Doors: 6 p.m.
Show: 7 p.m.

All Ages Welcome
No Refunds or Exchanges

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About Brett Dennen: 

Across his career, Brett Dennen has established himself as the kind of singer-songwriter who finds inspiration by digging into the nooks and crannies of the human condition —  exploring pain, joy, sadness and all points in between. If It Takes Forever (Mick Music), the California native’s eighth solo album and first full-length since 2021’s See the World, is no exception. The warm, immersive collection boasts deeply felt sentiments, underpinned by rich acoustic guitars and Brett’s earnest vocals, in the vein of dusky Americana (“Golden State of Mind”), harmonica-driven blues (the Tom Petty-esque “Careful What You Wish For”), rootsy indie (“Don’t Go Talking”) and meditative folk-rock (highlight “Time To Wake Up”).

If It Takes Forever emerged out of a tough 2023 for Brett, as he was dealing with the death of his dad. “He was such a strong figure in my life that I depended on so much as both a dad and a best friend,” he said. “And I knew immediately in order for me to deal with his death, the best thing I could do was to make an album about it.”

Understandably, Brett took his time coming up with song ideas for If It Takes Forever, and spent the bulk of a year simply thinking about “what kind of album I was going to make and what kinds of songs were going to be on the album,” he says. “I jotted down ideas on paper, made little voice memos with ideas of songs, melodies and choruses, or sometimes even just talked into a voice recorder.” 

With these ideas as a foundation, Brett was well-prepared by the time he hunkered down in late 2023 to formalize his rough ideas into songs. “Making them a reality all happened very fast,” he says. “These songs were in my head and came out when I had the guitar in my hand. I would record one, put it away and then come back a few days or a few weeks later and listen to it: ‘Okay, I think that’s done. That’s good enough. Move on, move on, move on.’”

Brett naturally wrote some songs directly about his dad. But he also wanted If It Takes Forever to tackle his new reality going forward. “It was evaluating life — like, what did this person mean to me?” he says. “What did they inspire in me? What do I think life is about now? Who’s the person I really want to be?” But he also found himself turning to broader philosophical questions. “I was also thinking about the state of life: What is life? What does it mean? What’s it all about?” 

This lent itself to lyrics full of vibrant imagery with multiple layers of meaning. Among his favorite songs is the gentle, folksy “In the Garden,” which was indirectly inspired by his parents and the impressive vegetable garden they tended. “I don’t necessarily think it’s a song about my dad—or a song about him speaking to my mom, per se — but I think it’s a song about love and putting your intention into something,” Brett explains. “Metaphorically, it’s about taking care of something and creating something beautiful, but it’s also a literal place for beautiful things to grow, and a calm place to find solace in.”

Another favorite is “Wood Canoe,” a narrative-driven story of humble man who has a knack for building a canoe out of wood, with lyrics speaking to the idea of metaphorically taking somebody away to a better place, he explains. “It feels like a Cat Stevens song and has a little bit of Latin rhythm to it.” Brett also loves “Another Day in Babylon” because of its rumbling groove—and the fact it’s very literal, as he based the lyrics on things that happened in his own life.

The easygoing opening track, “Chipping Away,” meanwhile, touches on resilience and the importance of persevering even when things might not be falling into place the way you’d like. “There’s so many things I want to do and so many things I haven’t done — and I’m the one holding myself back from doing those things,” he explains. “But that’s just life, I guess — and here’s an opportunity to celebrate that.”

Brett recorded If It Takes Forever quickly, “in a whirlwind five days” in Los Angeles with the musicians in his live band and another long-time collaborator serving as producer, Jon Solo. This full-band configuration gave the album a distinct feeling of immediacy but also lends itself to depth-filled arrangements. Organ courses through the standout “Dharma Baby” while plaintive piano adds sharp melancholy to the meditative “Star Surfer.” 

“We haven’t recorded an album together before now,” he notes. “But it was easy to trust everyone and get excited about what we were creating together. We felt like a team; I’ve never had that feeling before. That’s why I think it was easy to get so much done in a short amount of time.”  

In general, Brett prefers recording live with a band anyway. But the bond he had formed with his bandmates across years of traveling around together on the road made the If It Takes Forever experience especially seamless — namely because everyone contributed parts and ideas in the studio during the process. “I was really impressed with everybody’s ability to help me get to a place where I was feeling good about the direction it was going,’ he says. “It wasn’t me or the producer saying, ‘I want you to do this. I was hoping you would do this.’ It wasn’t like ‘This is Brett’s album’  —it was like, let’s just make this music the best that the four of us can make it.”

