Born in Detroit to Argentine parents in the late 1970s, Diego Garcia immersed himself in the sounds of Iggy Pop and MC5 at an early age. Music carried him throughout childhood until his cardiologist father moved the family back to Tampa, FL, when Garcia was a young teenager. By age 14, Garcia got himself an acoustic guitar and started writing songs. As he approached college life at Brown University in 1996, music was still calling him despite his course load in economics. During his junior year, he realized he wanted a career in music instead. He left for New York City upon his 2000 graduation and began to look for musicians, eventually playing with the band Circus for a brief time. A year later, he formed Elefánt with bassist Jeff Berrall, guitarist Mod, and drummer Kevin McAdams.
Since the band broke up in June 2010, Garcia has embarked on a solo career. His music fuses the sounds of visionaries like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Bryan Ferry with the romanticism of troubadours like Roberto Carlos and Julio Iglesias. With lush string arrangements, delicate Spanish guitars, and a distinctly Latin flavor, the sound is worlds apart from Elefant. What remains constant, however, is the romantic within.
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“Tell Me,” the first song Garcia completed after his reconciliation and return from the road, was the catalyst for Paradise: “I got into the studio and out came ‘Tell Me’. Stylistically, I wanted to make the transition to album number two as gradual and natural as possible. I didn’t want to just get into the studio for the sake of reinvention, make a record and completely ignore what had gotten me to that point. It not only allowed us to get our confidence back and compose the rest of these songs, it also served as the bridge we were looking for to the new album.”
Paradise offers more than equal time examining the nuances of love and relationships but on an even deeper and more universal level than His acclaimed 2011 solo debut 'Laura.' “Start With The End,” the Spanish-guitar-percussion-driven album opener hits with a brash, celebratory flourish. Garcia admits, “It was the last song written for the record and I felt like making a little noise to celebrate.”
“Sunnier Days” is a pure-pop highlight, with a sing-along passage near the end that audiences everywhere will soon be memorizing. But the song’s title, just like the album name, is deceptive. Offers Garcia, “That song is one of my proudest moments. For me, it’s a strong pop song in that it takes your mind off things, both sonically and lyrically. But underneath the surface there is a deeper spiritual message that hopefully bring you closer to the truth.”
Garcia balances blissful romanticism in upbeat songs with a Spanish flare, like “She Dances” and “Donde Estas,” (his first song sung in Spanish) with a recurring frisson of uncertainty and longing on such dramatic narratives as “Thoughts Of You”, “My Heart Is An Island” and the genuine “Truth Will Ring.”
“‘Truth Will Ring’ is one of my favorite songs,” he says. “The inspiration for that is how everything can feel and look perfect from the outside, but really, you never know what another person might be thinking, and I think that happens in a lot of relationships. If you’ve lived life, if you’ve had your heart broken, had your ups and downs with or without a partner, that’s ultimately what I’m singing about.”
New album "Paradise" out October 8th
via Concord Records / Universal.
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(autographed posters, t-shirts, vinyl, CD, etc):
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Stream the new album Paradise>
Tickets for the fall tour available
Oct. 17 Washington, D.C. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Oct. 22 New York, NY Highline Ballroom
Oct. 23 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
Oct. 24 Boston, MA Church
Nov. 3 San Diego, CA The Griffin
Nov. 4 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour*
Nov. 6 San Francisco, CA Café Du Nord*
Nov. 9 Portland, OR White Eagle Saloon*
Nov. 11 Seattle, WA Barboza*
Nov. 13 Toronto, ON The Drake Hotel
Nov. 14 Montreal, QC Casa del Popolo
Nov. 15 Albany, NY The Linda
Nov. 23 Mexico City, MX Lunario del Auditorio Nacional
Dec. 3 Louisville, KY Zanzabar
Dec. 4 Bloomington, IN The Bishop
Dec. 5 Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College
Dec. 6 Chicago, IL Schuba’s
Dec. 7 Minneapolis, MN 7th St. Entry
*Kan Wakan supports
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