Remembering Gary "Ordy" Garrison

Gary “Ordy” Garrison, husband, father and Wovenhand drummer, passed away suddenly on July 4 following a heart attack. The devoted family man and talented musician was 58, and leaves behind his wife and son, Katy and Carlos Garrison, and countless friends and fans.

The news brought an outpouring of support from fellow musicians, including longtime Wovenhand bandmate and friend David Eugene Edwards, Emma Ruth Rundle, Jay Weinberg of Slipknot and Evan Patterson of Jayle Jayle.

“We are heartbroken eternal / These are words / But there are no words / We love you Ordy /
without end,” Edwards wrote on Facebook.

Native to northwest Denver, Garrison spent much of his adolescence involved in the Crusade for Justice movement, the Chicano rights group that his uncle, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzalez, founded in 1966. His family promoted a strong sense of activism and justice that would follow him as he toured the globe, always with a foot back home in his family, community and culture.

Garrison was a born entertainer, charismatic and warm, so it was only natural that he began to play music. He tapped on the timbales and congas as part of a band with his cousins, eventually teaching himself to play a full kit in his early twenties. He first began to play professionally with the band Emilio Emilio, but went on to perform with many other groups, including Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Brethren Fast, Denver Joe & the Lovesick Saddle Tramps and Tarantella.

With Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Garrison pioneered the regional “gothic country” movement made famous in Denver. He also evoked his Native American lineage through the spiritual rhythm that resounded on his snare and toms.

“He always maintained his connection to, and was more intentional about exploring, our Native and Indigenous roots,” says Dusti Garrison, his sister. “Even when he traveled throughout the world and played in European countries, he always brought that part of him with him.”

Garrison’s ancestry permeated his musical style as he began to drum professionally. After meeting Wovenhand founder/lead singer Edwards, Garrison became a permanent member of the band in 2004. Aside from Edwards, he was the longest-standing member; Edwards considered him the heart and soul of Wovenhand, and their personal relationship was strong.

“They were best friends,” Dusti says. “They had a really great connection, and [it] helped develop the sound and the music of Wovenhand together. ... The synergy between the two of them is what made it work.”

Over the two decades that Garrison toured with Wovenhand, he proved instrumental in the development of what has been termed the band's “Denver sound,” which Edwards described to Vice as a “sincere blend of Biblical allegory, heavy riffs, ethereal folk, Native American aesthetic, and musical flavors from every corner of the globe.”

“He didn’t just do drums; he was learning to play the kalimba," adds Dusti. "For him, it was about bringing something different to the sound.”

Fans of Wovenhand worldwide are mourning the loss of one of Denver’s finest musicians, while those closest to him grieve the warmth and light that he brought to their lives. “I think he was born to be a curator and connector of culture and music and joy,” Dusti says.

Garrison was so much more than his music, and his love for his family could be seen in sweet, simple everyday things — from his nickname, "Ordy,” given to him by a younger cousin who could not yet pronounce his name — to the way that he and his wife displayed their initials, OK, throughout their home in a demonstration of their devotion.

“He believed so deeply in being a caregiver and the center of love," recalls Dusti, "and giving back and being there for people.”

A memorial fund has been created on behalf of Garrison’s wife, Katy Garrison, and son, Carlos Garrison; donations can be made here.