Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Patrick Galanis Jr. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Patrick, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I started playing guitar at age 13, my parents got me a cheap TV ad acoustic guitar for Christmas and after about 6 months it completely fell apart, haha! For the first few years I took lessons from a couple of great music teachers local to the Winchester, Virginia area.

I don’t know if there is anything that I could have done to “speed” up the process, I was always really dedicated to learning the craft. I feel that hard work, consistency and patience is key to anything you want to accomplish, not just in music, but in life as well.

I think there are many essential skills to learning your craft. I would say the first that comes to mind would be determination. There were days I didn’t feel like picking up my guitar or singing. There were days people would say you’ll never amount to anything, or that you suck etc. I’ve always been determined to do what I love no matter what anyone says even in the times of my own self doubt.

The second being kindness, it’s important to always be kind to people and treat people how you want to be treated, its cliché to say that but it’s important to always be grateful for the opportunities your given and the people you get to meet along the way. I’ve played with a lot of artists in the past 15 years, from local garage bands to rock and roll legends and I’ve seen how much a little kindness can go a long way to creating lasting fellowships.

There are many obstacles, one of the biggest I would say is time. It can be hard to make time to learn and continue to grow as an artist.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Howdy, my name is Patrick Galanis Jr (32). I sing and play guitar in the southern rock band called Southern Governor.

I was born and raised in the foothills of northern Virginia, me and my two younger brothers (Josh & Stacey) started the band in early 2009 based out of Winchester, Virginia.

Shortly after forming the band we went into the studio to record our debut record called “It’s My Time” with our friend Chris Robertson of Black Stone Cherry. In 2013 once officially released, that album would help spread the word about us, not only in the states but also selling copies all across the world.

After many years of blood, sweat, tears and turning gears from whiskey soaked bars to festivals we’ve had the opportunity to share the stage with some of our childhood hero’s.

In Sept 2020 we released a new single to rock radio called Memphis Train, recorded and produced completely by the band, right down to filming and editing the music video.

Currently we have spent the last few years writing and recording new songs for a upcoming album release.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve always been a true believer that music heals, it can speak where words or actions fail. I’m a Christian and I truly believe that God has worked through me to help people through my music.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s incredibly rewarding when someone reaches out to tell me how my bands music has helped them in some way.

Contact Info:

• Website: southerngovernor.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/southerngovernor
• Facebook: facebook.com/southerngovernor
• Twitter: twitter.com/southrngovrnor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialSouthernGov

Image Credits
Starlight Images Wicked Photography by Jess