Playing with Your Heart (Six) Strings: An Interview with Lyle Brewer
Lyle Brewer seems to defy logic with his guitar playing. He can rock and sure he can roll. He plays technical jazz effortlessly and blues with heart and soul for days. His latest record “Juno” seemed to come out of nowhere. I caught up with the guitarist/songwriter to talk about his latest record, sobriety’s impact on his art, and what is next for him. Check it.
RLR: So I have probably asked you this in the past, but how do you find it to overcome any barriers as an instrumental artist in a community that is heavily flooded with songwriters focusing on lyrical content and story-telling. I would consider you a songwriter purely based on the fact that your instrumental songs really do tell a story and evoke certain, distinctive emotions. One tune may make me feel sad, while another has an exciting, raw energy. Any thoughts on that and how to engage an audience on a different level, without using “words” per se?
LB: I think any musical style in any format in any environment can be captivating. By that same token, any kind of music can be lack luster. I do not prescribe to one form of expression, either as a maker or a listener of music. My two favorite artists right now are Sufjan Stevens and Bach, go figure. I think the problem with genres is that the audience has some pre-conceived notion of what they are getting. I write and play instrumental music. To some listeners that immediately means background music. There are no words therefore there is no verse, chorus, bridge etc. formula. There aren’t lyrics describing the story and sentiment of a particular song. Often times there is confusion when I don’t sing as if people are waiting for it. That’s okay and I don’t take offense but it sets the expectation that in order to engage someone you must be singing. I don’t feel in any way that instrumentals are “less” than lyric based songs. In fact I feel that in order to get a feeling across using music without lyrics is much, much harder. Imagine a lead singer humming a whole song with no words. To get stuck in my head your melody would have to be pretty damn good. That’s how I think about it. When I write, I use my voice, which is a guitar. On this album I am primarily a songwriter. Nothing on this album is improvised, as it’s all composed before hand, the same as a lyricist. A four piece rock band with a lead vocalist is a universally accepted musical format, like, you know, The Beatles. A solo guitarist with no vocals is a much harder sell. But if people are willing to go along for the ride I can put on just as engaging a performance as a singer-songwriter. It all depends on whether an audience is open to the idea.
RLR: You have been very public about this past year being a big one for you because it marks a full year of sobriety (I can relate and am really proud of you, by the way). How has this affected you artistically? You often times will hear musicians or industry folks talk about how the pain and the addiction can fuel music or songwriting, but you (along with some other red line favorites – i.e. Jason Isbell) are a very strong example that proves that statement wrong. Care to elaborate at all or talk about how it has changed or helped evolve how you create?
LB: Sobriety is incredibly important to me. Getting sober was the best decision I could’ve made and I am grateful to have a year under my belt. Artistically speaking, sobriety saved me. When I was twelve I started playing guitar and I completely fell in love with it. All I wanted to do was play. I thought it was the most fun, interesting and exciting thing to do with my time. I practiced constantly, wrote songs, started a band, played shows etc. I felt a big camaraderie with my brother who also played and with my close friends. My guitar teacher was my hero. I had finally found something that made me feel good, safe and secure like I had found my home. It boosted my confidence, helped my work ethic, allowed me to express myself and gave me a second family. At that time there was no such thing as a gig or a late night hang, or a half drunken recording session. All of my energy was focused on music. Along the way in my career, the “hang” started to take over. The music itself was becoming less of a priority and that bothered me. There is a ton of romanticism towards alcohol in music. I can’t tell you how many songs about drinking I’ve heard. Love songs, heartbreak songs, party songs. There’s this idea in our culture that alcohol makes all of life’s experiences richer in some way. Bad day at work, have a drink. On vacation, have a drink. Romantic dinner, have a drink. Playing music, have a drink. The fun becomes more fun and the painful stuff becomes easier, or in the case of artists more painful or “more real”. Having been surrounded by addiction my whole life I can say that that’s not true. I think that substance abuse provides an illusion of reality. It changes a person’s mind into thinking one thing is happening while another is actually happening. Music for me isn’t about creating an illusion it’s about living in reality, one that you create for yourself through art. Alcohol just gets in the way of that for me. There are those who don’t have these problems obviously and to each their own. Personally I have welcomed the clarity that sobriety brought me, I feel like I’m playing for the same reason I did when I was twelve.
