records for around twenty to thirty bucks.
Is there a better time of year to get out and enjoy the weather than October? Sure, there’s always fall break, Halloween, and a few good Saturday morning races, but don’t forget the local beer, fashion shows, and some dog-friendly fun! Check out Katie Howerton’s five top events for this month.
Great art is meant to be experienced. It is not enough to see a picture of a painting by Delacroix or Jacques-Louis David in an art history book. You must tramp across the wide corridors of the Louvre and encounter them in all the massive, unbelievable glory and beauty; anything else is only a poor substitute. This sort of artistic experience is a great blessing, and it explains why so many people continue to visit the great museums of the world.