Interview with Ted Garber – Life, Inspiration and his New Album American Rail

I recently had the opportunity to interview one of my favorite musicians, Ted Garber. Ted recently released his new album “American Rail” and tells us about his life, travels and inspiration for the new album.

Adam: Hi Ted, I think the first time I ran into you was during an outdoor gig you did at Aria in Washington D.C. Since then, we’ve become big fans of yours. Thanks for taking the time to do an interview for us.

Ted: Of course! Thank you!

Adam: One of the things that really struck me about your music is the message that you put out there. There seems to be an underlying theme to your music that seems to be about making a difference, making positive change and giving back. I especially like “The Giving Tree.” Can you tell me about the inspiration for this song and what it means to you?

Ted: One of my all-time favorite books is Shel Silverstein’s, The Giving Tree.  Disguised as a simple fable for children, the narrative is a stripped-down, heavy-handed moral message for people of all ages about the vast difference between unconditional love through constant giving and thankless, selfish “love” through constant taking.  It’s the classic story of the person who supposedly has “nothing” but is willing to give it all away, versus the person who seemingly has “everything” and isn’t willing to part with a nickel.

At that time in my life, I was battling alcoholism head-on, and I thought about my own “Giving Trees.”  I realized that certain people and places had looked out for me in spite of my selfishness.  I woke up one morning and felt inspired to re-read the book over breakfast.  I felt called to start making amends on my own.  I quit drinking shortly thereafter, and that day, though I didn’t know it then, was the first of many on my road to recovery.

Around that time, Hurricane Katrina had just ravaged New Orleans, and I had gone to college in that city a few years prior.  I got my start as a musician there, busking on the street corners and playing college parties.  That town was my Giving Tree–sheltering me from all kinds of trouble, like copious consumption of booze and the untimely death of my father from cancer.  I had all these thoughts running through my head (like I always do), and I went down to see Mother Gumbo in 2006.

While having lunch downtown, a guy on a bar stool asked me what I did for a living, to which I replied, “I’m a singer-songwriter.”  He said, “well, if you’ve come here to write about Katrina, please make it upbeat!”  I didn’t even have to consider his request.  Of course it would be upbeat!  New Orleans is a happy, festive place, yet it was going through a really rough patch. I sought to capture the essence of its fire, its goodness, its generosity.  Through sober eyes and soul, I went down to the French Quarter, holed myself up in a hotel room and wrote that entire song as a homage to all the kind folks who’d taught me the importance of compassion, forgiveness, and hospitality.  That tune was a catharsis for me to start learning about ways to “give back” to the people and places that had taught me how to love.  In the end, its my own version of Silverstein’s message, but it’s the flip-side:  “learn how to nourish those who nourish you, or lead a lonely, depressing, pointless life.”  It’s a lot like “A Christmas Carol,” that way.

Adam: Another great song on your recent album “American Rail” is “It’s about time.” What is it about time for?

Ted: Accountability.  Responsibility.  Humility.  During the last American Presidential election, I think the majority of people were ready to puke from all the partisanship and mud-slinging.  I think, as a nation and as a human race, we are starting to recognize that most of the biggest problems we face are global in scope–climate change, pollution, health care, food and water supply, rehabilitation.  These issues straddle both sides of the political aisle, and they require each one of us to take responsibility toward altering our lifestyles and our world view in order to achieve a brighter future for everyone and everything.  The blame game has proven it cannot solve anything. “It’s about time we worked together and starting treating one another like neighbors, even family.”  I don’t have a political, religious or social agenda, but I do believe we all come from the same source and have to start accepting one another with compassion, tolerance, and an open-mind.  It’s about time we started listening to each other.

Adam: Tell our readers about your music. We think your great, but what do you think it is that makes you different than a lot of the musicians that are out there?

