The Essex Lights

Caldwells-Inspired Essex Lights Shine on Hollywood
A West Essex grad, Brawer's music reflects his experiences growing up in area.
By Ron Albanese 7:36am
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Three time zones and nearly 3,000 miles away, a piece of The Caldwells—and Essex County— remain a big part of Michael C. Brawer.
Brawer, who now calls Los Angeles home after once living in West Caldwell and North Caldwell, has found inspiration from his roots in a project called The Essex Lights.
The West Essex Regional High School grad's collection of songs titled, "Action Park and the Indian Summer" is more than a musical journey with name dropping for folks of Essex County.
Like "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," it's appeal is universal, with an acoustic-based, rock/folk/jazz sound that is a trip through "the best records of the '70s." It's a fresh alternative to the general current musical landscape.
Each song tells a mini-story as Brawer's background invariably and frequently pops up. He gets extra points for "Postcards from Rio," which contains the line "I'm missing Jersey these days."
In addition to the the overall concept and songwriting, Brawer also played all of the instruments on the collection.
It also wouldn't be out of place to hear the album playing over the sound system at Rockin' Joe, on Sirius/XM's Coffeehouse channel or even on a boom box at a backyard barbecue.
Here's a closer look at the 28-year-old transplant from The Caldwells as we recently Patch-ed through to Hollywood.
Caldwells Patch: Where exactly are you living in California? Michael C. Brawer: I'm in the Hollywood Hills, and you feel like you're in the woods but you're
really in the city proper. It's a great place to make music.
CP: With being so fond of where you grew up to the point of musical inspiration, what made you decide to relocate about as far away in the Continental United States as you can get?
MB: (laughs) Well, when I graduated from college (University of Pennsylvania), I thought about it. I had always worked in movies as an intern and came out here for work. Los Angeles has become as much of what I am as Essex County.
CP: What came first—writing songs or deciding to write songs about Essex County?
MB: I took a circuitous route to music. I started writing in my free time and it had a nostalgic feel to it. Then the band name, album title and more—they're all Jersey references. I write in narrative form. The lyrics are stories from my life, so my music became a reflection of my youth—a simpler time.
CP: Would you say that as a songwriter, your Caldwells background is an advantage?
MB: (emphatically) Yes, it's an advantage to have this background of growing up in an All-American town. That's the aesthetic that I was drawing from for my album—right down to the vintage-style photography.
CP: Did your "Essex love" bloom when you were here or afterward?
MB: It was one of those "you don't know what you've got until it's gone" things. I first went to college in South Jersey and realized I had an affinity for our region—more so than other places I have lived.
Former West Caldwell and North Caldwell resident Michael C. Brawer. Myles Pettengill PHOTOS
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It's still the same when I go back. There's still a vibe—it's hard to put your finger on it.
CP: How did you "find" music in your life, or how did it "find" you?
MB: My entire musical background is due to a my music teacher at West Essex—Joseph Telesco. My senior year was actually his last year. He was really everyone's favorite. Even now, when I'm in the studio, I think of things I've learned from him. Had I not had the background he gave me, I wouldn't have the tools necessary to do solo production. He always said to know not just an instrument, but music.
CP: I wanted to ask you about your musicianship—not only did you write all of the songs on "Action Park and the Indian Summer," you also performed all the instruments?
MB: There's no other humans on the record but me. Now, there's a little flute here, but that I did on the keyboard!
CP: Besides your high school music teacher, who are some of your other primary influences? MB: Bruce Springsteen and Jimi Hendrix. CP: There's two you don't see together.
MB: I think Bruce is the greatest American songwriter of all time. If you ever pick up and play a guitar, everyone hears Jimi at some point and is like, "woah." There's so much to learn from a guy like that.
CP: How old were you when you starting playing? Writing songs?
MB: I've been playing music as far back as I can remember. I had piano lessons ... it wasn't until I started playing guitar around 12 or 13 that I took things more seriously, and as soon as I was playing guitar, I started writing songs.
CP: Describe the overall sound of The Essex Lights. MB: It's rock and roll, and I'm proud to say just that. There's a lot of blues and soul on there, too. I
wanted to emulate those big sounds from the '70s.
CP: I caught a '70s feel overall, song wise...
MB: That was conscientious—as soon I started working with vintage equipment. ... There's a lot of songs from the '70s with iconic production. I was digging through the record pile, looking for ideas. The album—as one of my bios says—is a "fun little tour of your favorite albums from the '70s."
CP: How do you play live? Solo or with a band?
MB: I use a laptop and some gizmos, but it's basically me and a guitar live.
CP: Are you planning on doing any shows out here?
MB: I would love to—I'm trying to put something together.
CP: What three things do you miss from The Caldwells, Essex County and New Jersey the most?
MB: Oh, "proper" Italian food! I also miss the fall—you can keep the winter! Finally, my family. I'm very close to them.

