Brett Dennen

Last updated

Brett Dennen
Brett Dennen at Life is Good Festival, Canton, MA 2010.jpg
Brett Dennen live in concert
Background information
Birth nameBrett Michael Dennen [1]
Born (1969-10-28) October 28, 1969 (age 54)
Origin Oakdale, California, U.S.
Genres Folk
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active2003–present
Labels Dualtone, F-Stop, Three Angels and a Saint, Atlantic
Website www.brettdennen.net

Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1969) [2] [3] [4] [5] is an American folk/pop singer-songwriter from Central California. His seventh studio album, See the World was released in July 2021.

Contents

Early life

Dennen grew up in Central Valley, California in a small farm town; [6] [7] he was homeschooled. [8] He spent much of his time learning to play music. After becoming proficient in the guitar, he started to write his own songs. [9]

Dennen learned to play guitar while attending Camp Jack Hazard, [10] a residential summer camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. [11] His camp counselors played the music of Neil Young, John Denver, and Joni Mitchell, the same music that his parents listened to. [7] As an adolescent, he worked there as a counselor. [11] He has continued to help the camp, performing at a fundraiser in February 2012 for the Jack and Buena Foundation, which now runs Camp Jack Hazard. [12]

He attended Oakdale High School. [13] He graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2002, [6] where he was a student at Kresge College.[ citation needed ] He majored in sociology and philosophy, [7] with goals of becoming an educator, a teacher, or a community worker. [8] He also led numerous anti-smoking campaigns on campus. [14] He also began writing music with friends, and he eventually established a jam band, playing mandolin alongside an acoustic guitarist, bassist, hand drummer, and flutist. [7] He found writing music that everyone would like, however, "stifling and overwhelming." [6] [7]

After graduating college and remaining in Santa Cruz, Dennen moved to Los Angeles to perform. [6] In late 2003 and early 2004, he began to record his first album, [6] which he self-released. [7] A year after the album's release, Universal signed on as a distributor. [7]

Career

Dennen has been a part of The Mosaic Project, a San Francisco Bay Area-based nonprofit organization, since its inception.

In 2004, Dennen released his debut, self-titled album, Brett Dennen on an indie label, Three Angels and A Saint Records, produced by Dennen & Leslie Merical. Dennen eventually signed a record deal with Dualtone Records.

His second album, So Much More , includes the singles "Ain't No Reason", "She's Mine" and "Darlin' Do Not Fear".

Dennen also contributed a cover of "Private Life" to the 2006 tribute album Drink To Bones That Turn To Dust: A Toast To Oingo Boingo .

In an interview with American Songwriter magazine, Dennen acknowledged Paul Simon's significant influence on his music as well as commenting that Paul Simon's Graceland was one of his favorite albums. [15]

Dennen opened for John Mayer on his tour in 2008.

In 2008, "Darlin' Do Not Fear," from So Much More , was featured in the award-winning independent film Sherman's Way .

Dennen was named by Rolling Stone magazine as an "Artist to Watch," and in 2008, Entertainment Weekly called him one of its eight "Guys on the Rise". [16]

In 2008, Dennen, along with Jason Mraz, contributed the song "Long Road to Forgiveness" to the Survival International charity album Songs for Survival . Earlier in the fall, Dennen toured Australia with Pete Murray. In late October, Hope for the Hopeless, Dennen's third album, was released. The song "Ain't Gonna Lose You" was featured on Grey's Anatomy and topped the iTunes folk charts. The record reached No. 6 on the digital charts, and was followed by a successful mini-tour.

Dennen at Newport Folk Festival 2009 BrettDennen Newport.jpg
Dennen at Newport Folk Festival 2009

On August 1, 2009, Dennen performed at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island. [17]

On October 9, 2009, Dennen appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman .[ citation needed ] In 2010, Dennen played at the Oulipo Ballroom in Kentucky. He played a mixture of Paul Simon covers along with unreleased tracks from his upcoming album. His fourth album, Loverboy, was released on April 12, 2011. In 2009, Dennen's song "She's Mine" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie According to Greta ; in 2010, Dennen's song "Darlin' Do Not Fear" was featured on the soundtrack for the TV show Parenthood .

Dennen's fifth album, Smoke and Mirrors was released on October 22, 2013, along with its first single, "Wild Child." On October 24, "Sweet Persuasion" was featured on the TV show Parenthood.

"Comeback Kid (That's My Dog)" is the theme song on the NBC comedy About A Boy. The song was also used in the series finale of Wizards of Waverly Place.

On March 13, 2014, he appeared on episode 67 of Live From Daryl's House , [18] performing "Only Want You", "Wild Child", "Right As Rain", "When We Were Young", "What's Gunna Happen To Us", and "Don't Mess With Karma" with Daryl Hall and his house band.

