D.C. musician to perform at JMU this weekend
Luke Brindley delivers soulful folk-rocks on album
By Owen Hutchinson, contributing writer
Posted on February 22, 2007

The “next big thing” in contemporary rock music may very well be Washington, D.C., local Luke Brindley, and JMU will get a chance to hear him sing Saturday night.

A New Jersey native, Brindley now resides in Washington, D.C., and operates Jammin’ Java, a popular nightspot in Vienna, Va., where he often performs. The establishment has been rated by pollstar.com as one of the top 100 music venues in the world.

Brindley’s self-titled album was released earlier this year and has slowly generated a buzz based on his straightforward approach to rock ‘n’ roll. In press such as the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Playboy and Paste Magazine, Brindley’s lyrics and musical sensibilities frequently draw comparisons to the likes of folk-rock giants Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. However, it may be more appropriate to mention Brindley in the company of contemporary musicians such as the Gin Blossoms and the Counting Crows, as Brindley’s vocals and arrangements often feel reminiscent of the bands that propelled the mid ‘90s alt-folk rock movement forward.

Overall, Luke Brindley possesses a quintessentially “Americana” vibe, due in no small part to Brindley’s voice. He has a keen melodic sensibility. His raspy, soulful tenor complements but does not overshadow or clash with the band’s instruments. The lyrics boast an everyman, introspective quality that is refreshingly earnest and devoid of pretension.

In the opening of “Hold on to the Mystery,” Brindley sings, “Lightning flashes/over this suburban town/you get one split-second/to look around/ain’t that the way life seems sometimes?/You only believe what’s before your eyes,” suggesting a quiet sadness that belies an ultimately hopeful outlook.

The overall theme of the album seems to be the struggle to keep love alive in a dangerous world, as evidenced by songs such as “Darkness Done,” where Brindley muses “These strange times like some waking dream/no one you touch is who they seem/these dying times of undertow and loss/you fight what you see then count the cost.”

The instrumental work is another pleasant surprise on the CD. As a whole, the album boasts a warm, rich audio palette. The inclusion of keyboards, a horn section, steel guitar and even a string quartet on “Mad Love” are welcome additions to what otherwise may have become a generic singer-songwriter folk-rock release.

According to the disc’s liner notes, Luke Brindley was recorded in only three days, but after listening to the album, this seems a near impossibility. The songs are distinct but form a cohesive whole and never feel or sound as if quality or creativity were sacrificed for brevity in the recording studio. Rather, it may very well be possible these kinds of songs simply exist within Brindley, who, like his prolific influences, merely draws them out like one draws water out of a well when he feels the urge.

Luke Brindley will take the stage at the Festival Center at 9 p.m. Saturday, joining 80 One Records artists Eddie Cain Irvin and Doug Roberts, as well as guest performer Zac Clark from Vermont.