Brawer plans to soon extend "Action Park and the Indian Summer" with some additional, freshly recorded songs that he said will be released for free on his website (http://www.essexlights.com).

The Essex Lights album is available on iTunes and you can follow him on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/essexlights). - CBS.com / The Caldwells Patch

Album Title: Action Park & The Indian Summer
Artist: The Essex Lights
Reviewer's Name: Heath Andrews
Review Score: 5 Stars (out of 5)
Title Of Review: It Can't Get Much Better


Review Summary:

The Essex Lights is the name of Michael Brawer's one-man band. It's almost dumbfounding to hear this much sound being made by one person, and made so well. This is a near-perfect collection of amazing songs that combine elements of rock, blues, indie rock, and excellence. On the five track EP, Action Park & The Indian Summer, all of the songs are at or over five minutes long, a perfect length for The Essex Lights' sound to take hold. Brawer's expertise in various instruments allows the songs to build as they go along, making every moment of every song fresh and dynamic. This is, simply put, a must-own EP for any rock fan.

Review:

Despite recording Action Park & The Indian Summer entirely by himself, Michael Brawer wanted to use a band name to represent the multi-instrumental rock that he was recording. From this, The Essex Lights was born, and the music world is a better place because of it. The Essex Lights' 2010 EP is a phenomenal recording of five songs that deftly combines catchy hooks with funky bass lines and driving, bluesy guitars. The tracks are nearly perfect, and are so exquisitely made that it's hard to believe one person has invented so much, even with the wonders of multi-tracking.

The lead track, "Those Kind of Eyes", gives off a blues feeling with its pulsating organ keyboards and guitar tone akin to Robert Cray. Underneath it all is a bass line that borders on funk backed with a fairly standard but well performed drum track. Brawer rattles off lyrics about two lovers trying to forget the world in each other's presence and warmth. "Well it's hard to be a cynic/laying in the afterglow". Brawer sings it with conviction. About four and a half minutes into the track, a wonderfully placed horn comes in to add to the dynamic. A minute later, Brawer begins to solo and the whole song smolders with intensity.

The following track, "Postcards From Rio", has a slightly exotic atmosphere made from the light percussion, varied guitar styles, and harmonica. Brawer sings about trying to take his mind off a damaged relationship, despite everything reminding him of his partner. In a bit of sly, self-deprecating humor, Brawer mentions that his love loves Bob Dylan, and though he's not as good as him, he leaves a part of his heart in these songs when he sings them. Once again, as the song builds, more and more instruments are thrown in to build to a fantastic ending.

At the center of the EP, and deservedly so, is the masterpiece "A Song For Ella Mae". Named for a guitar he purchased, every little nuance of this song is dripping with excellence. The main riff is played low enough that the funk bassline, the propulsive rhythm guitar, the immensely catchy chorus can all be heard perfectly. Brawer isn't an excellent vocalist, but he uses his voice excellently. The way he picks up his tone as he crashes into the chorus is one of the main hooks of the song. This song alone is easily worth the price of the EP.

The ballad of the EP, "Hang In There, Kiddo", is not the strongest song here, but that's mostly based on Brawer's voice. As previously mentioned, Brawer is not an excellent vocalist. Because rock ballads are oft reliant on vocal power, this song doesn't quite work as well as the others. Fortunately, the acoustic bass and synthesized strings and keyboards all make for a beautifully arranged song that is just as well written as the tracks before it.

Finally, "Curve" revisits the sound of "Those Kind of Eyes" to round out the album. While both songs feature similar arrangements, "Curve" has some stronger soloing, a more pronounced bass rhythm, and a bit more of an experimental rock sound at parts where Brawer plays around with some guitar effects. It closes out the album in the best way possible, by bringing it back to the beginning . In a way it's symbolically fitting; it would seem The Essex Lights never go out. They just continue to shine.

Action Park & The Indian Summer is astonishingly good. What it lacks in quantity is makes up for in quality of songwriting and musicianship. As an added bonus, most of the songs are around the five to six minute mark and only continue to sound better the longer they go on. Michael Brawer has proven himself to be very talented as a musician and a songwriter. With any good fortune, The Essex Lights will be producing a full-length album with the same love, care, and expertise that this EP was crafted with.


Review by Heath Andrews - ReviewYou.com