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Barry Brenner at the Foundry on Melrose' Bluesy Tuesday
By Jonathan Weichsel
Once a week The Foundry on Melrose is transported back in time, and transplanted to the Deep South for Bluesy Tuesday, where true American food and music is celebrated and preserved in a laid back lounge setting.
The artist performing the evening I attended was Barry Brenner. With his beard, sunglasses, and hat Mr. Brenner looks like a man from another era. He sounds like a man from another era too. Mr. Brenner plays national resonator guitars. These mechanically amplified guitars predate the electric guitar. Pre-war blues singers liked them because they could be heard above noisy crowds. Mr. Brenner's voice is deep and gravely, and very suited for the blues.
Mr. Brenner's singing channels both the ups of the roaring 1920's and the downs of the great depression with equal prescience. This was a time when one guy with a guitar could entertain and get people dancing. At the top of the show Mr. Brenner said, "This is the blues as they were, and still are." As the evening progressed the audience couldn't help but get up out of their seats and start dancing, proving that this music is still as alive today as it was 90 years ago.
The classic songs were all made relevant through Mr. Brenner's faithful performances. Some of the highlights were Mississippi John Hurt's Spike Driver Blues, which recounts the famous story of John Henry and his hammer, Blind Blake's Hard Pushing Papa, with its lyrics that are risqué even by today's standards, and Leadbelly's Easy Rider, a variation of the more well known C.C. Rider. Easy rider is a sexual term, denoting a girlfriend or lover.
Barry Brenner, on stage with just his four guitars, is able to capture the essence, or maybe the spirit, of another era. Americans partied throughout the 1920's, and then the 1930's were like the hangover. By preserving the music of this era, by bringing the music into our time, Mr. Brenner gives his audience a lesson in history that is more vital than anything that can be gleamed from any book.
The Foundry is a bar, restaurant and lounge located on the bohemian-hipster stretch of Melrose Avenue. The couches in the lounge are comfy, and you can just sink right into them and feel relaxed at once. Steve, the host, is very social, and was walking around all evening chatting with patrons. The owner Eric, who is also the head chef, is very social as well, and came out of the kitchen whenever he could to listen to the music and ask patrons how their food was.
Beyond the classy setting and the great food, it is just nice to be in a lounge full of real music lovers who appreciate that good old classic American sound.
If you want to learn more about Barry Brenner, including upcoming shows, visit his website at www.BigBBrenner.com.
The Foundry on Melrose is located at 7465 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046. The Bluesy Tuesday program runs every Tuesday. The music starts around 8:30, but you might want to get there around 8:00 to grab one of the ultra-comfy couches in the lounge.
JEFFREY HALFORD AND THE HEALERS
By Staff Writer
Acclaimed Americana singer /songwriter Jeffrey Halford didn't set out to write a political song. But things changed the day he was driving through the bucolic Sonoma Valley of the Moon and saw the ripped remnants of an American flag flying high atop a lone Eucalyptus tree. That singular vision inspired his new single, "Cry of Hope."
No stranger to calling out American injustices, Halford believes we're at a crossroads. The tattered flag he saw that day encapsulates all that is right and wrong about America today. And change is what he believes is the answer. Recorded live without any overdubs in one inspired session, Halford's acoustic guitar is complemented by the Healers' Adam Rossi on keyboards, Paul Olguin on bass and Billy Lee Lewis on drums. Halford has released five critically acclaimed CDs. Broken Chord reached #12 on the Americana charts. His unique sound blends blues, rock, pop, country and soul in a stew all his own.
