A Little JB @ the Soda Shop
31 Days of Brannan – Day 18
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Today’s Playlist – Soda Shop
First off, I’ll take Jay’s video posts regardless of his level of dress or even undress. To my way of thinking: Jay can do whatever the hell he wants. No matter what it is. At the very least, I can be guaranteed that it’ll be entertaining in some way, shape or form. He hasn’t let me down yet.
I particularly like this entry because it’s a song that was hard to come by (he’s since corrected that by posting it to iTunes and the like). Also, I love the Toilet Studio rendition. The acoustics are perfect to allow him to resonate beautifully for this song. Even down to the additional “orchestration” at the end. Brilliant fun, that.
It’s another story song – I am sure you’re beginning to see what the appeal is for Brannan’s work. But hey, I am good with that. He does story songs so beautifully. They’re melodic, hummable, toe-tapping (in this case) and emotive. But then again, Jay’s never been anything if not emotive. And i don’t mean that to be harsh. Everything he does is fairly slathered with it. But that’s a good thing (I think so, anyway).
Soda Shop is from the movie he also appeared in called Short Bus. I really liked the film and Brannan in it. As for the music posting I have in today’s blog, I like his little rant before he plays the song. I love it when an artist has some real conviction and, I dunno, -verve? -oomph? ah, no, cajones. Yeah, that’s what that swagga is. I sorta love how he pushes back a little at his critics of his youtube postings. I like that he rails a bit against how the movie that he is quite literally proud of – and he has every right to be – was sidelined by IMDB because it didn’t fit into the norms of standard (mainstream) filmmaking.
Anyway, Jay’s already on the tour and living a life out of suitcases. I hope his houses are packed each night and that it proves to be a very lucrative (both monetarily and emotively) for him. From one artist to another – I wish him success with it all.
The Always, Then & Now Tour…
Please check out his site with links for his upcoming shows. I am definitely a late comer to the Brannan bandwagon whenever he pulls through my city. But now that I am going this year, I am making it a goal never to miss when he swings through town. I hope you take advantage of the opportunity as well. Also be sure to check out his web store at the following link.
- Jay’s Website – jaybrannan.com
Leaving on a jet plane…
31 Days of Brannan – Day 16
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Today’s Playlist – Leaving On A Jet Plane
As Jay embarks on his tour this week… I was drawn to this one more than any other from his youtube channel.
I never heard the version that Jay is riffing off of. Not to say that whatever version that Jay is using to put his own spin on it isn’t good. I like this rendition of this classic song – this evocative moment he calls upon. But my memory of this song is long reaching. As I approach the half-centennial mark in my life (yeah, you NEVER think you’ll write those words about yourself – EVER…), I have so many renditions of this song that play right along with Jay’s plaintive and emotive posting on his youtube channel.
Good songwriting never grows old or wears out it’s welcome. This song is definitely in that pantheon of classic tunes. Instantly memorable, even if you’ve never had the benefit of hearing it before.
I could expound upon the memories this song evokes for me, from the time I was a child and watched it being performed my Peter, Paul and Mary (though penned by John Denver back in ’66) on some TV variety show later on in that decade. I could talk about that. I could also remember how this song was one of my family’s traveling songs. Songs we played on an 8-track (yes, you read that right) tape player. Along with a classic Dionne Warwick tape of Valley of the Dolls (still one of my all time classic LPs of the era), Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66, and the Fifth Dimension. This was a very classic era of pop song writing.
I know I could wax poetically about that era of writing. How very little writing of this era even remotely matches the hooks, the arrangements or the prose of that emotionally charged part of our past.
I could write about all of that…and quite a bit more.
But I won’t.
Why?
Simple: Jay does it all so beautifully in this posting. It’s plaintive, it’s emotive, it carries all the history and sentimentality for older guys like me. It’s the simplicity of it that grips the heart and dares you to let go.
So, I’ll just leave it at this. Do what you do so well, Mr. Brannan.
…and I’ll keep on remembering my days long past. Thank you for bringing them back, like faded photos in an album I keep in my head – that can only be opened with my heart.
Brilliant.
The Always, Then & Now Tour…
Please check out his site with links for his upcoming shows. I am definitely a late comer to the Brannan bandwagon whenever he pulls through my city. But now that I am going this year, I am making it a goal never to miss when he swings through town. I hope you take advantage of the opportunity as well. Also be sure to check out his web store at the following link.
- Jay’s Website – jaybrannan.com
It’s All In The Story…
31 Days of Brannan – Day 12
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Today’s Playlist – Jolene
[Dolly Parton Cover]
So storytelling… and songs. I miss those times back in the seventies when storytelling in songs reigned supreme. It was the era of concept LP’s (yeah, we referred to albums that way – Long Playing records, or LPs). The singers and bands back then were always trying to come up with story like premises where all of the songs evoked a story with a solid beginning, middle and epic ending.
They were monumental in scope and people ate them up.
They were all well and good. Concept LPs were a whole lot of fun. Thematically they worked on many levels. But with today’s selection I am thinking more along the lines of a singular piece that tells a definite story.
Like, Angie Baby (which was always one of my favorites because it crossed into that realm of intrigue with a soupçon of horror or otherworldliness.
