Big Water performs at the Jazz Station in Eugene
Big Water is a dedication to Oregon's great rivers through music in hopes of raising awareness towards the importance of abundant fish migration.
- Ross Garlow bass, vocals, composer
- Joe Manis saxophone
- Torrey Newhart keyboards
- Adam Carlson drums
- Chris Clark Johnson guitar
Ross Garlow is a native of Southeastern Pennsylvania. During Ross’s youth he played a variety of instruments, but chose bass as his focus while earning his undergraduate degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and his graduate degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Immediately after grad school in 2015, Ross spent three and a half years as a music director on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries, and leading musicians from all over the world.
In late 2018, Ross decided to end his time on cruise ships and relocate to the west coast, calling Portland, OR his new home. Very quickly Ross became one of the highly regarded session bass players in Portland. Ross has always had an itch to be in the great outdoors, therefore the Pacific Northwest couldn’t have been a more ideal place for Ross to start a new life. Outside of music, Ross’s greatest passion is being a fisherman, on his whitewater raft going down rapids, on the hunt for making that connection with anadromous fish. The way of a steelheader, living in constant adventure, has inspired Ross to record and release his first solo record entitled Big Water. Big Water was released in August 2025. Big Water is a dedication to Oregon’s great rivers, the importance of abundant fish migration, taking out deadbeat dams, and keeping public land off the government's for sale list.
