David Garza
David Garza
Cactus Café
Austin, Texas
“The piano has been drinking,” chimes David Garza to the amusement of the Tom Waits-savvy audience when he shows them the wobble of the old, wooden Yamaha, which acts as the house piano for the Cactus Café in the University of Texas at Austin. Behind the piano, a velvety red curtain encircles the stage, furthering the saloon-like vibe.
The piano’s inebriation proves no challenge for Garza’s mastery over both it and his Taylor guitar, seamlessly transitioning between the two in many of the songs that he plays in his two-hour set. He leaps stylistically from folk to pop but always maintains a firm Latino influence in all, be it in his scales or his picking style. His intimate knowledge of the frets on his guitar is apparent to all who watch in anticipation of his next magnetic solo. His foot is often found tapping at a metronomic rate, supplementing the one-man act in ways which typically require another artist.
“Back on the Chain Gang” by The Pretenders, later re-named “Fotos y Recuerdos,” as performed by Selena, is covered by Garza as his second song. The audience hears his calls for their participation in a well-known “O-o-o-oh!” and responds accordingly; from then on, the show is marked by viscerally high energy.
The audience welcomes his light-hearted banter that fills the space between songs. Sometimes he calls them “a bunch of losers” for coming to his show dateless, other times he chides the bartender for being too slow with his drinks. One thing remains clear; his charisma has unrelentingly wooed them.
Despite his poking fun of Pat Lynn, a Nashville native, for her being a “weird old hippie lady,” he lets her play three of her own songs with his guitar and even accompanies her on the drunken piano from time to time. She sings a song about a goddess of the dawn that she created, a children’s song, and finally a modestly risqué song about a “Last Resort” hotel where couples go to re-ignite passions. He also sings a few duets with a woman known as “CB,” who truly treats her voice as an instrument, delicately deciding the appropriate distance from the microphone.
Garza finishes the show with a few upbeat songs followed by an extremely powerful acoustic version of his song “Blow my Mind.” He is accompanied by his friend who brings with him a suitcase full of maracas, tambourines, and other assorted rhythmic instruments. David is confident of the skill that he shows, and the audience loves every second of it.
by Aaron Walther
Cactus Café
Austin, Texas
“The piano has been drinking,” chimes David Garza to the amusement of the Tom Waits-savvy audience when he shows them the wobble of the old, wooden Yamaha, which acts as the house piano for the Cactus Café in the University of Texas at Austin. Behind the piano, a velvety red curtain encircles the stage, furthering the saloon-like vibe.
The piano’s inebriation proves no challenge for Garza’s mastery over both it and his Taylor guitar, seamlessly transitioning between the two in many of the songs that he plays in his two-hour set. He leaps stylistically from folk to pop but always maintains a firm Latino influence in all, be it in his scales or his picking style. His intimate knowledge of the frets on his guitar is apparent to all who watch in anticipation of his next magnetic solo. His foot is often found tapping at a metronomic rate, supplementing the one-man act in ways which typically require another artist.
“Back on the Chain Gang” by The Pretenders, later re-named “Fotos y Recuerdos,” as performed by Selena, is covered by Garza as his second song. The audience hears his calls for their participation in a well-known “O-o-o-oh!” and responds accordingly; from then on, the show is marked by viscerally high energy.
The audience welcomes his light-hearted banter that fills the space between songs. Sometimes he calls them “a bunch of losers” for coming to his show dateless, other times he chides the bartender for being too slow with his drinks. One thing remains clear; his charisma has unrelentingly wooed them.
Despite his poking fun of Pat Lynn, a Nashville native, for her being a “weird old hippie lady,” he lets her play three of her own songs with his guitar and even accompanies her on the drunken piano from time to time. She sings a song about a goddess of the dawn that she created, a children’s song, and finally a modestly risqué song about a “Last Resort” hotel where couples go to re-ignite passions. He also sings a few duets with a woman known as “CB,” who truly treats her voice as an instrument, delicately deciding the appropriate distance from the microphone.
Garza finishes the show with a few upbeat songs followed by an extremely powerful acoustic version of his song “Blow my Mind.” He is accompanied by his friend who brings with him a suitcase full of maracas, tambourines, and other assorted rhythmic instruments. David is confident of the skill that he shows, and the audience loves every second of it.
by Aaron Walther