In 2016, Dennen released his sixth studio album, Por Favor.

In January 2018, Dennen released a new single, "Already Gone." That same year, he released two EPs "simply to change it up." [11] The EP Here's Looking at You Kid?, a song that he says is about "life," was originally inspired by his loyal fans over the years, but began to include his personal speculation about what fatherhood might be like. [11]

Influences

Dennen counts "great songwriters" like Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, and Van Morrison among his biggest influences. [11] Among his favorite albums are Paul Simon's Graceland , Tom Petty's Wildflowers , Van Morrison's Veedon Fleece , the first Crosby Stills and Nash album, and Cat Stevens' album Buddha and the Chocolate Box . [6]

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Live albums and EPs

  • Peace EP (2006)
  • (More) So Much More (2007)
  • Live Sessions EP (iTunes exclusive) (2009)
  • Let's... (2018)
  • Here's Looking at You Kid (2018)

Singles

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
US
AAA
[19]
"Ain't No Reason"2006—So Much More
"She's Mine"200726
"Make You Crazy"20085Hope for the Hopeless
"Heaven"2009—
"Sydney (I'll Come Running)"201117Loverboy
"Comeback Kid"8
"Wild Child"20135Smoke and Mirrors
"Out of My Head" [20] 2014—
"When We Were Young"25
"Cassidy"201630Por Favor
"Already Gone"20183Let's.../Here's Looking at You Kid
"Here's Looking at You Kid"17
"See the World"20214See the World
"Paul Newman Daytona Rolex"39
"—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released

Other contributions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Elfman</span> American composer (born 1953)

Daniel Robert Elfman is an American film composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer and primary songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since scoring his first studio film in 1985, Elfman has garnered international recognition for composing over 100 feature film scores, as well as compositions for television, stage productions, and the concert hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Simon</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter known both for his solo work and his collaboration with Art Garfunkel. He and his school friend Garfunkel, whom he met in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. Their blend of folk and rock, including hits such as "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America" and "The Boxer", served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their final album, Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970), is among the bestselling of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oingo Boingo</span> American new wave band

Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the years previous. Their highest-charting song, "Weird Science", reached No. 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Graceland</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Paul Simon

Graceland is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was produced by Simon, engineered by Roy Halee and released on August 25, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It features an eclectic mixture of genres, including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, isicathamiya and mbaqanga, inspired by the music of South Africa.

<i>Only a Lad</i> 1981 studio album by Oingo Boingo

Only a Lad is the debut studio album by American new wave band Oingo Boingo, released in 1981, following their self-titled EP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Fitzgerald</span> Musical artist

Warren Fitzgerald is an American punk rock guitarist, songwriter, and record label owner. He is best known for being the guitarist of The Vandals and Oingo Boingo. He is also co-founder of Kung Fu Records, along with his Vandals band-mate Joe Escalante.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Freund</span> American singer-songwriter

Thomas Hagström Freund is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Freund's music consists of elements of folk rock, americana and alternative rock. Freund met Ben Harper when he was attending Pitzer College in Claremont, California. In 1992 the duo released an album, Pleasure and Pain. Not long after, he joined the alternative country group The Silos as their bassist, and moved to Austin, Texas. He released his debut solo album, North American Long Weekend, in 1998 and has released albums on his own Surf Road Records since 2000. While releasing his own music, Tom has also contributed to albums by artists including Graham Parker, Mandy Moore, and Josh Kelley. Some of his work, including "Copper Moon", appeared on the TV program One Tree Hill, while other songs have appeared on Dawson's Creek and Parenthood.

<i>So-Lo</i> 1984 studio album by Danny Elfman

So-Lo is the debut studio album by American musician Danny Elfman, released in 1984 by MCA Records. Recorded primarily by Elfman, but also featuring the members of his band, Oingo Boingo, it was recorded when Elfman was offered a solo contract with MCA after the band had been dropped from I.R.S. Records. The album marked the band's last release to feature bassist Kerry Hatch and keyboardist Richard Gibbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal Liberation Orchestra</span> American rock band

Animal Liberation Orchestra is a California rock band currently signed to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. They have released four full-length albums for Brushfire, as well as a number of prior independent releases including a film soundtrack. ALO consists of Zach Gill (Keys/Vocals), Steve Adams (Bass/Vocals), Dan "Lebo" Lebowitz (Guitar/Vocals) and Ezra Lipp (Drums/Vocals).

<i>Boingo</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Oingo Boingo

Boingo is the eighth and final studio album by American new wave band Oingo Boingo. It was the band's only album recorded for their new label, Giant Records, as well as the only album to be released by the band's 1994–95 line-up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weird Science (song)</span> 1985 single by Oingo Boingo

"Weird Science" is a song by American new wave band Oingo Boingo. Written by frontman Danny Elfman, it is the theme song to the Weird Science film and television series. It was released on the film's soundtrack, as well as Oingo Boingo's fifth studio album, Dead Man's Party (1985), in a longer mix. The song reached No. 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 21 on the US Dance Club Charts, and No. 81 in Canada. It is Oingo Boingo's most successful single.

