With his debut record Imitation Fields, composer-guitarist Ben Garnett makes a distinct and vibrant entry as a solo artist into the world of American acoustic music. Blending the traditions of string band, jazz, electronica, classical, and avant-garde, Garnett forges a sonic tapestry all his own.

Produced by Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers/Chris Eldridge & Julian Lage) and featuring fiddlers Brittany Haas and Billy Contreras, bassist Paul Kowert (Punch Brothers), banjoist Matthew Davis, and mandolinist Dominick Leslie (as well as a string quintet and additional guitar by Eldridge), Imitation Fields unites some of the acoustic scene’s most exciting and inventive players in service of a new musical vision.

“Ben’s music is undergirded by rich, colorful jazz language,” bassist Paul Kowert explains. “And yet it’s also full of these melodies and drive that a string band can grab onto. On top of that there’s these electronic sounds incorporated into the string band orchestration, accentuating his first impulse in the music, what’s already there.” 

But for all its musical adventurousness and sophistication, Imitation Fields is as much an emotional expression as an investigation of musical detail. “This record is a really cathartic release,” Garnett says. “It is a sharing not only of musical ideas, but of my life experiences, the forces which have shaped me. It’s an attempt to share an honest story.”

Born 1994 in Dallas/Fort Worth, Garnett studied jazz at the University of North Texas, majoring in jazz guitar performance (2016). Halfway through his studies, however, Garnett discovered a new calling. “I stumbled on this world of contemporary acoustic music and quickly went down a rabbit hole,” Garnett says. Soon, Garnett was chasing the music of Tony Rice, David Grisman, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Edgar Meyer, Strength in Numbers, Punch Brothers, Väsen, Grant Gordy, and more.