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"I wrote the whole song half asleep after a conversation about art and ego," Garrett says about the track. "The idea that my songs might go on forever with the help of fame or a hit single has no appeal to me. I keep writing because I love sharing these stories with a live audience. That brief connection is all that I'm interested in." With the Internet swallowing up physical connection and attention spans, musicians like Garrett are fighting to continue telling these stories through songs.

Garrett Pierce moved all over the San Fernando Valley as a child, occasionally dipping into his father's collection of Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison records. He wrote and sang for rock bands throughout his youth, but returned to a more hushed and literary style of songwriting once he moved to the Bay Area. Garrett first released In His Arms in collaboration with producer/mixer Eric Ruud (Sholi) – a bare bones, confessional of "earthy pop gems" (S.F. Aquarius). His next record Like A Moth (Crossbill Records '06) featured diverse arrangements and contributions from former S.F. luminaries Jolie Holland and Matt Bauer, and is "filled with the sort of oblique yet emotionally satisfying wordplay that is reminiscent of a Murakami novel" (Santa Cruz Metro).

"He manages a mix of the delicate, the folky, and the starry eyed" (SF Weekly).

His newest record All Masks is a dedication to ceremony and ritual. Many of the songs reminisce classical myths, while others are traveling tales from their author's personal life. "I'm interested in ancient mythology, mainly because that style of storytelling has been waning in my lifetime, and some of the most powerful images and performances I've seen involve masks," Garrett said. I think they're an incredibly important metaphor at explaining our place in nature."

Though he spends much of his time in San Francisco, Garrett chose to record this third record in the seclusion of the Sierra Foothills. He enlisted a large group to collaborate at Tim Wright's Barn in Columbia, CA, a small gold rush town near Yosemite. With the help of engineer Casey Sweten, and production tips from Bay Area musician Jake Mann, the gang converted the barn into a recording studio equipped with a tape machine and a vocal booth in the hayloft.

All Masks challenges the listener to take part in these stories, whether torrent or calm. The strings, played by Jen Grady and Carey Lamprecht (Emily Jane White Band), have a sad-peacefulness joined by Amber Lamprecht's soaring oboe-work. Tim Wright (Wilderness, Ted Leo) played Tom Waits-inspired percussion when he wasn't pressing record, and Jake Mann contributed both bass and drums throughout the album.

Despite all of the textures and layers throughout the record, the root of Garrett's songs remains his voice. Pages of lyrics are anchored in Garrett's sweeping vocal range – some moments evoking darkness – in others, a Motown-like playfulness. But more than anything does the collective energy of Garrett and his musical guests drive the album's compositions.

All Masks exists as a testament to the individuals who gathered around these stories: one barn, many good friends and a little too much whiskey at times. But altogether, the album represents a time of great creativity, engraved in wax or performed on a stage not too far from you.