Today we’d like to introduce you to Forrest Garner.
Hi Forrest, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The journey of KONZI started all the way back in my high school days when I met my best friend and bassist, Garrett Horlacher, in our marching band class. Our kindred spirits connected over music and we started our first garage band, “Stories of the Swings” named after all the loitering we did at night at the local playgrounds getting up to no good. After high school, we both left for the same college town in South Florida where we started performing live at local bars as a duo for the first time, under a new name… Forrest and The Fire. Throughout those years, we started writing our first serious original music that would eventually become our debut record titled New Dimensions. After college Garrett and I moved to Savannah, GA recruiting a full band who we performed with regularly around the Southeast for a couple of years. Wanting to take the next step, we decided after much research that Austin, Texas was the place to be. Unfortunately the other band members were surfers at heart and couldn’t be coaxed from their boards and the beach. Forrest and The Fire, now just Garrett and I, pushed forward and moved to Austin in 2017 with a debut album under our belts. Moving to a brand new city not knowing a single soul took some time adjusting to, but after navigating the local music scene we found our perfect matches in our drummer Ulises Chavez (Austin local) and our guitarist Shawn Bwyra (Michigan native). Soon after, the newly reformed Forrest and The Fire began gigging regularly around town and working on new original material. The final piece of the puzzle was completed when our close college friend and talented vocalist, Carly Jo Jackson moved to Austin and began harmonizing with the group.
Throughout 2019, Forrest and The Fire played nearly 100 gigs around Austin. We cut our teeth as a group, building chemistry and becoming tighter as a unit with each show. During that same year, while at a party, we met someone who would become a huge guiding influence on the band going forward. That person was Daniel Sahad of the local band, Nané. We connected pretty quickly since Garrett, working at Guitar Center at the time, had actually sold Daniel a keyboard a year or so prior. Daniel was a fan of the band’s music and offered to produce a record of our new material that we had been writing over the previous year. In early 2020, we took up Daniel on his offer and began recording our newest record at Scary American Studios with the talented audio engineer, Charles Godfrey who’s worked with the likes of Third Eye Blind, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sublime and Portugal the Man. The band, Sahad, and Godfrey worked closely together over 2020-2021 to produce our best work to date. The new sonic direction and the infusion of new members since the band’s original debut record convinced us that Forrest and The Fire did not match the intended future direction of our group. In an intentional rebrand, the new record and future original shows will be performed and promoted under our new band name… KONZI. KONZI is a play on the Swahili word kanzi meaning “hidden treasure”, something that the band strives for sonically with each recording. We also loved the imagery of the apple being the forbidden fruit. With a new record, a new brand, and a new name, KONZI intends to take the Austin music scene by storm with a sense of spirited adventure and positivity.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has had many forks, speed bumps and debris along the way. Forrest and The Fire has had many members over the years before its final form and name change to KONZI. In order to create the best record and promotional material we possibly could, our band has played over 200 cover gigs the past couple of years to finance this production. Before giving even a single fan the chance to hear our creation, we put in a tremendous effort which we are extremely proud of. This is the dedication we have given to ourselves and to our fans and it comes from a firm belief in delivering the best musical experience possible.
Less than two weeks after the release of our debut single, “Bonnie and Clyde,” we experienced a tragic loss in the death of our mentor, producer, and dear friend, Daniel Sahad. Daniel’s unrelenting passion, the pursuit of connecting with others through his music, inspired KONZI’s development every step of the way. Not only is his thumbprint all over our music, he genuinely put his heart into KONZI. We now hope to honor Daniel’s memory by using our music to connect with others through love and positivity the same way he did every single day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Konzi has a name, sound, and look that inspires curiosity. A sound with a familiar flavor but with a bold yet humble energy. KONZI has the ability to unite people and liberate human emotion through diverse musical backgrounds.
What distinguishes KONZI from other bands is our ability to rise to unparalleled, unquestionable energy while simultaneously giving you a soft place to fall within moments. A dauntless aura that demands attention without being arrogant. A sonic valor with curvaceous freedom in its design.
KONZI drives sincerity down an open road with our heart on the throttle.
KONZI projects itself into the oscillations of life; the feelings of freedom and flashes of doubt found in the gritty textures of realistic conversation. A battle cry. An introspective love. A deep breath in a moment of peace.
KONZI’s tone often lies in the beauty of optimism and opportunity with the humility to welcome all. An inevitable hope that can be born from the most rotten of fruit. A maxim that, no matter how dire the situation, there are always more reasons to celebrate, especially if you’ve surrounded yourself with people who make you smile from the depths of your soul.
A consistent homage to life’s elation paired with a realistic view of the lowest of human emotions. Sets are normally 70% up and 30% down. Without compromising either direction.
What’s next?
This transition and rebrand from Forrest and The Fire to KONZI is extremely exhilarating. Our debut releases and corresponding music videos have been a long time coming.
KONZI has spent two years meticulously preparing every last detail of our ideal debut into the music industry. We move as a hive-mind, lockstep in our choices and faith in one another. This level of collaborative craftsmanship, confidence, and consideration is crucial to the broad spectrum of emotions in which we will usher our audience. With each band member vibrating to the same kinetic energy we feed the crowd. Whether it begins with pure energy or ebbs and flows within the leagues of one’s emotions, KONZI invokes deliberation in our audience. But we don’t do so without deliberately dancing, too.
KONZI’s unified front, tactfully engineered branding, tasteful storytelling videos, and soul encased debut record is poised to blaze one hell of a trail through the music industry. Thoroughness, here, was everything.
“We want people to leave the shows feeling positive about the human experience, to encourage people to make someone’s day, to not just experience life, but to welcome and embrace it.” Every setlist has been curated, every outfit is intentional, every visual will guide you further in. Konzi is more than just a show, it’s a journey.
Contact Info:
- Email: konziband@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konzi_band/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KONZIBAND
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZZM2louswq7-47DKG9yOxQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@konziband
Image Credits
Ashely Garner.
