OAKDALE,
CA. (Flagship Recordings) - Songwriter
Brett Dennen is set to release
his self-titled album on July 12th. The album was originally released
with limited online distribution last year on the Southern
California-based Three Angels and a Saint Label, but will now enjoy
national exposure via the FLAGSHIP Recordings label and distribution
via the new independent UMVD arm, Fontana Distribution.
FLAGSHIP
Recordings head Marc Nathan is thrilled to be turning more people on to
Dennen via wider distribution. Says Nathan: "A year ago I happened upon
Brett Dennen as he was creating a buzz locally with airplay on KCRW and
his astonishingly personal live performances at Hotel Cafe. I look
forward to Flagship and Fontana sending the
Brett Dennen message to
music lovers around the world."
Through a festival in Ojai,
California last year, Dennen met a long-time music industry local who
had managed Ladysmith
Black Mambazo and served as tour manager on Paul
Simon's "Graceland" tour. He hooked Dennen up with iTunes, and put
Dennen's newly pressed album in the hands of influential KCRW DJ Chris
Douridas, who started spinning tracks from the album on Valentines Day
2004, and has continued to play them repeatedly. This led to airplay on
other KCRW shows, as well as airplay on WXPN's World Caf�. Says
Douridas about Dennen's disc: "He's the unsigned artist of the year.
Rarely does music come along so unadorned, so pure in spirit, and so
eloquently written. 'Desert Sunrise' generated more phone calls than
anything I've played all year." When iTunes put Dennen's CD online, it
went to #1 on their folk charts almost immediately, and the iTunes
staff selected it as one of their staff favorites and added it to their
compilation download of recommended songs from new artists.
In
addition to being a gifted musician, songwriter and performer onstage
and on disc, Dennen also funnels his artistic muse through an entirely
different medium: pastels and watercolor painting. The cover of his
debut album features his artwork, and he has shown and sold his
paintings in California galleries. Dennen is also an artist who hopes
to eventually be able to make a difference in a social activist sense;
he's well on his way through his involvement in the Mosaic Project
(www.mosaicproject.org), of which he was one of the founders. The
project draws California fifth graders from three different schools in
three different income areas together in a forum for peace education.
Dennen serves as a music program director with the Mosaic Project, for
which he has developed a music curriculum. A CD of the songs (which
Dennen co-wrote and performed on) from the program has brought
additional attention and needed money to the non-profit program.
Dennen
plans to tour heavily in support of his forthcoming album and is
confirmed to play at this year's Bonnaroo Festival in June (set times
TBA). The track "Desert Sunrise" will go to Triple A and Non-Comm radio
formats in June.
