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Jackson Browne at The Kennedy Center


by Keith Greene

Performing before a sold-out crowd in the acoustically perfect Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center, Jackson Browne and his crackerjack band led the aging hipster audience through a mix of his older favorites along with several songs from his new album – Standing in the Breach – due to be released on October 7th. It will be his 14th studio album, and first since 2008. Mixing in humorous stories and personal recollections, Browne performed a 17-song two-set performance, before The Kennedy Center’s dreaded 10:00 p.m. Sunday night curfew pulled him off the stage without allowing for an encore. Nonetheless, the sellout crowd left thrilled with being able to catch the first show of Browne’s full-band tour which runs through November 24, 2014 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Browne recently concluded a solo tour on August 23rd.

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Approaching his 66th birthday in October, Browne still looks as handsome as ever, perhaps a bit older looking but certainly wiser, with his shoulder length full head of dark hair the envy of every middle-aged male in the audience. His thin frame and charming banter had every woman in the audience remember why they fell in love – if not lust – with him in the 70s and surely re-kindled some of those feelings. Dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a dark gray untucked shirt, Browne was clearly thrilled being at The Kennedy Center, at one point joking he was not being HONORED but simply performing a show.

Browne’s terrific band included longtime mates Val McCallum (son of David McCallum and Jill Ireland, with definite facial resemblance to his dad) on guitar); Mauricio Lewak on drums; Jeff Young (on keyboards and backing vocals), and the incredible Bob Glaub (Browne reminded the crowd that it was pronounced gl-OW-b and not GLOB) on bass. Browne also joked about the pronunciation of his own name, remarking that the “e” was silent but if audience members insisted on saying it, he preferred Brown-AY to Brown-EE. For this tour, he has added acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz on guitar, lap steel, and pedal steel and backup singer Shavonne Stewart.

While the entire band was impressive, Glaub and Lewak deserve particular mention for “providing the bottom” to the music. Their musical skills were superb and kept the band grounded throughout the night.

The eight-song first set featured a combinations of songs from the new album along with two of his hits from days gone by and a Woody Guthrie cover he performed at The Kennedy Center last year in honor of the anniversary of the late Guthrie’s 100th date of birth. Browne alternated between several acoustic and electric guitars and even took a turn at the piano during the set.

Opening with the powerhouse “The Barricades of Heaven” co-written with Lewak and Young, Browne immediately set the stage that this was to be a night of beautiful music with beautiful lyrics. Three new songs from the new album followed, including “The Long Way Around,” with harmonies added by Stewart and “Leaving Winslow,” a song Browne described as being about hobos and hopping a rattling freight train to follow one’s dreams. The stellar guitar playing of Leisz and McCallum shone through to pair with Brownes pinpoint lyricism.

Next up was “Shaky Town,” a song Browne described as composed by his former guitarist Danny Kortchmar. The song was clearly written as a trucker road-tripper, with reference to “a Big 10-4.” Browne bragged that his trucking crew has been with him for more than forty years, and he clearly performed this song as thanks to his crew. Browne then pulled out 1993’s “I’m Alive” which he sang beautifully with Young.

One of Browne’s fan favorites – “These Days” followed, with the lights – beautiful all night long – taking on a softer tint. The crowd sang along to the beautifully sad and reflective lyrics, which included “These days I seem to think a lot about the things that I forgot to do” and “Now if I seem to be afraid to live the life I have made in song. Well it’s just that I’ve been losing so long.”

The first set closed with “You Know the Night,” the same song Browne performed at Woody Guthrie’s birthday party last year at the Kennedy Center. The song, about the night Guthrie met his wife, reminded the audience of Guthrie’s songwriting brilliance, which Browne comes close to matching.

Following a twenty-five minute intermission, Browne kicked off his nine-song second set with one of his biggest hits – “Rock Me on the Water” – with gorgeous harmonies provided by Young and Stewart. The new “Which Side,” about the Occupy movement followed and featured a stunning pedal steel guitar solo by Leisz. The title cut to the new album followed, dedicated to the people of Haiti and their resilience following the destructive earthquake and abject poverty. He was greeted with his first standing ovation of the evening and was genuinely moved by the audience’s reaction to a song most had never heard.

“Looking East,” the rocking title cut from Browne’s 11th album followed, with Leisz and McCallum trading hot guitar licks. Browne lowered the pace with the beautiful new “If I Could Be Anywhere,” a moving song about the ocean. The magnificent “Birds of St. Marks,” the opening cut on the new album though a song written when Browne was 18, followed. Written as a tribute to The Byrds, one could easily hear McCallum channeling Roger McGuinn on guitar. Browne announced that this “concluded my new songs” and thanked the audience for their warm support through the years. The audience responded with a huge ovation.

Browne fired up the crowd with the always popular “Running on Empty” with perfect harmonies from Stewart and Young, which was greeted with another standing ovation. And then, due to time constraints, the crowd was asked to make a decision – “Doctor My Eyes or Take It Easy?” While most of the audience pleaded for both, Browne insisted on a decision and “Take It Easy” made so popular by his L.A. buddies in the Eagles was the winner. The gorgeous version crossfaded into the beautiful “Our Lady of the Well” as it does on the stellar 1973 “For Everyman” album.

