John Garcia still remembers his first gig
– a talent show as a freshman at Gilroy High School.
John Garcia still remembers his first gig – a talent show as a freshman at Gilroy High School.
He, a budding guitarist, and a drummer took the stage and performed in front of the student body.
“I remember being nervous as hell,” Garcia, 62, recalled. “It was still kind of exciting and fun.”
It was an unassuming start to a career chock–full of musical tales and guitar melodies that has spanned more than four decades, thousands of traveled miles and encounters with some of the world’s greatest entertainers.
Forty–five some–odd years later, Garcia’s journey as a blues guitarist has led him from small venues in San Francisco to performing in Carnegie Hall in New York City to jetsetting to Europe for weekend stays playing club shows.
“For me it has always been about the music,” Garcia said. “What has kept me going for all these years is the love of doing it, which is why I started. It was never like, ‘Hey, I want to make millions of dollars or score chicks.’ I never really had those aspirations.
“Becoming well known, sure, that’s cool. Getting notoriety and be appreciated for what you do.”
His resume – filled with jam sessions with B.B. King, Bo Diddley and Paul Simon, co–written songs on Grammy–nominated records, solo records and three books – continues to grow to this day.
Hearing Dick Dale’s “Misirlou” on the radio flipped Garcia’s musical switch, igniting a passion for music that has yet to even flicker.
“(Music) is always with you, even when you quit,” said Garcia, who expresses an unmistakable musician’s aura when he speak: laid-back, nostalgic and downright ecstatic about tunes.
“I still work on stuff for myself too, to keep developing, keep growing,” he added. “The love of it is the bottom line. I think if you stay a student of your craft, you can keep learning no matter what your age, you can continue to get better and refine your art.”
Born and raised in Gilroy, Garcia never left his roots, continuing to live in the garlic capitol of the world.
“I thought about moving a few times, but I don’t know, this has always been home,” Garcia said. “I think this area that we live in is kind of cool. It’s the crossroads for a lot of stuff.”
Garcia, who played the first Garlic Festival in 1979, returns to the lineup after at 12-year hiatus, treating fans to his smooth licks.
“They didn’t even have a tarp for the stage which was out in the middle of a dirt field,” Garcia reminisced about the first garlic gala. “We had this little stage and they didn’t have a (public address) system. I had to bring my own.
“I haven’t played the Garlic Festival in a long, long time, so it’s kind of a trip. It’s interesting coming back. It’ll be cool.”
Garcia said the music scene in Gilroy is a lot stronger than is evidenced, but for one reason or another, it’s oftentimes hidden.
“Some of the guys have been around a long time,” he said. “We have a lot of local acts that have been around quite a while. There’s actually a lot of talent in this area, it’s just hidden away. I would definitely like to see some of the community aspect come back.”
Garcia splits time each week teaching at the Gilroy Music Academy on Church Street in Gilroy and at the School of Blues in San Jose, divvying up his knowledge between five to 60 students per week.
And he still has time to play shows.
Garcia takes the stage at this year’s Garlic Festival on Saturday, scheduled for a 45–minute set starting at 11:45 a.m. on the Gazebo Stage.
