ACL Fest Interviews

Davíd Garza

Sunday 7:45pm, Austin Ventures stage
Most musicians would take a cue from the release of their first box set and spend some time away from making more music. Not Austin native Davíd Garza. Merely weeks after releasing A Strange Mess of Flowers, his 4-CD anthology of independent recordings, he's in a Los Angeles studio. This die-hard work ethic establishes Garza's loyal fan base, which has scooped up the hefty collection from stores.

"Just because I'm not a big star doesn't mean I don't have a legacy," he insists.

Strange Mess features his work circa 1989, as part of local favorites Twang Twang Shock a Boom, all the way to music recorded in the last couple of years. Garza says he was "blessed" to be able to release so much of his material since he owns all of his independent masters.

"I think it's a celebration of all these years," he says about the box set, yet admits at nearly the same time, "It's a dangerous thing to anthologize yourself."

Absent from the box is any of the material from Garza's two solo albums for Time Warner's Atlantic. Unlike many former major label acts, though, Garza has no ill feelings about his day in the corporate music arena. In fact, he doesn't rule out going back.

"I don't have any kids, so my songs are my kids," he analogizes. "Someone can raise a child on their own, but if you find the right person [to raise it with], great."

The one thing that Garza misses about major label support is the ability to tour overseas, something he passionately awaits. Not so fast, though. He still has recording to complete. Plus, there are some small details to work out on his old stomping ground during the ACL Festival.

"I don't even know when I'm playing," he says with a laugh.