Dennis Brennan Band
10 pm Show
Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA
April 9, 2008
Dennis Brennan is not easily intimidated.
A less assured bandleader would have turned out the lights and said goodnight after his pal, former J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf, stepped in to electrify the tiny club with two R&B classics, the second being the popular “Give It To Me”, which would have rocked spectators in the last row of the Fleet Center.
Instead, Brennan, whose band is the regular Wednesday night gig at The Lizard Lounge, nodded his head, grinned “What a showman,” and carried on as if the interlude had been inserted by an upstart high schooler.
Brennan has zings. He kept the train chugging with an uptempo version of Lickety Split then sweetly brought it into the station with a mighty soulful version of “Living in a Fool’s Paradise.”
The man from Marlborough, MA, has been scuffling in the local music scene since 1992. Despite solid reviews, a firewall seems to surround his popularity, relegating him to regional fame. Maybe it’s just as well. Dennis is not an arena performer. He’s very persuasive in small clubs as an in-your-face rocker and balladeer. When he belts out a song, it’s from his gut and it’s for real.
Brennan has range. Don’t be surprised to hear twangy Merle Haggard covers of “You Don’t Have Very Far To Go” and “Skid Row” follow a blistering rocker.
The miking at the Liz made it hard to hear the lyrics of his rock‘n roll songs. It hardly mattered since most of the crowd that drifts in here every Wednesday knows the songs by heart. And when Brennan reaches back to gut out Sam Cooke covers like “Living In A Fool’s Paradise,” there’s an ample sampling of booty shakin’ in the standing audience.
A self-described blue-collar rocker, Dennis Brennan resembles an eastern version of Lyle Lovett, craggy, unassuming, understated. His sidemen Duke Levine (on one or the other of the collection of guitars near his feet), Kevin Barry on laptop steel and guitar, Billy Beard on his well-traveled drum kit, and bass player Andrew Mazzone are cream-of- the-croppers. They’ve appeared with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Paula Cole, and Patty Griffin. Several of tonight’s songs were from Brennan’s fifth CD since 1989, a 2006 CD “Engagement”, on which all tonight’s sidemen played.
All of these guys are part of the local scene and play gigs with other bands on a regular basis. Barry and Levine can and did play solos ranging from liquid thunder to poignant heartache. You’d dig listening to any band these four guys are part of. Tonight I missed the first three songs of Brennan’s set. I wont make that mistake next week.
Partial set for Wednesday, April 9, 2007
“If you’re tryin' to break my heart you don’t have far to go” cover of Merle Haggard tune
“Skid Row”, cover of Merle Haggard tune, up-tempo
“Personal Assistant”, on latest album Engagement
“Miss Maybelle,” upbeat Mississippi blues
“Sugar Falls”, on latest album Engagement
Three songs by guest Andrea Gillis
“Mother-in-Law Blues,” Junior Parker cover
Two songs by Peter Wolf, first title unknown, second “Give It To Me”
“Lickety Split,” (possible title?)
“Living In A Fool’s Paradise,” cover of Sam Cooke ballad
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