Based in San Francisco over the last 15 years, he tours the country with his band, the Healers. They've played shows with some of the most acclaimed artists and songwriters, including Taj Mahal, Los Lobos, Etta James, The Radiators, Robert Earl Keen, John Hammond, Augie Meyers, Dave Alvin, Guy Clark, and Chuck Prophet, among others. His newest and fifth CD, "Railbirds," is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed "Hunkpapa." His original roots rock 'n roll songs etch a uniquely American, and specifically California, landscape. The reviews for "Hunkpapa" encapsulate what makes Halford so distinctive and compelling:
Halford was nominated in multiple categories at the 2007 South Bay Music Awards ("Songwriter Of The Year," "Blues Artist/Group Of The Year," (and) "Male Vocalist Of The Year." Jeffrey was also nominated in the "Best Blues Vocalist" category for the 2007 Los Angeles Music Awards
Halford's song "Rock N' Fire" was recently featured on a nationally-syndicated radio show, BLUES DELUXE, heard weekly over one-hundred-plus stations throughout the U.S. and Canada with a two-million-plus listenership. Three tracks from BROKEN CHORD have been added to regular rotation on KPIG-FM in San Francisco. This past summer, BROKEN CHORD remained in the Top 20 Americana Charts for nine consecutive weeks, receiving over 3,500 spins - placing it on a par with such renowned artists as Wilco, Steve Earl and Ryan Adams.
Jeffrey Halford and the Healers headline Cozy's Blues Club, 14058 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, Friday, December 12. 9 p.m. $12. Info: (818) 986-6000 or log onto www.cozysblues.com.
www.jeffreyhalford.com
www.myspace.com/jeffreyhalfordandthehealers
Jd Webb Lets Us Know What He Needs This Christmas
By Staff Writer
Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer, Jd Webb has a soulful voice and a fantastic ear for music. He has been around the music block and been noted as a "prolific songwriter" by both Rolling Stone and CCM Magazine and an esteemed recipient of Billboard Magazine's "stamp of approval." Not too shabby.
Jd has recently released a single entitled, "Everything I Need This Christmas" just in time for the holidays. Webb shares, "The song is about having the people you love around during the holidays-it's what Christmas is all about, the simple things like loved ones getting together. It's everything I need around the holidays."
"Everything I Need this Christmas" is getting national radio airplay and people everywhere are asking for more Jd Webb. Too bad the Christmas track isn't a full length album. Fans don't have to be totally disappointed though, Webb has a new solo album coming out on February 10, 2009-- just in time for another special holiday, Valentine's Day.
In fact, the timing is smart. Bringing romance back to music is the root of Jd Webb's artistry. Valentine's Day is the perfect tie in for this musical Casanova. "I feel like most guys don't know how to romance a lady and most women don't insist or expect it. Being a hopeless romantic, I love the poetry of chivalry," shares Webb. "Letting my record out before Valentine's Day just made sense."
Valley Scene Magazine had a chance to sit with this stylish gentleman.
VS: What has the transition from mega pop group to solo R&B artist been like for you?
JW: The transition has been a breath of fresh air. I've always considered myself a solo artist. It's great to be writing, producing and performing my own music. You know, navigating my own ship so to speak.
VS: Why did you decide to start your own label? What kind of experience did you have to do such a difficult task?
JW: I've been in two major record deals and it's always been my dream to have my own label. I spent a lot of time hanging out at my former labels going from department to department and learning exactly what they do and a great deal of time studying the nuts and bolts of record labels. Once I felt I had a good handle on that, I got a business plan together and really began pursuing that dream. Meanwhile, I was also talking to major labels about my music, because one way or the other, I was going to get this project out. It felt like it was inside about to boil over. Fortunately it worked out and everything fell into place. I'm thrilled.
VS: Do you plan to tour soon?
JW: Absolutely! Look for me in a city near you in 2009.
VS: Tell us more about your Christmas single hitting radio nationally at this very moment.
JW: It's very exciting. I really wanted to write a fun, light hearted Christmas song that you'd want to hear year after year. The response has been amazing.
VS: Why didn't you choose to let out an entire Christmas album?
JW: Honestly, it was just a time factor thing. I was knee deep in recording "The Introduction" when we recorded "Everything I Need This Christmas." I couldn't do both, but I'd love to record a full length Christmas CD next year.
VS: What can we expect out of your debut album?
JW: Expect a soulful, passionate, romantic CD. A project that makes you want to fall in love or fall in love all over again. It's a musical journey through the highs and lows of love and life.