Since debuting in 2004 with a self-titled album, Brett has amassed a loyal fanbase thanks to a steady touring schedule, including alongside artists like John Mayer, Jason Mraz and G Love and Special Sauce, as well as multiple song placements in the TV show Parenthood. Another tune, “Comeback Kid (That’s My Dog),” became the theme song for the TV adaptation About A Boy. Along the way, Dennen has also had multiple top 10 hits on the AAA radio charts, with the keening title track of See the World, an encouraging song about growing up and forging your own path in life, landing at No. 4 in 2021.

With If It Takes Forever, Brett plans to hit the road once again, but he possesses additional perspective on — and gratitude for — the solace provided by art and music. “To really boil it down, this is life,” he says. “Life is full of things that get complicated and make you busy, and are really hard to deal with. But if you write songs about it, and put it into art, then it makes it a lot more relevant and meaningful and worthy of celebration.” 

About Marley’s Ghost:

“Americana” is a brand that’s been bandied about quite liberally in today’s musical environs. And yet, it takes a certain dedication and determination to remain true to its essence. On the other hand, versatility and variation go hand in hand. And yet, each depends on the other. In the case of Western US-based Marley’s Ghost, that eclectic energy has resulted in a broad repertoire that’s challenged labeling their sound with any one particular genre. Their dozen albums to date showcase a broad scope of Americana and acoustic music in general, making it all but impossible to limit them to one niche.

Paste magazine described them as “a decidedly unusual band, as capable of reanimating Appalachian folk songs as they are traditional Celtic fare, honky tonk and reggae.” It went on to say, “Marley’s Ghost has earned cult-band status over years of spirited musicianship, multi-part harmonies and irreverent humor.”

Marley’s Ghost dutifully deserves that praise. As they mark their 40th anniversary as a band, on March 17th of this year, they continue to deliver, both on stage and in the studio. They’ll be kicking off their anniversary tour with a March 10th live performance for e-Town in Boulder, the nationally-known, widely respectedsyndicated radio program. 

Then there’s the band’s new album, Honky Tonk (releasing this spring via Sage Arts), a twangy, heartfelt and joyfully present group of songs that offers further perspective on all that the “Americana” handle implies. A rousing collection that references its roots and honors an essential heritage and tradition borne of barrooms and honky-tonks spawned from the American Heartland throughout the late 1800s.

Like the Levon Helm/Robbie Robertson-led group, The Band, the dozen or so albums Marley’s Ghost has released over the course of their collective career encompass a wide array of music, and yet, they’ve never allowed themselves to be constricted by genres or expectations. 

 “It is, and always has been, about the music,” says bassist, fiddler, guitarist, singer and chief songwriter, Dan Wheetman. “That’s what’s kept this band going for so long. It’s always been about digging a little deeper, honing our skills and celebrating the entire playing process. That drives us forward.” 

Like their most recent albums, Ghost Town (2010), Jubilee (2012) and Travelin’ Shoes (2019), Honky Tonk finds the band pursuing a path that remains firmly ingrained within an overall umbrella, even as they manage to delve deeper into those singular sounds. With longtime producer Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Levon Helm) once again behind the board, the music shares a renewed sense of celebration in a classic sound and style.

“Larry has a vast musical knowledge that spans so many genres,” Wheetman exclaims. “The ‘thing’ he recognized in us is our connection to the folk and roots musicians of a past generation. He saw in us an ability to give that music a contemporary credence. He knew our strengths and how to use it to the best advantage in each song.”

So too, this western US-based band, comprised of singer/multi-instrumentalists Dan Wheetman, Jonathan Wilcox, Mike Phelan, Ed Littlefield Jr., Jerry Fletcher, and Bob Nichols, has always made it a point to adhere to a classic template. They’ve proven that prowess time and again through their verve, variety and vitality. The songs on Honky Tonk veer from the rollicking and robust rhythm of “Introduction to the Blues,” the sturdy strut applied to “Burn Another Honky Tonk Down” and the spirited, down-home designs of “Rockin’ Chair Money,” to the bittersweet balladry of “Brand New Mister Me,” the casual caress of “Motel Time Again” and the jovial timbre that ricochets through “Detour.” At the same time, the honky tonk motif, name-checked in the album’s title, reverberates throughout.

