Thank you for checking my profile! My name is Garrick Davis. My artist name is "Garrick Davis World Blues". You can "Google it"!
What I offer here on Thumbtack: Adult Guitar Lessons, Coaching for live performance and songwriting, music theory, fretboard knowledge, improvisational mindset. All appointments are conducted on the internet via the Zoom platform.
I made a life changing move from Northern California to Hungary in June of 2024. This is why my address still reads "Redwood City, CA). This may work well for prospective clients since I can lower my rates and share the same knowledge I've gained from over 54 years of passionately learning and playing music, writing songs, creating albums, leading bands, promoting concerts, teaching a multitude of students in classes and mostly privately from age 5 to 74 for the last 20+ years.
The language of the Blues is my emotional bedrock. It reaches into just about every form of Popular music beyond the 1920's. As an artist and songwriter, I have long evolved beyond the straight, identifiable traditional Blues but will always be touched and inspired by the emotional reach and storytelling of my ancestors. Blues IS a feeling, but so are other genres. It's all music. This idea carries over into how I teach students and 'lights me up' every time I see someone gaining this understanding for themselves.
I am a full time musician, particularly thanks to my robust guitar and performance education business and the many live gig opportunities received through Thumbtack from the inception of this platform. Word of mouth and repeat clients have bolstered my ability to become better at my craft of live performance as the years go by. Teaching guitar has opened up an amazing range of songs genres I never touched on before I began teaching in 2002.
For Now:
At this time I am open to some new guitar student clients. My goal is to keep the numbers small as I am shifting to focus on my career as a performing music artist, which is one of the main reasons I moved to Europe. Another reason being that my wife retired and wanted to move back to her homeland. I, however, didn't come here to retire!
Guitar Lessons:
If you're interested in guitar lessons, know that I approach teaching holistically, I am still fascinated by the process of teaching as well as learning some new songs myself, once a student has gotten beyond the initial phase of improving technique in both hands, understanding the fretboard and finally understanding Music Theory in a useful, friendly manner.
It has become my goal to help un-crack the code of songs and music, thereby assisting a client toward "doing what I do" in learning virtually any song or at the very least come to a better understanding of song structure and what to listen for.
Songwriting:
I am currently working on my 6th album of original music called "The Dignity Project". It is because I write songs that I am compelled to move forward and keep creating as "the well of creativity" hasn't gone dry since I began writing when I was 14 years old. I believe I can be of service to anyone looking to getting into songwriting or someone who feels stuck in their writing.
Reach out! I'm here for you.
Why you should hire me as Live Entertainment:
This only pertains to middle-late April to early May of 2025, by the way. I will be in the San Francisco Bay Area centered around a concert I'm doing with my band April 27th, and a few other dates on either side of that date.
When you hire my services for Live Entertainment you are bringing in a performing artist with years of experience as a guitarist/vocalist/music interpreter, with of most of those years as a bandleader in order to play my originals and “select” covers. I work in many configurations from solo to a 5-piece full band. For ease, I tend to do most gigs as a soloist or with percussion and possibly cello.
I am able to hire many great musicians for gigs but they must be contacted well ahead of dates as they are “first call” level players. For a full band I definitely require ample lead time.
Alongside playing in clubs, theaters, and festival venues I have had a lot of experiences with private parties, house concerts, birthday celebrations, memorials, weddings, graveside funerals, marriage proposals(for which I am 12 for 12!), private "after wedding" performances of a special song, corporate events of all types, block parties, Memorial and Veterans Day ceremonies. I have played in a weekly church band since 2016.
I urge you to look through my reviews, of which there are more than most in the Live Entertainment field here on Thumbtack. I am proud of my consistent 5 star ratings as that is the standard that comes through reliability and the work I've put in to come through for clients that trust that I will provide the best I can for every situation.
My longest solo job ever was a 4th of July block party in 2020, where I played for 6 hours, though I was originally hired for 4 hours. I never repeated one song. I only stopped because it was outdoors a block away from a beach and my fingers just wouldn't move anymore. haha!
Perhaps my most emotionally challenging performance was a graveside funeral for a family and husband who just lost their matriarch and wife, respectively, who had me sing one of the deceased favorite songs, "Into The Mystic"(Van Morrisson). This was just a short time after the loss of my own adult son. That experience taught me a lot about the caressing, comforting nature of music as the family stood around the casket at the gravesite. My duty to share beauty this woman herself would have loved too. I as her representative.
When performing solo for 2 or more hours I play both electric and acoustic guitars through quality gear. I can provide background or present a concert. Even a little of both when requested. I arrive 45 minutes to 1 hour ahead of the scheduled performance time to set up and start at the top of the requested hour.
It is through my work as a guitar instructor, songwriter, singer, bandleader, music fan and all, I am able to learn and perform a wide range of music. Within all of my presentations I add my own original music to the sets.
I can perform songs that aren't already in my repertoire provided I have at least 3-4 days to learn a particular song. I try not to accept the challenge of more than 2 specific client-requested songs per event.
It will be my pleasure to communicate with those of you interested in hiring me for your event. I may not be the cheapest musician you can find, but it is my hope that you will have been glad you found me. All in all that is what matters most when it's all said and done. Blessings!
