Apart from photography, my other passion is music. And I can talk for hours and hours about that band, or that record; and have been known on occasion to remember record catalogue numbers. The Smiths This Charming Man was RT 136, or RTT 136 for the 12 inch, or RTT 136 NY for the remix. Yes, I'm a geek.
But, I have been thinking about writing about some of the music that gets me off, and first in what may be a short series is Brendan Benson.
The first question people ask is Brendan who? Brendan is a resident of Detroit, and is a gifted singer/songwriter. A singer/sonwriting cursed with bad luck. For instance just after his first record came out his label had internal politics issues and he was dropped.
I first heard Brendan's music at the Las Vegas branch of Tower Records in November 2006. I was listening to some new songs on a listening station thing, and something caught my attention, and I bought it. Over the next few months it hardly was out of my CD player; something about the self deprecating lyrics, the sublime tunes, and those Beatle-esque harmonies. He sings about love, stalking, his life growing up in Lousianna; all wonderful stuff.
I wanted more.
No luck in any British record stores, and each return trip to the States and searches in the 'B' section of record shops all drew a blank.
In 2001, I finally joined the so-called information revolution and got online, and the first search I did on Google as for Mr Benson. And joy of joys there was a fan site. I joined and we swapped stories of why we loved his music and where the hell was a second record.
Then towards the end of 2001 news came out of a new record deal and a new record; an offical site appeared along with clips of the new songs.
The new record, Lapalco, was if anything better than his forst. It was full of hamonies like before, but killer tunes and still Brendan finding an easy target in himself.
Then, even better news; he was coming to tour Britain. The only date I could get to thanks to the Air Force was in Bristol; which required overnight accomodation, and would mean finally getting to hear those songs live.
Fate dictated that those first dates should occur during the World Cup (football) and that Saturday England played Denmark. My recolections of that day is murky at best, but I do know Englan won the lunchtime game and then it was an eight hour wait for the gig. What else to do but have another drink.
I had apparently told all of Bristol that this rock god was honouring us with his prescence that night, and I did convince some 20 people that their life would be changed by attending the gig.
The Lousianna is a pub, with a large-ish room upstairs for music. On a good night it might hold a couple of hundred. That limit would not be tested.
At about six o'clock I stood outside the pub as Brendan and his band went through their soundcheck. And there were those tunes I had come to love, all rough and ready.
I do remember dancing during the set. In fact I was the only person dancing, but I do think I had a good time and was quite happy.
I gave no more thought to that night, but another tour that autumn meant I could see them again. First gig was in Sheffield, and I could get there in three hours after work and be home for duty the next day. So, sober I arrived at the gig and once again was on the street outside listening to the soundcheck.
I wandered in once the doors were open, and the tour manager came over and said "Hey jelltex, how you doing? Going to any other gigs on the tour?"
I was shocked, how did this man know me, and my name. Seems like my performance at the Bristol gig had made a name for myself with the band and the manager. And would I like a tour pass for the rest the tour?
So, a quick call to work got me the rest of the week off and the next day saw me heading back down to bristol and the Lousianna for the next night of the tour. And for me it was free. I took my CDs and records and got Brendan to sign them. The only time I have done this I stress. I went to a few other gigs on that tour, and each night a few more people turned up as he had had some plays on the radio.
As I waited to join the war on terror and go and invade Iraq, Brendan got a date as support for Beth orton, and the final night was at the Royal Albert Hall. Would the call to arms be late enough for me to be able to go? In the end the call never came and I made it to what was that version of his bands last show. To hear them in a grand space like that was magical, rather than in back rooms of pubs or in a disco down on Southend seafront.
His third album saw a bigger tour, and rumours of support from long time friend Jack White. And this time he was playing Norwich which meant no time needed off from work. I guess over a thousand were there that night, and several encores were demanded. I didn't get to speak to him that night, and in fact I have seen him just once since. By coincidence he was playing in Seattle as I made my way down the West Coast three years ago. I think he viewed me as a possible stalker as I said hi in the small bar of the venue.
Brendan has not released a solo album in the past three years, but is a quarter of the Raconteurs with Jack White and two other friends from another Detroit band, The Greenhornes. Their best songs are the ones with brendan singing, but thats my inner fanboy talking. I saw them on TV playing live this weekend, Brendan singing sweetly and banging out tunes.
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