Friday, August 20, 2010

Jesse Brewster: Singer, Songwriter and Guitar-slingin' Outlaw

Photo: kg-photography
Having spent much of his musical career as a sideman, San Francisco native Jesse Brewster is ready to take his rightful spot at the front of the stage. Brewster's sound fuses a Rock/Americana style he describes as "Tom Petty and Lynyrd Skynyrd get into a bar room brawl with Neil Young and John Mayer." 

Jesse's parents brewed his love for music at an early age. There was always something on the record player, be it Willie Nelson, The Stones or Bob Marley. At the age of 12 he started his first band with his brother Jim on drums and childhood friend Uriah Duffy (Whitesnake, Lyrics Born) on bass. "I can't remember a time in my life when music wasn't important to me," he says. "It's the greatest medium allowing you to express anger and rebellion, playful sarcasm, tenderness and beauty- it's everything." 

Brewster spent his life on the sidelines touring with various bands as a guitarist and backup vocalist until a few years ago when he decided the time was right to break out on his own. "The singer-songwriter world is relatively new for me," he admits. "While I've always loved singing, I was always focused on the guitar." Focused, that is, until he could no longer hold back the urge to create his own music. 

His creative spark was lit by a major catalyst: charity. He created his debut album,  Confessional , as a benefit record to raise funds and create awareness of Polycystic Kidney Disease. One track in particular, "One Reason," was written in memory of Brewster's brother Jim who passed away in 1998 from PKD. "I have worked extensively with the PKD Foundation" he says, "since the release of the album, I help organize events and tour in support of the finding treatment and a cure for PKD." 

Jesse Brewster has maintained a busy tour schedule up and down the West Coast following the release of his self-titled EP of acoustic-driven tracks. Songs "All She Deserves" and "Sometime" have garnered wide-spread acclaim and turned Brewster into one of the Bay Area's artists-to-watch, thanks also in part to the numerous magazine and newspaper interviews as well as radio and festival appearances over the past year. Paul Liberatore of Here Magazine says of the EP: "The title track is an aching, heartfelt love ballad with an anthemic chorus and sweet harmonies that avoid superficial sentimentality and the kind of cloying clichés that doom lesser talents."   In addition, Brewster's song "My Great Escape" has also been in regular rotation on San Francisco's KFOG 104.5 FM, and was featured on KFOG's "Local Scene, Vol.6" album, benefiting music in schools. 

 Jesse's new album, Wrecking Ball at the Concert Hall, will be released in September; for tour dates and more visit www.jessebrewster.com

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