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Last Updated: Nov 6th, 2008 - 14:38:44 |
In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine named singer/songwriter Brett Dennen an "Artist to Watch." Colorado music fans will get the chance to do just that at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Nov. 10, when Dennen will appear at Colfax's Twist and Shout record store and The Walnut Room.
"I feel like the recognition I've gotten from the Rolling Stone and the recognition I've gotten in the past couple of years, I think it's just catching up to the work I've been doing for so long," Dennen said.
Channeling contemporaries such as Jack Johnson and Ben Harper and more legendary artists such as Paul Simon and James Taylor, Dennen's freewheeling optimism and acoustic compositions (soaked in country and Caribbean influences) ground his work firmly in modern Americana. Dennen's latest album, Hope for the Hopeless, is an inspired effort, full of sugar-coated observations and soulful lyricism.
But Dennen, not satisfied with following in the footsteps of others, sees a bigger picture to his work.
"It's really important to evolve as a musician because evolving is growing, and if you're not growing, you're probably stuck in a rut," Dennen said.
"You've got to grow or otherwise your music's not going to be fresh, and its not going to be inspired because you won't feel good about it."
Along with becoming a recognized cog in the giant wheel of singer/songwriters, Dennen, a former camp counselor in his native California, has made an impact in the music industry as a philanthropist. Dennen donates time and efforts to a number of causes and projects, from guitar-painting sessions to his home state's The Mosaic Project, a nonprofit organization that aims to end segregation in public schools and improve education.
"I'd like to see (The Mosaic Project) expand through California and eventually onto other states," Dennen said. "But the biggest challenge we face now is funding. I'd like to get it financially stable so that it can grow."
And so long as Dennen sticks with his current formula, his music and his side projects are sure to grow along with him.
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