Browne again received a standing ovation and warmly thanked the joyous audience as the house lights came up. While some may have been left yearning for some of his bigger hits such as “The Pretender,” “Fountain of Sorrow” and the aforementioned “Doctor My Eyes,” no one left disappointed. Browne’s voice remains a beautiful instrument and his lyricism is in top form on the new album. Rush over to Amazon or iTunes to buy it!

Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, with one 25 minute intermission.

Link to Article Jackson Browne at The Kennedy Center

Jackson Browne And Friends To Perform At Benefit For Sanctuary Centers At The Arlington Theatre In Santa Barbara On October 25


On October 25th at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, Jackson Browne and friends will host a special benefit for the Sanctuary Centers of Santa Barbara, the renowned non-profit provider of care for adults living with mental illness in the area. The evening will feature Jackson Browne along with members of his band and special guests. Tickets go on sale at 10AM Pacific on Friday, September 12th and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets including the Arlington Theatre. To charge by phone please call 800-745-3000 or 805-963-4408. To order online visit www.ticketmaster.com

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Sanctuary Centers of Santa Barbara is the leading community-based nonprofit in Santa Barbara that serves adults living with mental illness. They offer unique comprehensive individualized programs including: residential, outpatient, low-income housing, drug and alcohol therapy and vocational and educational training. Their continuum of care approach has resulted in long-term remission from severe and disabling psychiatric symptoms since 1976. Sanctuary Centers is proud to report that they have reduced the rate of mental health hospitalizations of their clients by 90% over the last 15 years and incredibly have not had a single incident of suicide among residential clients. Other key measures include an 85% sobriety rate of their drug and alcohol therapy clients over the last 8 years and cutting smoking by more than half in the past year from a high of 62% to 33%.

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Jackson Browne is currently on tour with his band in support of his new studio album Standing In The Breach, to be released on October 7.

For more information on Sanctuary Centers visit www.sanctuarycenters.org

Link to Article Jackson Browne And Friends To Perform At Benefit For Sanctuary Centers At The Arlington Theatre In Santa Barbara On October 25

Review – Jackson Browne Standing in the Breach


by Nick Deriso – SomethingElseReviews.com

With Standing in the Breach, Jackson Browne makes a stunningly bold statement of purpose in a moment that might have been more reflective. After all, his very best music was the subject of a celebrated recent tribute album, something that might have left a lesser artist more humbled than ambitious. Not Browne. His first album of new songs since 2008, set for release on Browne’s own Inside Recordings in October, finds him working at peak creativity — as a writer, as a performer, as a bandmate.

Standing in the Breach is as layered as it is honest, as reflective as it is determined. Along the way, that takes Browne to places both reliably satisfying, and surprisingly new.

There’s “Yeah Yeah,” which belies its breezy title and chorus as Browne digs deep into a lover’s character study — without ever letting go of this song’s infectious hook. All of that is nicely balanced by “The Long Way Around,” as Browne traces a quieter, more personal shape around criticism of our unthankful modernity. Anyone who bought his first three or four albums will find themselves transported instantly back there.

But the restless Browne isn’t about to sit still. “Leaving Winslow,” at first, seems to follow that anger toward a sharper riff, but we find Browne instead hopping a rattling freight to follow his dreams. Already, the smart interplay between Greg Leisz and Val McCallum, as much as Browne’s pinpoint lyricism, has proven to be the engine that drives Standing in the Breach.

“It Could Be Anywhere” boasts a snappy, Beatlesque cadence, while “You Know the Night” pulls on a pair of dusty boots for an evening of two-stepping reminiscence. “Walls and Doors,” a meditation on the complexities of freedom, actually ends up giving Browne a chance to grow more introspective still. But then there’s “Which Side,” where Browne marches along in lyrical lockstep with Bob Dylan’s smart and too-often-overlooked “You Gotta Serve Somebody.”

The title track makes a clarion call for service, before “Here” arrives like a splash of 1970s-era Fleetwood Mac sunshine. Then there’s “The Birds of St. Marks,” an advance song of deeply personal beauty. Like “You Know the Night,” that track has been around for some time — but these songs, like Jackson Browne, sound born anew here.

Complex both emotionally and musically, Standing in the Breach is one of the most viscerally present albums in his storied career. Anyone of his vintage, of course, could perhaps be forgiven for looking backward. Browne is instead pushing himself ever forward — aware of the past, willing to reshape it and to build upon it, but ever forward.

Link to Article Review – Jackson Browne Standing in the Breach

Jackson Browne to Appear Sept. 5th at the 2nd Annual Benefit Concert for Jail Guitar Doors USA

Jackson Browne is featured at the 2nd Annual Benefit Concert for Jail Guitar Doors USA at the historic John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood, CA, September 5th.