<i>Brett Dennen</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Brett Dennen

Brett Dennen is the first studio album by the American musician Brett Dennen. It was released in 2003 by Three Angels and a Saint Records.

<i>So Much More</i> (Brett Dennan album) 2006 studio album by Brett Dennen

So Much More is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Brett Dennen.

<i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i> (soundtrack) 1993 soundtrack album by Danny Elfman

The Nightmare Before Christmas is the fifteenth soundtrack album by American composer Danny Elfman. It was released on October 12, 1993, by Walt Disney Records to promote the 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Composed by Danny Elfman, the soundtrack was nominated for the 1993 Golden Globe for Best Original Score. The album peaked at #64 on the US Billboard 200.

Dualtone Records is an American record label specializing in folk, Americana, and indie rock. It was founded in 2001 by Scott Robinson and Dan Herrington. The company is run by Robinson and the label's president, Paul Roper. Albums are distributed by the Alternative Distribution Alliance. On January 20, 2016, Entertainment One acquired Dualtone Records. Later, Dualtone's parent company eOne Music was acquired by The Blackstone Group in June 2021, with eOne Music rebranded as MNRK Music Group in September 2021.

The discography of Oingo Boingo, an American new wave band, consists of eight studio albums, two live albums, five compilation albums, two extended plays, one soundtrack, seventeen singles, ten music videos, and a list of soundtrack appearances.

<i>Hope for the Hopeless</i> 2008 studio album by Brett Dennen

Hope for the Hopeless is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Brett Dennen. It was released on October 21, 2008, following Dennen's tour of Australia. The Nigerian Afro-beat musician Femi Kuti appears on the album's first single, "Make You Crazy". The album peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and number 4 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.

Marc Mann is an American keyboardist, guitarist, programmer, arranger and conductor. He has a Master's Degree in Music from UCLA. Mann is known for his work with Oingo Boingo, Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra.

Select commercially released recordings of Danny Elfman's music for film, television, stage and the concert hall. For a full list of Elfman's compositions, see List of compositions by Danny Elfman. For Elfman's recordings as lead singer/songwriter for Oingo Boingo, see the Oingo Boingo discography page.

Sam "Sluggo" Phipps is an American saxophone player, best known for being a member of the new wave band Oingo Boingo.

References

  1. ↑ "California Births, 1905 – 1995". Familytreelegends.com. October 28, 1969. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ Harris, Lauren (March 3, 2007). "The User's Guide: Brett Dennen". VH1. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Brett Dennen – Free listening, concerts, stats, & pictures at". Last.fm. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Brett Dennen". Rhapsody. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Brett Dennen Biography". Starpulse.com. October 28, 1969. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schorn, Chris (August 30, 2018). "Brett Dennen Talks Music, Paul Simon, & Giant Pickles [Interview]". Music in Minnesota. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cackett, Alan (August 2007). "Just a singer-songwriter?". Maverick (61): 43–45.
  8. 1 2 Richardson, Derk (November 30, 2006). "On his latest CD, 'So Much More,' singer/songwriter Brett Dennen proves himself a wise, if baby-faced, bard". SFGate. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Dennen, Brett". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford Music Online. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  10. ↑ https://www.modbee.com/latest-news/article3091428.html.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Horrigan, Rebecca (September 14, 2018). "An Interview with Brett Dennen". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  12. ↑ Brown, Patrick. "Bay Area nonprofit fights to keep camp alive". Bay Area News Group. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  13. ↑ White, Dan. "Alumni Profile / Brett Dennen: Blessed". UC Santa Cruz News. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  14. ↑ Locey, Bill (March 13, 2014). "Bill Locey: Folk-rock star Brett Dennen plays Santa Barbara on March 20". VC Star. Gannett.
  15. ↑ Evan Schlansky (June 4, 2012). "Watch Brett Dennen Perform "Crazy Love, Vol. II" Off Paul Simon's Graceland". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  16. ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (May 21, 2008). "Guys on the Rise: 8 Emerging Singer-Songwriters". Entertainment Weekly.
  17. ↑ "Brett Dennen: Newport Folk Festival 2009". Npr.org. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Episode 67: Brett Dennen :: Live From Daryl's House with Daryl Hall :: Current Episode". Livefromdarylshouse.com. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Brett Dennen Chart History: Triple A". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014.
  21. ↑ "First Listen: 'Gazing with Tranquility – A Tribute to Donovan'". NPR. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.