Ted: I think the two things that really set me apart from my fellow musicians are my ability to engage and interact with a crowd on a personal level and my desire to leave audiences with a good and proactive feeling.  Sometimes, I hear a beautifully tragic tune or a soulful, angry or bitter tune, and afterward, I just feel rotten about life.  It’s like that new apocalyptic movie “2012″–”oh, well, the world’s going to hell, so I might as well have a beer.”   We all have our dark songs, but ultimately, it is my goal during each show to make a positive impact–to leave people inspired to go out and do something constructive in their lives, if not for others, then for themselves.   I don’t mean to sound condescending–it’s just that I really do believe in the power of positive thought on the human spirit.  I am an optimist.  I don’t think that guilt trips are the answer toward a sustainable future.

Adam: I heard that you were recently overseas. You seem to do quite a bit of world traveling. Where have you been and how does that effect your outlook on life and your music?

Ted: I’ve been to over thirty countries on four continents (and counting)–sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South American, Western, Central and Eastern Europe and the Caribbean Islands, plus I’ve driven coast-to-coast across the US several times.  Asia and Australia still await!  Traveling is my number-one passion.  I am a hands-on learner, so whenever possible, I want to live and breathe the places I read about or see on television.  If there is one thing that traveling has taught me it’s how performance really is the universal language.  I have traded songs and dances with Kikuyu and Masai in Kenya, with Samba dancers in Brazil, with gypsies in Romania with mountain men in Poland, and with peasants in France.  Being American, I am the foreigner in their homeland, and I feel like a humble diplomat.  Where a common verbal language has failed, I have made connections through melody and rhythm, and I feel that I leave an impression wherever I go, just as I feel I take something with me.

Adam: How does sustainability and doing the right things for our environment play a part in your personal life?

Ted: My paternal grandfather worked in waste-water management toward the end of his life.  He was one of the first to spear-head the “Save the Bay” campaign for the Chesapeake.  From an early age, I could discern the difference between fresh well-water and regular tap.  I spent my summers in a farming area, and I learned about planting and harvesting.  The town where I grew up, Frederick, MD, was also quite agrarian, and we had one of the East Coast’s first solar-panel factories, now operated by BP Solar. It seems like technology and agriculture CAN work alongside each other effectively.

I’m not a big fan of suburban sprawl and disappearing green space.  I don’t get inspired by vinyl siding and track housing.  Ironically, I grew up in that kind of neighborhood.  It was called, “Hillcrest,” built on the site of an orchard that was sold-off, razed and re-devoloped.  Now, everyone wants to live downtown, and the urban renewal is great.  But, that orchard never came back.  The old neighborhood has become riddled with crime and low-income housing, and people now affectionately refer to it as “The Ghetto.”  For me, that’s the biggest crime:  building something and then abandoning it.  In my travels, I’ve visited thousand-year old and four-thousand-year old towns.  The Great Pyramids are a lot older than that.  I feel that greed and a lack of pride in culture lead to toward this planned obsolescence and abandonment.  But, I do think that’s changing.

I called my album, “American Rail,” for two reasons:  first, I think of myself as an “American,” wherever I’m traveling, and I am trying to tour my message.  But second, I really do hope that our nation will adamantly revisit mass public transit in the form of our abandoned railways.  I heard that Warren Buffet recently pledged over 30 billion dollars toward that cause, and that makes me smile.  I should send him a free CD.

Adam: What do you have coming up Ted? Long term plans?

Ted: Right now, I am just trying to spread my message and my music and far and wide as I can.  When I am not at home with my gorgeous, amazing wife, I want to be out performing.

For long term starters, I would really like to see my albums sell enough copies worldwide that I could start a viable charity organization which focuses on renewable energy education and implementation.  I know that I can’t go on gigging 250 shows a year forever, but I can’t see myself settling down either.  I would hope that I can continue to give back to the “Giving Tree,” whenever and wherever possible.

Adam: And last but not least, where can our readers pick up a copy of “American Rail?

Ted: Go to TedGarber.com and click on any of the merch. links. It’s available for digital download on Itunes.com and at CDBaby.com, or you can get the tangible product (which is printed on recycled paper, by the way!).  Plus, it’s only $10 at shows!

Adam: Thanks Ted!

Ted: You’re welcome. Thank you!

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