Connor Garvey

Connor Garvey is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Portland, Maine, with the amiable presence of an entertainer, lyrical depth of a poet, and enchantment of a storyteller.

First time listeners are drawn to Garvey’s engaging performance style, accomplished musicianship, and memorable melodies. But his lyrics project a depth and sincerity that allow the observant listener to find meaning beyond the catchy hook. Meanwhile, the intricate production of his albums adds emotional depth and keeps the songs fresh play after play.

On his latest release, Another End of a Year, Garvey shows his maturity as a songwriter, addressing personal and universal themes through a series of lyrical stories and reflections. This collection of songs reveals the wisdom gained from experience of life, loss, and purposeful observation. This is his 8th release and richest collection of songs and production to date.

Onstage, Garvey is driven by the shared, spontaneous moments that can only come from live performance. He leaves audiences uplifted and inspired through a positive message delivered in a way that proves it is possible to be optimistic and self-aware without being self-absorbed.

He thrives in the intimacy and connection best observed in the brief space between the last note of a song and the applause – when audience and artist alike share a moment of reflection of the common experience.

Garvey an adventurer at heart and this is an integral part of his art. Songs off his 2020 EP, Chasing Horizons, were written while onboard the Reykjafoss cargo ship as part of a unique cultural exchange between Maine and Iceland. Woven into the lyrics are his own emotions and reflections while drifting across the ocean as well as those he picked up from the Russian and Icelandic captain and crew.

He leads songwriting workshops for fellow artists the go far beyond teaching song structure and rhyme scheme. Participants are challenged to understand and address the deeper meaning and purpose of the story they want to tell.

This combination of songwriting and performance strength has earned Garvey numerous awards including being named winner of the Kerrville New Folk, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, SolarFest, Wildflower Art and Music Festival and Maine Songwriters Association songwriting competitions, voted as Most Wanted artist at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, nominated for Best Male Performer in the New England Music Awards, and a top new singer-songwriter by Sirius XM's The Coffeehouse.

He has since gone on to perform around the country at many of the most notable folk/acoustic venues, festival main stages (Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Kerrville), and teaches songwriting at some of the most distinguished song schools.

Garvey’s interest in music and writing began at a very young age. Both his parents are educators and his father was a songwriter. Growing up in such a musical environment in the artistically rich Northeast, Garvey developed the firm belief that songwriting is a method for bringing community together and a way for people to explore a greater depth within their own lives.

Originally a drummer, he picked up the guitar in his teens, in part because his best friend was better with the sticks and together they could start a rock band. But this rhythmic background remains at the core of his musical style. He merges syncopated bass lines with melodic leads to create a full sound from his acoustic guitar.

In addition to the musical world, Garvey is a skilled group facilitator. He brings people together to find common experience and purpose. But like his music, he tackles these heavy subjects while infusing a strong sense of joy, playfulness, and fun.

Catch Connor Garvey live or sit back and listen to his recordings in your own time and space. In the meantime, he will continue to find the adventures that create the songs.