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Angie Baby is a song that I liked because of this otherworldly element. A psycho Alice in Wonderland sort of thing. Going down the rabbit hole. A Carrie on acid, if you will.
But there were others… Take for instance Vicki Lawrence’s Nights Went Out in Georgia.
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Both of these songs have that mystery, an evocative feeling that permeates the tale they are spinning. They are both cautionary tales, much like my choice by Jay today.
Jolene is one of those golden story songs – cautionary in that it is a plea from someone who is confident that in a showdown of love, the person singing the song would come out the loser. Dolly’s a brilliant song writer – of that there is little doubt. But I find it quite interesting how many times this song of her has been covered by other artists (both male and female alike). It is universal in that a love triangle is one of the most cautionary tales we can spin. Where, unless they all choose to walk away from one another, someone will definitely come out the loser.
I miss this era of songwriting. There are many others that fit this formula that are all memorable for being solid storytelling. I suppose it is my love of this particular type of writing that I am drawn to Brannan’s work. Brannan is also a master tunesmith. His prose is tight and well thought out. Measured like a master craftsman – layering at the right moments, revealing only when absolutely the right moment for the greatest effect.
I suppose one could classify them as folk songs. But they are so much more than that. The songs are humanist in nature. Dark thoughts mingling with the lighter (C’mon, Jay’s not known for flowery, running through pastoral scenes skipping and the wearing of rose colored glasses).
It’s cool. I’m good with it. Drama sells way more than light and airy.
Like one of my fellow opera singers said one time during a rehearsal of Cavalleria Rusticana – one of the most over the top drama operas ever written. He said:
Of course it’s over the top… who’d come to see a happy opera?
The same holds true for Jay’s work. I don’t know if his brand of storytelling would be as poignant or provocative if he sang happy thoughts all the time. It’d probably get old real quick. So yeah, I’ll take the darkly amorous Jay Brannan over his lighter fare doppelgänger any day. It just works for him.
I’m good with that…
The Always, Then & Now Tour…
Please check out his site with links for his upcoming shows. I am definitely a late comer to the Brannan bandwagon whenever he pulls through my city. But now that I am going this year, I am making it a goal never to miss when he swings through town. I hope you take advantage of the opportunity as well. Also be sure to check out his web store at the following link.
- Jay’s Website – jaybrannan.com
He does it… Beautifully…
31 Days of Brannan – Day 7
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Today’s Playlist – Beautifully (and the Behind the scenes)
I love the idea of pairing these two videos. Here is where Jay is pure bard. He spins one tale from the text of the song itself but with a clever and well chosen production crew they come up with a spin on it that is really a lovely twist on presenting the same tale but with a subtext that is just as riveting as the prose of the song.
The video is cast perfectly, with the strong chinned hero of the story – calling up the Hollywood leading men of the golden age of movie making. Indeed, the entire art direction was spot on with how they blended the classic films of that era and the behind the scenes of producing those types of classic movies.
The woman cast as the starlet who has fallen in love with her co-star (though he feigns either indifference or her status in “his” Hollywood isn’t up to snuff. He’s nice about it but his cold shoulder between ‘takes’ sets a very clear line in the sand between them). I also love the inference that she takes no notice of Jay’s character who seems to look longingly at her but as a theatre usher or bellboy (I couldn’t really tell which) he is beneath her noticing his interest – in other words, the cycle continues unabated.
This video works on many levels and I particularly liked the behind the scenes that he posted. Having a daughter who was a cinema major only increased my desire to look behind the creation of various cinema projects. I always look for behind the scene sequences on any DVD or digital download from iTunes. They’re sort of my guilty pleasure. I am just addicted to the creative process. Sort of a junkie for that sort of thing. Even though I spent many a hour under the spotlight of the stage, I was actually more at home hanging out with the production crew. I worked for a theatrical distributor (of theatre lighting and sound equipment and such) so the tech/production crew were my peeps. I understood them. I get what they’re about. Sure performing is cool and all – and I’ve been lucky enough to play to some very large houses but the tech crew were always home to me.
So thanks Jay for posting this. The people who are often only names during the credit roll. I think it’s totally cool that you gave them a moment on your channel.
I got to have my guilty pleasure of a BTS moment, and got to enjoy the fruits of your (and your crews) labors.
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The Always, Then & Now Tour…
Sidebar: I bought my Deluxe Package from Jay Brannan’s store for the tour he’s embarking on now. The cost of the deluxe package is $40 and you get quite a bit for it. There are other packages as well. But that isn’t why I did it. I did it because I truly feel indebted to this man of words and music. I am enriched by his musical musings and experiences. I am emboldened to discover that I am not alone in my dreams and fears. And for that I will always support him and do what I can to spread the word.
The deluxe tour package from Jay Brannan’s merchandise store – get this or many other offerings from his site.
Please check out his site with links for his upcoming shows. I am definitely a late comer to the Brannan bandwagon whenever he pulls through my city. But now that I am going this year, I am making it a goal never to miss when he swings through town. I hope you take advantage of the opportunity as well. Also be sure to check out his web store at the following link.
- Jay’s Website – jaybrannan.com