JACKSONVILLE, Ore. – It’s not every day you get to sing alongside your idol, but one Medford man is getting the opportunity of a lifetime to sing with Pink Martini at Britt Saturday.
Let’s set the stage, 24-year-old Garrett Bond has been a musician for over half his life.
“I grew up playing the piano very stiff. Everything’s inside the box, those were the notes on the page. Nothing else,” said Bond.
It wasn’t until the Summer of 2012 when he went to the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene. Suddenly everything changed.
“I see this man flying around the keyboard in the most ridiculous way, but in a good way. And I think wow this is what’s possible,” said Bond.
That man was Thomas Lauderdale, a pianist who started the Portland-based band, Pink Martini.
“It was seeing music on such a high incredible professional level that made me think wow I just love everything about this I wanna dive deeper,” said Bond.
At that moment Bond said he knew he was meant to be a musician. He studied music theory and composition at Saint Olaf College in Minnesota, traveling the world with his choir.
“There’s something about being a part of this group, I just thought was so rewarding,” said Bond.
He’s now in graduate school at Portland State. That’s where he would see a familiar face, Thomas Lauderdale. Pink Martini was recording a new album and asked Portland State’s choir director for background singers. Bond was one of them.
“I had mentioned to him that Pink Martini was coming to Medford and he said, oh you should just come do it. I said haha you’re funny. And he said no just come do it,” said Bond.
Now it’s almost showtime, Bond told NBC5 News he’s been practicing like crazy.
“I get to be on stage with one of my idols, it’s literally been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” said Bond.
It’s all coming full circle for Bond, as the curtain call is almost here. Bond will perform at the sold-out show Saturday behind the band that inspired him to pursue music.
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