John Garrison (born 7 January 1973) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Co-founder of the British alternative rock band Budapest,[1] he recorded and performed with them from 1999 to 2006. After the band split, he launched a career as a solo artist and has released three albums: “Above The Cosmos” (2007), “Departures” (2009) and “Extinguisher” (2020). He released a 4-Track EP "Time Trader" in March 2024. He also recorded three albums under the name Satellites. In parallel to his solo career, Garrison is a session bass player for other major label artists such as Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, James Blunt, Christina Aguilera and Leona Lewis in the studio and on the road.
John Garrison | |
|---|---|
 John Garrison performing in Berlin, April 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Garrison |
| Also known as | Johnny Vic, Satellites |
| Born | 7 January 1973 Liverpool, England |
| Origin | Coventry, England |
| Genres | Indie rock, alternative rock, electronic |
| Occupation | Bass player |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Republic, Johnny Vic Records, Vesterbrother, Garrison Music Ltd |
| Website | garrisonmusic |
Early life
editGarrison was born in Liverpool, then moved to Coventry, England, at the age of one. His father was the head of music at University of Warwick and John grew up surrounded by music with easy access to orchestral instruments.[2] His mother and two sisters are opera singers. He performed his first ever gig at the age of three playing the piano with his sister. Determined to be self-taught, he refused to take music lessons.[3]
Career
editGarrison settled in New York City after Budapest broke up in 2006. His first solo albums Above the Cosmos and Departures were released independently and received critical acclaim. A small number of gigs have been performed in the United States and Europe.[4]
The whole Satellites project started soon after John became a father and had moved to Copenhagen. The name was chosen because "satellites just report back what they see. They never stay in one place and they don't really belong anywhere".[5] In fact, it's not a band but one man, Johnny Vic, who writes, plays and produces as Satellites.[6]
In 2022, Garrison played bass guitar on the Lewis Capaldi no.1 hit “Forget Me”. [1]
Personal life
editHe is now based in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he lives with his Danish girlfriend and their two children.[7][8][9]
Discography
editAlbums, singles and EP
edit- with Budapest
- Too Blind To Hear (2002)
- Head Towards The Dawn (2004)
- Solo
- Above The Cosmos (2007)
- Departures (2009) – Named Britsound Radio's "British album of the year".[10]
- Satellites.01 (2012) – Rough Trade No. 16 Album of 2012.
- Satellites.02 (2013) – Rough Trade Album of the month August 2013.[6]
- Wasteland – Single
- Istedgade EP (2014)
- Neon Sun – Single
- Wasteland Remix EP (2014)
- Satellites Saint Saviour (2015)
- Satellites.04: Glitch (2016)[11]
- Extinguisher (2020)[12]
- Blissfully Ignorant – Single
- The Revolution Is Just Waiting A Name – Single
- Lovely Day isn't It? (2021)[13]
- Time Trader EP (2024)
References
edit- ^ Dudman, Simon (17 April 2003). "Band's starring role in Tamzin's TV drama; Musicians who have won critical acclaim in UK, Europe and US land three-album deal". Coventry Evening Telegraph. England: MGN Ltd, Coventry Newspapers. p. 3.
- ^ "Q&A's: 10 Questions for John Garrison (Budapest)". StevoMusicMan – Ramblings of a Music Man. England. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "John brings a slice of the Big Apple to town". Coventry Evening Telegraph. Coventry, England: MGN Ltd. Coventry Newspapers. 31 October 2007. p. 16. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "John Garrison Shows". reverbnation.com. ReverbNation. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ "Get To Know: Satellites". Hungertv.com. London, UK: Hunger Magazine. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Satellites 02". Roughtrade.com. London: Rough Trade. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ Martin, Chris (15 August 2013). "Satellites interview" (Audio 11:23). Amazing Radio. London, England: The Chris Martin Show. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ Lester, Paul (15 January 2013). "Satellites (No 1,431) Got the post-yule blues? Then try this album of epic croon-rock". The Guardian. London, England. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Artist of the month: John Garrison". The Human Situation. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Seidenberg, Justin (7 January 2010). "John Garrison's Departures named Britsound Radio's "British album of the year"". New York City: Kiqstart Music. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ Hocknell, Tom (9 September 2016). "Satellites.04: Glitch Album Review". tomhocknell.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Garrison, John (4 December 2020). "Extinguisher". Discogs. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Garrison, John (19 March 2021). "Lovely Day isn't It?". Discogs. Retrieved 20 March 2022.