Pages tagged “brett dennen”

Singer/songwriter wears influences on sleeves, pant legs, headband, socks…

The temptation is to dismiss Brett Dennen as the sort of derivative ’70s-style singer/songwriter that serves as triple-A radio’s foundation. But maybe the way to look at Hope for the Hopeless—the California native’s third album—is less as the work of a provocative newcomer and more as period drama: historical fiction based in the early-’70s sound of Bob Dylan and The Band, with Van Morrison and Neil Young dropping by. A perfect example is “Wrong About Me,” a “Saint Dominic’s Preview” of an anthem that uses a familiar sound to tackle one of Van’s favorite subjects: professional criticism. Besides a forgettable jaunt into Afro-influenced pop (featuring a bored-sounding Femi Kuti), there’s nothing new about Hopeless, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Beyond mere aping, Dennen uses these stylistic references and songwriting anachronisms as colors in his paint box. For those still enthralled by the lyrical twists and midtempo folk-rocking of 1972, this record will be manna from heaven.

Since the advent of the DVR, sports are about the only thing I watch live on TV. So the Olympic Games have reintroduced me to the TV commercial, something I've managed to avoid outside of college football season and the occasional Braves game. And the quality of music has been a pleasant surprise (even a crappy beer like Bud Light—or Bud Light Lime—has the sense to use Santogold). Here are the best songs in commercials running during the Olympic Games:

I am writing from UC Berkeley, on the day of my mother’s birthday. My whole family is coming to the show tonight. Having family in the audience always makes it special. We are playing Zellerbach hall, an intimidating and stunning venue. Though I love San Francisco, it is nice to play in the East Bay for a change.

Remember last month, when we announced that Brett Dennen announced that he would be going on a tour sponsored by Yours Truly? Well, we decided that we liked sponsoring tours so much that we’d add a few more artists to the bill. You officially have two more reasons to go see the “red-headed musical sensation,” and those two reasons would be Mason Jennings and Aussie Missy Higgins.

This tour should be chock-full of new material, too. Jennings, just signed to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records, is ready for the May 20 release date of In The Ever, his sixth album. And if you’re lucky, he might perform one of the two songs he was asked to record for the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There.

Higgins also has a new album, entitled On A Clear Night, released last year. And Dennen’s new album is tentatively scheduled for this summer.

The tour kicks off May 1 in Indianapolis, and will be going, going, going all through the month of May.

To buy tickets, click here.

Dates:

May
1 - The Vogue @ Indianapolis, Ind.
3 - Orange Peel @ Asheville, N.C.
4 - City Hall @ Nashville, Tenn.
6 - Variety Playhouse @ Atlanta, Ga.
7 - Workplay @ Birmingham, Ala.
8 - House of Blues @ New Orleans, La.
9 - La Zona Rosa @ Austin, Texas
10 - SF Brewing Co. @ Santa Fe, N.M.
13 - Santa Monica High @ Santa Monica, Calif.
14 - Santa Monica High @ Santa Monica, Calif.
15 - Zelerbach Hall @ Berkeley, Calif.
16 - Roseland Theatre @ Portland, Ore.
17 - Showbox Theatre @ Seattle, Wash.
18 - Indigo District @ Eugene, Ore.
19 - Commodore Ballroom @ Vancouver, BC
21 - The Paladium @ Salt Lake City, Utah
22 - Ogden Theatre @ Denver, Colo.
23 - Belly Up Tavern @ Aspen, Colo.

Related links:
MissyHiggins.com
MasonJennings.com
BrettDennen.com

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

Has anyone called Brett Dennen a “red-headed musical sensation?” If not, let me be the first to bestow such a rhetorical honor upon Mr. Dennen. After all, if the shoes fits...

Anyway, red-headed musical sensation Brett Dennen had a big year in 2007. He garnered some excellent press coverage and sold out shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. This year, Dennen hits the big(ger) time, as he launches a Paste-sponsored tour on May 1. Mason Jennings and Missy Higgins will be along for the ride, so be sure to catch the entire gang this coming month of flowers.

Red-headed musical sensation Brett Dennen on tour:

May
1 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Vogue
2 - New Orleans, La. @ Jazzfest
3 - Asheville, N.C. @ The Orange Peel
4 - Nashville, Tenn. @ City Hall
6 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse
7 - Birmingham, Ala. @ WorkPlay Theatre
8 - New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
9 - Austin, Texas @ La Zona Rosa
10 - Santa Fe, N.M. @ Santa Fe Brewing Patio
11 - Tucson, Ariz. @ Rialto Theatre (*Brett and Missy only)
13 - Santa Monica, Calif. @ Barnum Hall at Santa Monica High
14 - Santa Monica, Calif. @ Barnum Hall at Santa Monica High
15 - Berkeley, Calif. @ Zellerbach Auditorium
16 - Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theater
17 - Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox at the Market
18 - Eugene, Ore. @ Indigo District
21 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Paladium
22 - Denver, Colo. @ Ogden Theatre
23 - Aspen, Colo. @ Belly Up

Related links:
BrettDennen.net
Brett Dennen on MySpace
RealmofRedheads.com

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

Brett Dennen will support fellow singer-songwriter John Mayer on several dates of his upcoming cross-country tour. Mayer has been a pretty vocal fan of the red-headed, California newcomer, heralding him as “timeless.” We’ll have to see about that, as he’s only on album two (So Much More, released on Dualtone Music Group last year). Dennen’s songs are, at least, omnipresent in the world of hit television, having been played on Grey’s Anatomy, House and Scrubs. Better that than overly-quirky incidental music.

Here are the dates:

June:
27 – North Minneapolis, Minn. @ Fine Line Music Café
28 – Chicago, Ill. @ Charter One Pavillion*
29 – Chicago, Ill. @ Charter One Pavillion*
30 – Noblesville, Ind. @ Verion Wireless Music Center*

July:
1 – Cuyahoga falls, Ohio @ Blossom Music Center*
3 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Marcus Amphitheatre*
5 – Quincy, Calif. @ High Sierra Music Festival
6 – Quincy, Calif @ High Sierra Music Festival
9 – San Diego, Calif. @ House of Blues
10 – Long Beach, Calif. @ Fingerprints Record Store
10 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Henry Fonda Theatre
11 – San Francisco, Calif. @ On-Air KFOG
12 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Fillmore
14 – Hartford, Connecticus @ New England Dodge Music Center*
15 – Saratoga Springs, N.Y. @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center*
16 – Toronto, Ont. @ The Mod Club
18 – Montreal, Quebec @ Café Campus
20 – Portland, Maine @ Space Gallery
21 – Camden, N.J. @ XPoNential Music Festival
22 – Atlantic City, N.J. @ Borgata Event Center*
27 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Velvet Underground at the Starlite Room
28 – Calgary, Alberta @ Calgary Folk Festival
29 – Calgary, Alberta @ Calgary Folk Festival
30 – Vancouver, B.C. @ The Media Club

August:
3 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
4 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox
18 – Lyons, Col. @Lyons Folk Festival
25 – Ojai, Calif. @ Libbey Bowl

January:
19 – Miami, Fla. @ The Rock Boat 2008

*with John Mayer

Related links:
BrettDennen.com
Brett Dennen MySpace
JohnMayer.com
DualTone.com

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.