Cary Brothers - New Artist #1

The music of the time into which we’re born is not the music that defines us, though it has a formative impact, to be sure.  Rather, it is the music that ushers us from children to adults that will forever define those of us for whom music is an integral part.  For me, that was the music of the 90s.  From early grunge to coffeehouse acoustic, it was a sound that, while it had roots everywhere was unique and which, in a world of over-produced, digitally-tweaked studio creations, is a rare occurrence these days.  There was an honesty to it which suffused music and lyrics alike.  It didn’t need to scream to express its anguish, angst or sadness.  And it didn’t need bubblegum to express its joy.  It simply said, with very little pretense, what it was that it sought to say.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is still good music out there.  Lots of it.  The great thing about music is that it’s constantly changing, but always somehow retaining, somewhere, the best of what came before.  There are still a great number of artists who reach back across the wide void between the 31-year-old man I am now to that heart of that fifteen-year-old listening to a CD, liner notes in hand, in the dim light of my bedroom.  Cary Brothers is a prime example.

I’d heard his music before, on a number of television shows and movies, like Scrubs, (which has introduced me to some fantastic stuff, as a whole) and kept meaning to look for more.  Having finally gotten around to it, I lament not having done so sooner.  From the first, slow-building notes of Jealousy to the heartbreaking earnestness of songs like Glass Parade and Honesty, he evokes, with poetic lyrics, soft voice, a guitar and a piano, an emotional resonance uncommon in today’s music scene.  What’s more, he manages to find a unique sound, with hints of acoustic greats like Smith and Wainwright at the edges, but still completely his own, a feat in and of itself.

In doing a little research, I learned, too, that he’s one of the driving forces behind a movement to keep this kind of rich, meaningful music alive with the likes of folks like KT Tunstall, Aqualung and The Fray, among many, many others out of a small venue in Hollywood called The Hotel Café, which has officially been added to my list of places to visit when I finally make my way out to the West Coast. 

As a first act, he’s going to be tough to follow, though the list of performers who’ve toured with The Hotel Café group, some of which are unfamiliar, will likely provide some pretty good leads.  It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this kind of excitement over the discovery of new music.  And for that, Mr. Brothers, I owe you a great debt.  Thanks.

Find his music here: Cary Brothers Official Website