The last time Brett Wiscons was on the show, he was lead singer of a popular local band who had written a few songs and recorded them on their first EP, which was due to arrive in grand spectacle the following week; I was a newbie podcaster, recently divorced, and just re-learning out how the whole "dating thing" worked. This time, a mere three and a half years later, Brett is a full-time musician and songwriter who has written a lot of songs, the best of which were hand-picked to be on his first solo release, Close My Eyes; I am a veteran podcaster, remarried, with my first born due to arrive in grand spectacle the following week. This also explains why this interview is three months old, arriving after the hiatus I mention, instead of before it -- but, enough of that sentimental, personal stuff.
The point of all that was how much things can change in a mere three and a half years. While I loved the Great Scott! EP, Close My Eyes takes Brett's singing as well as his songwriting into a slightly different, more-sophisticated area, but not so far away that fans of his earlier work will feel at all alienated. While the entire album is somewhat low-key and laid-back (sorry, no big rockers or fast-movers on this one), Brett explores different ways of presenting the material and delivery with a surprisingly diverse set of six tracks, each showcasing their own particular strength. Whether it's the powerful vocal delivery of the title track, the emotion-filled wails of Love Lightly, the sophisticated lyrics of Her Life, or the slow drive and easy swing of Help Myself, this is a very accessible work that showcases a great singer/songwriter and should please almost any fan of laid-back music and introspective lyrics.
Brett Wiscons can be found here ( | | )
Brett can first be heard with Great Scott! ( | ) back on
He also plays in The Michaels ( | ) with John Shoulders (also of Great Scott! as of late)
This show was recorded at on the night of Brett's first appearance at Troubadore Tuesdays
His first solo CD, Close My Eyes, now available via usual suspects (, , , , )
It was recorded at , produced/engineered by Ryan Powell, and distributed via .
The article we referenced about how hard it is to make minimum wage as a recording artist can be found .
