A storied master in his psychobilly prime
Man, oh man…it’s been four years since I first took a sonic trip through the mind of GA Brown, the man who broke Wahoo’s leg.
I can’t exactly name the places he’s travelled in the interim, but judging by this latest release, he’s had a hell of a trip and he’s brought back a truckload of experiences and observations to pack into this twenty-two song album with nary a dud to be found.
A small anecdote before we delve in to the heart of the music. I don’t, or didn’t, know what Brown looks like. Maybe I did once, but I had forgotten, and as I was listening to the recording for the first time, his voice spawned an image in my head.
I could see a guy, average height, not skinny, but wiry in that way that hard work makes a country boy deceptively strong, with bib overalls, an old fashioned baseball cap with some oil stains on it, and a semi-maniacal grin that is friendly, yet unnerving. It was the image of the sort of fellow who might be stopping to help you change a flat, or he might be contemplating whether it’s worth hunting you for sport.
It occurred to me then that if I was to include this interlude in the piece, it might behoove me to, you know, go and see what the cat actually looks like. I’ve yet to find a pic in bib overalls, but otherwise…well…let’s just say that you can tell an awful lot about ol’ GA just from the sound of his voice.
Getting to the music, instrumentally, GA is a master of guitar. I’ve been listening to some old Merle Travis records lately and there is some of that legend, and many others to boot, at the heart of Brown’s playing. Moreover, he’s a master who is good friends with plenty of other masterful folk who are more than happy to guest on some tracks.
Official album credits list Jeffro HMF Leigh on banjo and Uncle Dodds on sticks. I’m not going to pick the playing apart; at this point in his career it’s just a given that GA has the chops and the connections to make a brilliant-sounding album every time.
Accepting that the psychobilly/old country/punk/swamp boogie/alt folk/bean snappin’/corn huskin’/copperhead killing musical style is as potent as ever (it is), it’s the lyrics that elevate the album in to a league of its own.
It’s no secret I’m a “words” guy. I can appreciate any kind of music, instrumental or otherwise, but it’s the words that make the hair stand up on my neck. A well-turned phrase, wordplay, wry observation, subtle innuendo, not-subtle-at-all innuendo, poetry…these things can make a monkey banging on a tin pot into art, as far as I’m concerned—and for a man whose skills are formidable from any point of reference—it is here that Brown soars.
There’s plenty of humor. If you can hear “Between the Ditches” or “Bi-Polar Disorder” (co-written with C. Keith) and not crack a smile, well, it’s probably time to put on your black clothes and go back to being forlorn in the basement. It isn’t just a “funny” album, though. There is real heart here, too, and sincerity.
“Rights of the Father” is a stirring tune and “My Eyes Closed” is as poignant a message and potent a philosophy as any I’ve heard. Fact of the matter, a good lyricist can write a “funny” album, or a “sad” one, or a “serious” one, but it takes a touch of genius to combine all of that and more into a cohesive, unforced, “real” package the way Brown has done here.
The album includes a few covers, such as the always-welcome John Prine tune and a version of “Fairies Wear Boots” that, Ozzy be damned, belongs to GA Brown now. It’s a long album; the note that accompanied it read, “I hope you don’t hate me if you have to listen to the whole thing at once.”
No, I don’t, it as a pleasure and honestly, his easy style, his high-concept work cleverly disguised as “folksy,” and even his paean to his punk roots, “I Don’t Play Punk No Mo” are collectively like a marvelous summer evening picking on the back porch with a cooler of beer and a jug of hooch.
The album is 22 More Songs, and it is one of the friendliest, smartest albums I’ve heard without beating you over the head about how damn smart it is. You can sample it today at Bandcamp or just go ahead and buy it, as it’ll be money well spent. But keep in mind that if GA Brown ever stops to help you change a flat, you MIGHT want to have a good pair of running shoes handy.