a little bit of brett

November 5, 2009

Bretts talks about GPN at about the 2:50 mark – oh yeah, step up the rockin’!

{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Todd November 5, 2009 at 9:00 pm: hehehehe sorry didn’t make it that far … Stop The Bus!?!?! 8*O I gotta go self meditate
2 PQ November 6, 2009 at 12:05 am: He better step it up or else he will just be another headlines that was blown away by the opening band!
3 toofarnorth November 6, 2009 at 1:17 am: Can’t wait to hear reports about these shows. It is a bit of an odd musical mix to be sure, but discovering new artists / bands is a big part of the fun . . bet both GPN and Brett pick up new fans from the tour.
I like most of Brett’s work – especially his lyrics. He has crafted his music to suit his unusual voice making it hard to imagine his songs being sung as effectively by anyone else. . . would love to hear Grace cover one of my favorites though.

RE: his lyrics . . from Daytrotter ’s piece on him . . http://tinyurl.com/lpo4rz

For many people, graciousness and benevolence is a forced makeover that is shown when it’s most needed, when that look will benefit them, and then it’s dialed back almost completely, as if it’s being saved for the most opportune times, but Dennen sounds as if he, or the characters he writes in his songs don’t have those selfish bones. The great thing about this whole situation is that it never comes off as goodie-goodie, but more like someone wanting to write songs from the perspective of and as a decent human being. It’s warming and it’s surprisingly unique. It affects you. You feel like going out and finding a child that just fell and scraped up their knees on the playground and pull them back up, console them and very innocently give them a couple bucks for an ice cream cone, whenever the truck comes around the block. You want to be better yourself, damn it.
4 owllover November 6, 2009 at 9:47 am: I also grew up listening and loving Natalie Merchant and the 10,000 maniacs. and I can assure you I am MUCH older than Brett!

guy has talent, no doubt. very strange mix though…but I bet they work it out.
5 joester November 6, 2009 at 11:06 am: I like Natalie Merchant also – and some of the older 10,000 maniacs stuff.
I’ll admit that Brett’s music does nothing for me, and that’s ok.
I don’t expect everybody to like everything I like –
life would be pretty boring if we were all the same.
Shoot, I’m still amazed that after 31 years, the Radiators aren’t more popular than they are, or that Gov’t Mule isn’t bigger than Kanye West – it’s a strange world out there!
once again, different strokes for different folks.
jam on – and have a great November!
6 Tedheadone November 6, 2009 at 1:41 pm: Tipi, after you self meditate, it’s time for a brewski !!
7 Todd November 6, 2009 at 2:05 pm: Makes life a lot easier don’t it Joe? While my favorite (Little Feat) band will probably never be in the R&R hall of fame … The Only reason I want Everyone to like the bands I do is cause that’s how they get paid. If they could live off of the money from … Say … Bonaroo w/2000 people. Or The Higher Ground with 50 close friends … I’d vote for the empty house show every time!
Tedhead … I’ll think about it
8 Charles November 7, 2009 at 4:59 pm: I’m a new fan, and think Grace has what it takes to be a hugely successful. After seeing two shows in the last year, I was eager to drag a bunch of friends to her next show in Denver. However, she is listed as the support act and will play less than an hour in a small theater she packed as a headliner a year ago. I might go myself, but my friends won’t spend $26+ for a short show. If the “powers that be” want to increase her exposure as a support act, she should hook up with a rock and roll arena tour like Pearl Jam, who just toured w/ Ben Harper and also My Morning Jacket a few years ago. I can imagine fans of bands like PJ or MMJ really getting into her. I mean no offense to Brett Deenan, it just seems like an odd pairing.
9 Charles November 7, 2009 at 5:18 pm: OK- so I am such a newbie I didn’t know she had toured and opened for Gov’t Mule. That makes more sense to me.
10 Tedheadone November 7, 2009 at 9:16 pm: Charles..and Black Crowes and few dates for DMB
11 owllover November 8, 2009 at 9:09 am: Let’s not forget MOE…they also did some touring with them!

Charles I feel ya, I said the same thing. it’s tough to encourage friends to see a short set of GPN, even though it would be worth the money, the fact of the matter is money isn’t something that most people have in large supply. you have to pick and choose these days. I’d love to be going to see my first Widepsread Panic show but I simply don’t have the cash right now! so, I’ll wait it out and catch them when I do.
12 kired November 8, 2009 at 3:28 pm: Is the role of Brett being played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman?
13 owllover November 8, 2009 at 4:00 pm: no, Brett is Phillip’s red haired brother from another mother!
14 Todd November 9, 2009 at 7:46 pm: hehehehe Brett Dennon Hoffman? Charles … Not just owlover … your post is basically what long time fans have been discussing for years. Lucky enough to have seen them in Really small places … We all spoke even then about their inevitable career path and how much we would miss “The Unity Center” shows … Once the band was filling stadiums. This (to me) is just a transitional phase, opening for bigger acts in general. If you’re going to justify it you might as well open for someone whose music seems “an odd fit” … At least their audience has probably never heard/seen you before. But I think we’re both more excited for the next GPN/Mule Tour than a short GPN set and a long Brett show!
15 joester November 10, 2009 at 8:54 am: Todd -
If I was lucky enough to win the lottery in the next 2 months – I’d fly the whole damn Posse to Jamaica in January – that GPN/Mule extravaganza in Negril sounds like heaven to us!
but at 2k/ea before airfare – the $$ is too much at this time.
we were lucky to have been at the Warfield when Grace sat in with Mule on Sept 26 for 3 songs -
that’s going to have to hold our GPN fix for a while.
Life is great!
16 Todd November 10, 2009 at 1:31 pm: And little feat is there with Taj this year. Man if I had the duckets I’d do both. Least I got some Blues & Lasers!