No one wakes in the morning intent on being the point man in an avant-garde song writer's movement. Such a shield will assure you no more than a stern seat of pauperdom in this lifetime, not to mention the imminent inherited key to foxhole living. Patrick Brayer has through this realization been acknowledged by an impressive aray of distinguished musicians.
Michael Hedges sited him as "the father of catholic and western music" and as originating from "the planet of prolifia" due to his prolific output.
John Doe has called his songs timeless in nature and classic in stance.
Ben Harper included Brayer's "secret hits" in his top ten albums of the year in Rolling Stone Magazine's year end issue of 1996.
Alison Krauss sees him as no less than "today's prime dreamer".
Stuart Duncan views him as "Hank Williams and Hart Crane vying for the same incarnation", and in his 1994 grammy nominated solo record he sited Brayer as being the very sound of the restrained rules of life cracking.
These aren't merely great songs on dead air. He was once quoted, "I don't feel safe walking out onto a stage until the air is right. Atmosphere is the feet of my every word and note. If a space does not move to meet you half ways, look around, you probably have a room on your back." One must start, I suppose with the vantage point that twenty five years of chiseling songs out of a mill town called Fontana, California will almost certainly render any smooth edges you might have, ironically jagged. Patrick Brayer grew up in slow motion on an egg ranch just off of route 66 in a desert town famous for The Hell's Angels, Al Capone's safe house, Sunkist Fruit Packing, and the Kaiser Steel Mill. This is a town that has only recently begun to discover in this tie-dyed human song factory, an over flowing essence with the beautiful hues of its own darkened struggles. In only about two seconds into a song, Brayer manages to blow past his humble image of ragged curls and spindly frame and maneuver a Goliath of imagery and guitar magic that cannot help but rekindle ones faith in self-knowledge. Another Brayer quote reads, "You aren't ever 'one of a kind' by choice. You always look for and represent "the convenient way", which you cannot take. Thank goodness some of our favorite artists are setting up shop within those bliss lined walls."
Brayer's performance rings of everything from the tone of tent-village street singers to a tweaked, rest-home Hogey Carmichael intimacy. But the comparisons slam to a halt when it comes to the subject of the shear power of imagery. Patrick Brayer has written the book and sings it as the rawest virtuoso of our time. You somehow get the feeling, said an L.A. Times critic that, "somewhere behind this contemporary songwriter is the slight reverberation of the very beginning of time."
Brayer has worked with such greats as Queen Ida, David Van Ronk, D.L. Menard, and John Fahey. Most recently, Alison Krauss recorded the Brayer co-authored title track, "So Long, So Wrong", for her 1997 Rounder Records release, which captured 3 Grammy Awards and a Gold Record. Previously, his works have been covered by John Doe of "X"("Imitation of the Blues"), bluegrass legend, Larry Sparks (Rebel Records), Stuart Duncan ("Lonely Moon") whose self titled album, produced by Bela Fleck, was nominated for a Grammy in 1994, and ASH&W;("Turn your love down") which appeared on the 35th anniversary 4 CD box set compelation of the history of the legendary Rebel Records.
In addition to songwriting, Brayer plays more than
thirty unusual world insruments which he weaves in and out of his own works as
well as others. He can be heard sitting in on fiddle and mandolin on Ben
Harper's third release for Virgin Records, The Will to Live. Patrick's
recording output consists of 33 volumes of his collected works entitled The
Secret Hits of Patrick Brayer presented by The Brayer Archives.
In concert armed only with his acoustic guitar and a microphone on his foot, crashing on black walnut, he has become an acquired taste to those who seek out modern musical pioneers. It was hence that he shunned the idea early on of being an "entertainer" per se. "I don't do concerts", he said jokingly in a 1993 interview, "I only do ceremonies". Patrick was flown to New York in 95' and 96' to perform at "The Bottom Line" with the likes of Catie Curtus and Jack Hardy. Three of these performances were released on seperate CD songwriter anthologies, and as of 1999 made available through the Smithsonian Institute as part of its acquisition of the archives of Fast Folk Magazine .
Just prior to the passing of guitar icon Michael Hedges in 1997 Brayer and Hedges where working on a recording in Michael's studio in the sequoias of Mendocino California. Released posthumously in 1999 the title track for Michael's final album "Torched" was touchingly dedicated to Brayer.
Spending his entire life in the San Bernardino valley Brayer has always been proud in any small way to be associated with a self defined modern vibratory school of psychedelic country music that has represented "The Inland Empire"(50 miles east of Los Angeles) since the 1960's. It is in this, sparked in the 1960's, that we find a local movement and a boundless genre that constitutes an actual living folk music. Within its walls we find such world acclaimed pioneers as Chris Darrow, David Lindley, Frizz Fuller, John York, and Ben Harper. "I hold my friendships with these people and that of the late great Michael Hedges high above any of my worldly accomplishments, and I hope to somehow represent them in a small way as largely as I can."
Historically, after a fistful of dust bowls and depression economics ravaged the south through the 20's and 30's, it was as if the country was lifted from the east coast and all the displaced caravans slid into the pocked hills of California. As from all oppression, on moonshine, beauty began to flower from these slaves of the orange rind mines and coalesced in the voices of singers like Woody Guthrie and honky tonk crooners like Buck Owens. To a sound track of their own hillbilly music these burlap gypsies worked, danced, and squired a new breed of wide eyed native Californians. These children, now in their 50's grew up, went to college and somehow blended steel guitar mantras with LSD, and in the process many have found in the victrola voice of Patrick Brayer the gospel of their own most personal Americana experience.
the brayer archives
ivory jackson / curator
315 N. Cambridge Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
brayer@gte.net