RLR: What is the significance of the title “Juno”. The cover art is particularly interesting to me. I get a very “encapsulated” or isolated kind of a feeling across the breadth of the songs here. Almost like they were crafted while held up last winter in Boston with the record breaking snowfall (and the cover kind of emulates that in a way). Any truth to that?
LB: Very good Brian! Damn! That’s exactly what happened. I found myself trapped inside with my guitar for months, stone sober. I wrote a song the first storm which was called “Juno” and then wrote one song for the next five storms. It wasn’t so isolation though, I found it be comforting. I have always enjoyed playing by myself, whether its practicing or performing and the severity of the weather last year gave plenty of alone time.
RLR: The record is has an almost flamenco/Spanish influence. What had you been listening to when you were writing the songs for this collection? Do you find that what you are listening to at a given time has a direct influence on what pours from you in your own work? ‘Winter Moths’ intro has an almost ‘Chris Thile playing Bach” vibe. Man, I love that track.
LB: I have always played acoustic guitar at home. I also practice without an amp most of the time. All of the songs on this album were written without amplification. I actually tried to record the album on electric. I tracked all twelve songs, thought about it for a few days then threw it away. I wanted something more personal, just me and a guitar. At the time I was listening to Brad Barr’s solo record “The Fall Apartment” which is an acoustic album. I’ve been really excited about Brazilian music, Luiz Bonfa in particular, and I’ve been trying to learn classical guitar as well. And yeah “Winter Moth” is my attempt at writing a Bach-esque piece. I heard Chris Thile’s Bach album and wrote that the next day. To answer your question, what I listen to definitely effects what I’m writing. I’ve been trying to find the best music I can and use it as a model to write. In the case of “Winter Moth” that’s pretty obvious but with other songs like “Bloom” that was inspired by a great band called Cowboy and Lady. Other song ideas were sparked by Blake Mills, Luiz Bonfa, Brad Barr, Ted Greene, and Sufjan Stevens. As an artist it’s my job to stay inspired and there’s plenty of great music out there you just have to find it.
RLR: This record is very, very stripped down. Just you with an acoustic guitar. Why was that choice made, was it purely circumstance or a conscience decision?
LB: My favorite thing to do musically is to play solo. I love being a sideman and a band member. I love recording and playing live, but there’s nothing to me as satisfying as playing by myself. Solo performances expose your strengths and your weaknesses. I think that real musical strength can not be denied by any lack of production, nor can musical weakness be covered up by any bounty of production. “Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather” is a great song and it doesn’t need to be dressed up. I wanted to see if the strength of the material would come through with just a guitar. It’s harder to pull off but the reward is much greater I think.
RLR: So…what’s next for Lyle Brewer? You seem to have done it all, dude!
LB: It’s been a very productive year. I put out a mostly trio album over the summer and this album will be out December 12th. More than anything I want to focus on staying inspired musically. As I said earlier I’ve been getting my feet wet with classical guitar, I might take lessons in my spare time and work up a repertoire of Bach pieces. I was recently hired in the Guitar Department at The Berklee College of Music and that has been a dream come true. The goal for me right now is to keep music as a positive force in my life. I love to practice, write, record and perform. All musicians are looking for just the right balance of professional success, artistic satisfaction and personal happiness. I feel like the older I get the closer I am to having this whole thing figured out. So in short, just like when I was in junior high, All I want to do it play guitar.
Lyle has TWO release shows coming up for Juno…
Saturday December 12th at Stubblebine Lutherie
487 Somerville Ave, Somerville MA
Two shows : 6:00 & 8:00 PM
(photo by Joan Hathaway)
