Justin Garber: Down To The Water – Video Premiere

Header Image by Tobin Voggesser Photography

Jump to “Down to the Water” Video 

Sometimes, inspiration comes like an unbridled river, flowing under a power of its own, with no dam or levy able to withstand its force. 

Inspiration such as this struck Colorado singer/songwriter Justin Garber one spring afternoon in Boulder Canyon. 

Garber, who has been writing music since 2011, ventured up the Canyon one afternoon in April to clear his head.  He had been going through some major life changes and “needed some time alone with  nature.”

“As I walked along the trail I came upon this little creek,” Garber recalls.  “The water was flowing so beautifully over the worn stones. I saw the water as a metaphor for what I had been going through. Slowly over time, the things that people say and do wear you down until they’ve worn away all you stand for. The lyrics came to me so fast.”

Garber repeated the words that formed so freshly in his mind into his phone’s recorder so they wouldn’t be lost.  As he continued his walk, a tune emerged to join the lyrics, and he sang that into his phone as well. Once he was home, he put the two together with his guitar, and “Down To The Water” was alive, flowing to the artist just like the rushing waters of the song.

A few months later, at the iconic RockyGrass Festival in Lyons, Colorado at Planet Bluegrass Ranch, Justin Garber’s friend, filmmaker/photographer C.J. Strehlow had an idea.  Strehlow (aka Mr. Chiefers), has become known for his VHS productions. He had his equipment with him and suggested that he and Garber record a video.  With the setting of the beautiful St. Vrain River as the backdrop, Garber knew just what song to bring to life.

The result is “Down To The Water.”

Recorded in a style reminiscent of an 80’s skateboarding film, or a family movie from a bygone era, “Down To The Water” is raw and authentic. The song and video convey the feeling and inspiration of the words that came to Garber so suddenly in a way that is completely real. 

For an artist who pours himself into his work, this video perfectly captures the true essence of Justin Garber.

“A lot of my songs are very personal to me,” Garber reflects.  “About the passing of my parents. Opportunities lost. How to connect to people. It tends to be sad, but people can connect it to their own life experiences. I write what speaks to me and that’s all I know how to do.”

Like the inspirational rivers of song, Justin Garber’s “Down To The River” begs to be heard. Perhaps, as can happen while enjoying the sound of gently flowing water, the listener will be given some clarity, as Garber was when the song first came to him that April day in Boulder Canyon.

“If my music can change even one person’s day, week, month, year, or life from sadness into having fun then I have succeeded.”

Watch the video for “Down To The Water” below:

Tobin Voggesser Photography

Justin Garber with fellow Colorado artist Andrew McConathy (Drunken Hearts)

Justin Garber full set from 2019 Peak Leaf Festival: