By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Sitting across from me in a dimly lit bar is a quiet man who shies away from speaking about himself. He wants to direct my thoughts to his recent research into Jesus Christ not as a savior, but as an ancient Hebrew man.
The quiet man is musician, guitarist, harmonicist, drummer, leader of bands and all-around musical artist, Jaredd Reed, who gave up drinking in February 2020.
Living alcohol-free during the pandemic presented Reed, who had been raised in church, with a lot of time to be introspective.
“I’ve played the drums since I was 5 in a Pentecostal church,” he remembers, with his eyes transfixed into the memory. He says again, “I’m studying to know the real Jesus, not the one we all think he is, I want to know more about the ancient Hebrew people. I want to learn to read, write and speak Hebrew.”
Reed spent most of his adult life living as a road musician, taking up jobs in ski resorts so he could play with a band. He learned to navigate swift water rapids and has taken people on guided trips along with serving on rescue units, which allowed him to pursue his musical dreams after the sun went down. His wandering took him from Texas to Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Montana, and Colorado.
A good chunk of his time was spent in Tennessee, where he picked up his love of blues and country music. The depth of his passion is easily heard when he rolls into a Johnny Cash favorite, “Folsom City Blues.”
The crowd at Galveston Island Brewery gives him a hearty applause following his performance.
It’s his first show at the Brewery since the pandemic started and he’s a little apprehensive. But that’s not noticed by the guests.
“I have him here all the time we love him,” said Charday Vanorstrand, manager at Galveston Island Brewery. Four songs into the first set, Reed gives the crowd one of his own songs, “Let ME Out of This Box,” a slightly forlorn piece with a woman requesting help from a man to find “the more” to life.
Working in a hospital in Texarkana, Reed had the opportunity to become an EMT, but his drinking cost him his job.
“I grew up on a little pig farm,” he says of life in his hometown of Murchison. His parents divorced when he was 10, leaving him with a need and desire to have his father in his life for discipline and guidance.
“A boy needs a dad to tell him to cut it out,” he proclaimed.
Reed was 15 years old when he started drinking and 24 when he was arrested and charged with a DUI. His drinking also cost him a relationship with his 10-year-old son.
“My son’s mom couldn’t handle my drinking, so she moved back to Arkansas.” said Reed.
Galveston audiences love his work. “Whether on the strand or outdoors, Jaredd knows how to please a crowd. His mix of both folk and Americana always pleases the people,” said Mark Dell’Osso, owner of Galveston Island Brewery.
He’s been a regular musical performer in Galveston since he first came to town in 2015. “I was going to get a boat and go to the Keys,” said Reed. “Then I met my wife (who will receive her medical degree from UTMB this spring).”
Waiting for his wife’s residency appointment has him a bit up in the air about his own future, but he knows what he wants to do. “I want to play more of my own work and I want to get into festivals, rodeos and other big events,” said Reed.
