Brett Dennen
Friday, November 9, 2018 at 8PM at Troy Savings Bank
Singer-songwriter Brett Dennen shares his California folk sensibilities with sweet-natured pop with hits like “Ain’t No Reason” & “Wild Child”. The singer's mostly acoustic tunes lean toward uplift and peace. He's able to crank out big pop songs complete with splashy keyboards, catchy hooks and danceable beats, yet Dennen can strip his sound down to just his voice and a guitar with equally captivating results.
Singer-songwriter Brett Dennen is a contemplative introvert by nature, an adventurer by soul, and the great communicator by effect. Much of his music stems inspiration from indulging in the natural environment around him – from camping trips along the Sierra Nevada mountain range to climbing Everest and Kilimanjaro. In the consistent succession of six previous albums released since his self-titled 2005 debut, Dennen has fluidly motioned between worlds of self-reflection and discovery, and interacting with the environment outside of the self.
His last album, released in 2016, titled Por Favor which, from Spanish, translates to “please,” suggested a need for something, a desire to make a change; a word that Dennen felt alluded to asking for something to come into your life. Now, with his latest release, Let’s, he makes a conscious effort to step out, and create an open-ended invitation to band together with friends and strangers alike to create a “somewhat of a party,” he says, “a comfy environment where people can work together for common goals.”
Let’s is the first in a series of two EPs created with songwriter/producer Dan Wilson (Adele, Dixie Chicks) for 2018 release. The album is evidence of Dennen’s inherent ability to create community amongst listeners. As someone whose endeavors include a mountain town ski “Lift” series advancing environmental activism in the winter, and a beach “Vacationer” series supporting local environment preservation in the summer, Dennen has found a niche way of incorporating his love of music and the outdoors into his live tours.
Dennen is also an avid painter, most prominently with watercolors, creating artwork that can be seen in much of the branding for his albums, as well as his side projects. With an evolving appreciate for food and beverage, he developed his own line of wine Rosés, consequently named Dennen Wines, for which he also incorporates his artwork onto the labels. The California Rosé of the collection scored a 91 on Wine Spectator. Out of all wines, Dennen picked Rosé because he feels it “celebrates being alive,” and as a drink that is perfect for any gathering, any season, it goes hand-in-hand with everything that Let’s represents.
Dennen currenlty resides in Northern California.
Erin Rae, whose genre-fusing mix of traditional folk and indie-rock has landed her collaborations with artists like Margo Price and Andrew Combs—not to mention critical acclaim from some of the world’s top music media, including Rolling Stone, NPR, and the BBC—is finally stepping out into the spotlight with her new album Putting On Airs. The album is out June 8, 2018 on Single Lock Records.
Buoying the release is Rae’s reputation as an enthralling live performer, which has earned her the respect of Nashville peers and music notables alike, including Grammy Award winner John Paul White, who has signed her to his Florence, Alabama-based label, Single Lock Records. Rae joins a Single Lock roster that includes Nicole Atkins, St. Paul And The Broken Bones, and White himself, who said “When I first heard Erin’s compelling voice, I knew nothing about her. It was live, with no intro (she was opening for friends of mine), and I was instantly transfixed. I couldn’t wait to engage, and that’s something I very seldom feel, much less do. I was thrilled to find out her personality was as engaging as her voice and songs, and that she was looking for a home. I couldn’t be happier to be hitching our wagons together.”