 Wheetman points to several songs in particular that typify that approach, many of which he cites as standard inclusions within the band’s repertoire. He describes “If I’d Left It Up To You” as “a quintessential Merle Haggard song about holding onto love,” adding, “the fact that it comes from a guy who had over 40 number one hits had us thinking of it as a hidden gem.” He singles out the track titled “Slowly (I’m Falling)” for its shimmering pedal steel intro, while referring to the fact that the original version was the first song to feature the steel guitar. “You just want to grab your good girl and slide around the floor,” he adds in retrospect.

“‘Honky Tonk Song’ is a song we’ve done for years,” he notes. “We didn’t just stumble across this music; we’ve all grown up with it. It’s been a part of our eclectic set lists since the beginning. ‘Invitation to the Blues’ was written by Roger Miller and recorded by Ray Price, and it has all the elements of a classic Honky Tonk song. We loved the heartbreak all wrapped up in that punchy 4/4 rhythm.”

He continues, offering more examples of that timeless template. “You can’t do a Honky Tonk album without a tune from the ‘Father of Honky Tonk,’ Hank Williams,” he says in mentioning “Rockin’ Chair Money.” “Hank foreshadowed Elvis with the song’s cool chorus: I’m gonna rock, yeah rock, oh baby rock, rock on down the line, a lyric given that rockin’ 2/4 feel.” 

Likewise, the classic track titled “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line” bears special significance. “The midnight haunts and the ‘buckets of blood’ where country musicians paid their dues spawned what we now call, ‘Outlaw Country,’” Wheetman explains. “So I’m guessing  the real king of the outlaws is actually Waylon Jennings. “Then again, how can you do a Honky Tonk album and not do a Waylon tune?”

Other tracks take a different tack, while still conforming to the concept. “With twin fiddles and a jumping rhythm, ‘Birmingham Bounce’ shares the Western Swing vibe,” Wheetman suggests. “If Honky Tonk is anything, it’s dance music.”

Call it what you will, Marley’s Ghost defies being categorized. “The band always feels like, ‘Oh, they finally came up with a name for what we do,’” Wheetman says while referencing the Americana brand. “People always ask us, ‘What kind of music do you play?’ And our answer is, ‘We play old-timey American music.’ It’s a bit revivalist, but hopefully it’s got a fresh sound about it. We’ve avoid copying anyone else’s arrangements on anything we’ve done. We’ve always tried to bring our own approach to whatever we do.” 

What a long strange trip it’s been for the past four decades. From the band’s first album, Haunting Melodies (1987), which was comprised of songs played in their live sets, to their sophomore set, the gospel-influenced Let de Groove Rise Up(1989), to the three most recent albums produced by Larry Campbell, they’ve been fortunate to work with the very best. In 2006, Van Dyke Parks produced their album titled Spooked, and they hired hippie artist Robert Crumb to illustrate the album cover. They also did two albums of country/Americana music with Cowboy Jack Clement sitting behind the boards in Nashville, one of which, Jubilee, included performances by Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Marty Stuart and Old Crow Medicine Show.

“These albums reflect all our different musical influences,” Wheetman adds. “One of the things about the band is that it’s pretty democratic. If somebody brings a song they want to sing, we look at it, and if it clicks, and the band can do something with it, then we usually play it. The first records were all over the map. It was country music and reggae music, Bob Dylan and just all kinds of stuff. And then, as we went along, we started to focus on a specific genre, and we’d go deep into that genre. That led us to where we are now. The last three albums we’ve done — The Woodstock Sessions, the gospel album, Travelin’ Shoes, and this new one were all done with Larry Campbell.” 

The new album continues that trend. “As far as Honky Tonk is concerned, we all made our living at one point in honky tonks,” Wheetman recalls. “So that’s when we decided to do an album totally focused on that particular style.”

As they celebrate 40 years from that initial spark, they’re still harnessing the same passion, purpose and chemistry that inspired them early on. What’s more, the critics tend to agree.

No Depression praised their “Remarkable, distinctive voices, giddily eccentric eclecticism…”  Acoustic Guitar magazine concurred, noting, “The real draw is the band itself, showcasing the kind of ensemble performances that come only from a lifetime of playing together, thriving across the decades as virtuosic, unsung heroes of country, folk, and Western swing.”

Or, as the L.A. Weekly aptly put it, “This West Coast group deftly dashes across decades of American music to create a sound that’s steeped in tradition but never bogged down by traditionalism.” 

And indeed, that’s what makes the music shared by Marley’s Ghost spirited, enduring and haunting. It’s a waltz of the angels, with a West Coast bounce.