Meet Kenneth P. Garnier

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneth P. Garnier.

Hi Kenneth P., we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It all began in my birthplace, Los Angeles. At the age of four, I discovered my gift of music; that was 1964. Subsequently, I participated in a variety of elementary school and community talent shows through a diversity of the performing arts. Studying music was a discipline of the household. So, like my siblings, I began taking piano lessons at the age of eight. My first professional assignment came at age ten, when I joined Bill Bryant’s ‘Willie Watts & Friends’; a unique clown ensemble that incorporated elements of music, acting and dancing, and staged in major parades throughout Southern California. A few years later, my two brothers exposed me to trumpet and guitar. I also learned how to play drums. Then I transitioned to electric bass, which I quickly became proficient at playing. From the mid to late 1970s, I was a member of a number of bands in the Los Angeles area. However, in pursuit of a spiritual journey, I almost gave up playing altogether. I moved to Minneapolis in 1983, which I found to be quite artsy and especially musical. In 1993, I returned to the bass, using the moniker, Akouo; a time in my life when my personal and musical identity began to take on real purpose and meaning. Since that reunion, I have released four studio albums, performed in concert with my own band as well as others, and re-immersed myself in artistic expression, including dancing, acting and writing.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been challenges – inevitably associated with being involved in the arts. For me, the biggest ones have had to do with project management. I have big dreams, perhaps because I don’t know how to dream otherwise. For example, my last album, Churchman (2019), involved almost fifty people (musicians and vocalists) and ten recording studios. The costs alone were enormous. Considering I was the producer, the primary writer and one of the musicians, too, was daunting. Then there was advertising and distributing. Nevertheless, that’s how I approach each project; I plan, then work methodically to ensure that it is completed without compromising quality.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My professional life and career have been both humbling and exciting, and starting young has proven to be advantageous; especially since I don’t view my life through a dichotomized lens. In other words, I don’t make a distinction between my professional and personal life. I see myself as one person who, whether in public or in private, on stage or in solitude, is always seeking to be expressive. That’s how I’m wired. That’s who I am. When something happens to me or around me, I am curious to learn why, and what is its artistic/creative purpose. That paradigm has resulted in limitless, inspired ideas, many of which have become poems, songs, drawings or other art forms. For many years, I performed live, from small venues to large stadiums. These days my focus is on writing and recording songs. In addition, I have a comic strip, a soon-to-be-released children’s book in collaboration with another author/illustrator, and I’m working on a screenplay for a movie. I didn’t choose the creative forces. I believe they chose me. For that, I am thankful.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Not only am I an artist; I am a business owner, too. As such, particularly regarding the latter, risk-taking is unavoidable. One major risk I’ve taken was the creation of an independent company in the year 2000, Pineal Records, Books & Films, which provides oversight to my other companies/entities, such as Akouo and Churchman. It’s very time consuming, costly, and requires a lot of people and moving parts. Nevertheless, I have been able to maintain my autonomy, successfully complete each project, and assert a positive presence in the public eye. I’m not in competition with other companies, so there is no felt pressure from the outside. Always considerate of the industry standard, however, I do what I do.

Contact Info:

• Email: kpg@akouomusic.com
• Website: http://www.akouomusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kennethpgarnier/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamakouo/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/akouomusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/akouomusic
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pineal-minneapolis?utm_source=ashare
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kenneth-p-garnier
• Other: https://www.iamchurchman.com/