Garrett T. Capps

I talked to San Antonio’s Garrett T. Capps, the mayor-elect, Sandwich King, and maker of great country rock and roll music. Garrett, both musically and personally, honors the past while making the rich traditions of Texas music truly his own, infusing cosmic krautrock, modular synth, and interstellar sounds with his band NASA Country to come up with something that resonates with all sorts of audiences. You can listen to our chat above.

If you haven’t yet, you can find all of Garrett’s music on Bandcamp. He’s put out three fantastic albums and several EPs. I recommend listening chronologically – you can’t go wrong though.

He’s also not afraid to reinterpret his own music, revisiting tracks like “She Likes Doom Metal,” originally a wandering pedal steel standout from his full-length debut Y Los Lonely Hipsters, and repaints it in, well, a doom metal fashion; or he calls on Augie Meyers to add his signature Tex Mex flair to “En Los Shadows,” a reimagining of the title track of In The Shadows Again.

Along with his talent, Capps’s use of humor is a refreshing differentiator, a welcome dose of deprecation that makes him stand apart from other heart-wrenching Texan songwriters. On “I Was Born in San Antone,” an ode to his hometown and a laundry list of the city’s claims to fame, two verses are dedicated to listing the city’s signature dishes. And his succinct social media persona makes clear that music, drinking wine, taking baths, and eating sandwiches are his priorities.

Between the honky tonk numbers and the levity, there are also really beautiful moments. “Here Right Now,” as it’s called on In the Shadows (Again) or “Beauty in the Horizon” is a really poignant, stirring song. And the relatable and lovely duet, “Alone With You,” off All Right, All Night and Jamie Lin Wilson is easily an instant classic.

You can listen to the podcast above or on Spotify, Stitcher, Deezer, or most other places podcasts can be found.