Caught in the Carousel

Shawn Brown

Just in Case
Firekracker/Bootney-Lee

Shawn Brown

On the strength of his past E.P.s, it seemed singer/songwriter Shawn Brown’s debut was destined to fall somewhere between the catchy acoustic pop of The Posies and the laid back grooves of Jack Johnson. This might have been a safe bet at one time, but something funny happened on the way to the studio and by the time Brown had laid down the ten tracks that comprise Just In Case, he had found inside himself a previously untapped reserve of soul. That being said, Just In Case traverses the pop terrain of the Posies (“Movie Of Your Life”) and indeed there is a touch of Johnson’s gentle musings (“How Much Money Is Enough”), but “Testify” makes the case that Brown has transformed. Fueled by rousing handclaps, stirring background vocals and Brown observing “All the people jump to their feet/kicking it to the gospel beat,” “Testify” is the album’s piece de resistance—a rolling blast of acoustic soul that not only verifies Brown’s talents as a songwriter but as a commanding frontman as well. Filled with funky breakdowns (“Lucky Boy”), catchy pop (“Break-Up/Break Down”) and smoldering ballads (“Just In Case”), Brown’s debut comes with swaggering confidence, swaying, memorable choruses and mature musical craftsmanship. Not a bad way to start a career at all.

Shawn Brown talks to Alex Green about Just In Case:

CITC: Compared to your first EP (The Bootney Lee EP), the new material seems to have expanded in a much more soul-driven direction. Was this a natural progression or did it take you by surprise?

SB: Its been a pretty organic progression. My early stuff was pretty bare bones and basic. There wasn't a ton of emphasis on style; it was always more about the basic song and voice. I was so focused on playing live shows and my records existed for booking and having something to put in people's hands after gigs. I think the real turning point was when we did the Lucky Boy EP. Pat Mosca (producer) started asking me more and more questions about what I was hearing in the songs, beyond just the chords I was playing on an acoustic guitar. Everything I was hearing pushed the music towards a more soulful sound. If I've been surprised by anything, its how long its taken me to get going in a more soul pop direction. Otherwise it’s not shocking, considering I always wanted to be Bill Withers or Otis Redding. I just had never been given the time in the studio to sort all my influences out. To throw in a useless sports analogy, I feel like a kid who's just been brought up to the major leagues from the minors. I'm gonna need lots of 'at bats' in order to work through it all, but it’s a real shot in the arm as far as the process goes. Plus folks have really been loving the new record so that feels good. It’s funny, my live band is made up of some classic Bay Area R&B cats, too, and they're always trying to get more soul out of me. They laugh though; they think it’s pretty wild that this lil' Irish kid is out there singing this music.

CITC: The live show has expanded as well--you've been known to be accompanied by an almost gospel-edged chorus. Were you initially worried how that would work in a live setting?

SB: It’s actually a tough line to walk. My full band shows are really, really funky. Just in Case as a record, while being really soulful, is also pretty pop. So it’s tough to know how best to balance those things out with the band. If I'm playing in your town and you come expecting a pop show, you will be pleasantly surprised when you are swallowed whole by the funk of this band. It’s a totally different vibration; sexy stuff, really. I think the major labels would prefer I streamlined my live show back to playing my tunes note for note like my records. It’s just something people need to come check out for themselves. As a devout music fan, I would rather go to a show and see an artist stretch themselves rather than play their record note for note. I can stay at home and listen to the CD, but if I do that, I won't be able to meet any girls. I'm just trying to give folks the same opportunity.

CITC: You revisit a few compositions that appeared on your previous albums--how do the new recordings compare to the old and why did you decide to go this direction?

SB: It was pretty cool, actually. I was faced with making my first full-length record and in doing so, had to sort of take stalk of everything I'd written up to that point. Pat and I then had to sort through it all and pick the very best tunes and go with those. It worked out really even; half the songs were older and half were brand new. As far as taking some of the old songs back in the studio and cracking them open, it was a blast. Plus Pat really pushed me to look beyond how I'd done them before and work harder at getting more out of the songs themselves. A song like "Get in Line" really got amped up during that process. That’s one of my very first songs and I've done it now on three different releases, three totally different ways. Maybe I'll do it a fourth time, who knows?

CITC: You've traveled all over the United States touring--give us a high point and a low point.

SB: Touring is a wild deal. It’s like that classy girl you always wanted to be with; you have to be patient and put your time in and hopefully she'll come around. Playing shows is exactly the same way, show by show, town by town. I've been on the road quite a bit over the last few years and every time I come back to a town I've played enough, the venues get a little bit bigger and the crowds get more and more excited. It takes time, though. For me, the low points are those first shows in a town I've never played. Those small crowds are amazing, though and are the sole reason I've been able to stay out there playing; they go and tell their friends and their friends tell their friends, they get on Myspace or Virb, and suddenly you roll back to that same town and it’s a packed house. I sometimes pull up to a venue, see a line wrapped around the building and ask "Who else is playing here tonight"? I want to hug every one of those people who come out. I just wanna love them all up! Last summer I headlined the Haight Street Festival in San Francisco. There were over 10,000 people there, so for me and the band to play a home- town show in front of so many friends is still as big as it gets for me.

CITC: So what's next for Shawn Brown?

SB: I'm getting itchy for some shows. I'm going to be playing more and more throughout the spring. I've got shows in Austin and Nashville coming up. In August, I'm hitting the road for a national tour with my Aussie buddy Kai Brown. I'm also currently in the studio, working on a couple new songs for some TV shows (I can't tell you which ones yet!) and those will be available iTunes-style, hopefully by the end of June. Looking forward to the tour, though; I just don't feel much like myself if I'm not out there singing for folks.

--Alex Green