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The concert is curated by MC5 guitarist & JBD-USA Co-founder Wayne Kramer. The show features a line-up including comedian/emcee Dana Gould, with featured performers including Jackson Browne, Tom Morello, White Fence, Jill Sobule and JGD Program Graduate Franc Foster.

The show will be held at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahenga Blvd., East, Hollywood, CA. Friday, September 5th at 8pm, $25 General Admission / to $150 VIP Packages. More information about the show can be found here.

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About Jail Guitar Doors USA
In 1978, The Clash released the song, “Jail Guitar Doors.” The song tells the story of the imprisonment of their fellow musician Wayne Kramer. In 2007, to honor the life of Clash founder, Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg launches an initiative in England to provide musical equipment used to rehabilitate inmates serving time in Her Majestys Prisons in the United Kingdom. His initiative is named for that very same song, Jail Guitar Doors. In 2009, Wayne Kramer partners with Billy Bragg to found Jail Guitar Doors USA. Together, their combined effort continues the mission for prisoners in America.

More information about Jail Guitar Doors USA can be found here.

Link to Article Jackson Browne to Appear Sept. 5th at the 2nd Annual Benefit Concert for Jail Guitar Doors USA

Jackson Browne Announces New Album Standing In The Breach Out October 7th On Inside Recordings

LOS ANGELES,Aug. 19, 2014/PRNewswire/ — OnOctober 7th,Jackson Brownewill release his 14th studio album,Standing In The Breach. The album was recorded inLos Angelesand features the single “The Birds Of St. Marks,” which debuted yesterday on Rolling Stone and MOJO and is available today for download viaAmazonandiTuneswhen the albumStanding In The Breachis pre-ordered. “RINGING PEALS OF GUITARherald the coming of a great newJackson Brownerelease,” saidMOJO.

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“The Birds ofSt. Marks” was originally written in 1967 when Jackson was just 18 and returning home toCaliforniaafter a brief stint living inNew York. The song was recorded as a demo in 1970 and occasionally heard in the live setting as captured on hisSolo Acoustic Vol. 1, but has only now been given the treatment Jackson had originally envisioned.”This is a song I always heard as a Byrds song, and that was even part of the writing of the song,” he toldRolling Stone. The finished version of the song featuresGreg Leiszplaying a “McGuinn-esque 12-string,” described Rolling Stone.Leisz and Jackson were joinedbyVal McCallum(electric guitar),Bob Glaub(bass) andDon Heffington(drums), whileas described in MOJO “McCallum andKipp Lennonstir[ed] essence of Crosby into the vocal harmonies.”

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Jackson Brownelaunches an album tour this fall, with band dates starting at The Kennedy Center inWashington DC, and ending at The Royal Albert Hall inLondon, England. He will also appear on The Late Show withDavid LettermanonOctober 6thand CBS This Morning on October 11th. Accompanying Jackson on the road are longtime band matesVal McCallum(guitar),Mauricio Lewak(drums),Jeff Young(keyboards) andBob Glaub(bass), with the addition of acclaimed multi-instrumentalistGreg Leisz(guitar, lap steel, pedal steel).

Standing In The Breach, is a collection of ten songs, at turns deeply personal and political, exploring love, hope, and defiance in the face of the advancing uncertainties of modern life. “The interplay betweenVal McCallumandGreg Leiszon this album – the effortlessness of their chemistry is a gift really, that just dropped into my lap,” says Jackson. The album will be available everywhere onOctober 7th.

Track Listing forStanding In The Breach:
1)The Birds Of St. Marks
2)Yeah Yeah
3)The Long Way Around
4)Leaving Winslow
5)If I Could Be Anywhere
6)You Know The Night
7)Walls And Doors
8)Which Side
9)Standing In The Breach
10)Here

Tour Dates: (MORE TO BE ADDED)

Solo Acoustic
August 19- Capitol Center -Concord, NH
August 20- Providence PAC -Providence, RI
August 22- Toyota Presents the Oakdale Theatre -Wallingford, CT
August 23- Hippodrome Theatre -Baltimore, MD

FALL TOUR (U.S)
Full Band
September 14- Kennedy Center -Washington, DC
September 27-Newport Folk FestPresentsWay Over Yonder -Santa Monica, CA
October 4- Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center -York, PA
October 7- Beacon Theatre -New York, NY
October 8- Beacon Theatre -New York NY
October 10- Academy of Music -Philadelphia, PA
October 12- Benedum Center -Pittsburgh, PA
October 14- Chicago Theatre -Chicago, IL
October 15- E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall -Akron, OH
October 17- Palace Theatre -Columbus, OH
October 18- Murat Theatre -Indianapolis, IN

FALL TOUR (U.K.)
Full Band
November 17- Symphony Hall -Birmingham, UK
November 18-Bridgewater Hall-Manchester, UK
November 20- The Sage -Gateshead, UK
November 21- Royal Concert Hall -Glasgow, UK
November 24- Royal Albert Hall -London, UK

Link to Article Jackson Browne Announces New Album Standing In The Breach Out October 7th On Inside Recordings