Michael Jerome Browne
Montréal, Quebec, Canada | INDIE | AFM
Music
Press
Canada’s National Newspaper – Globe & Mail
CD Review
Michael Jerome Browne & The Twin Rivers String Band
Borealis
Rating: ****
Back in the day, to apply an overused phrase, string bands were the rage. With Michael Jerome Browne & the twin rivers string band, old soul Browne shows himself to be no small rage himself. On You Done Me Wrong, a Ray Price hit from George Jones, a country-radio hit turns into a Cajun twin-fiddle piece.
Meanwhile, next track Still On My Mind, an original, sounds as if written for Jones. Lyrics are in French, in English; there are whirling, swirling dance instrumentals. Leadbelly's Out On The Western Plains is yodeling, lap-steel fun; mountain-lonesome Arlington Town will near break your heart. It's more hoedown than lowdown, and it is, as they also say these days, all good.
Michael Jerome Browne celebrates with a CD-release concert at Hugh's Room, in Toronto, on Sunday.
- Various
"Browne's soulful singing is matched by the depth of his instrumental powers on various guitars, banjos and fiddles...Reservoirs of musical talent...an encyclopedic knowledge of blues styles and history"
'Sing Out' Magazine
"Michael Jerome Browne is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist and a marvelous interpreter of roots music traditions"
'Real Blues' Magazine
"Browne's passionate vocals and outstanding talents make him one of the best solo acts you will ever see"
Manitoba Blues Society
"Unquestionably Canada's finest roots and blues player"
'Scene' Magazine
"Powerhouse display of stunning vocal, songwriting and multi-instrumental talents"
The Winnipeg Sun
"Michael Jerome Browne is a country blues master"
Holger Peterson, CBC Radio
"Michael Jerome Browne delivers with skillful style and joins our list of the very best"
Greenbank Folk Music Society
- Various Publishers
PRAISE FOR 'THIS BEAUTIFUL MESS' AND MICHAEL JEROME BROWNE
"No matter what part of the roots genre he tackles, he nails it... solid, warm grooves and a skillful blend of '60s R&B with Nashville sounds from the same era."
-Calgary Sun
"A veritable feast... he can perform in any roots style, putting them all together simply requires good songs. He has them here. "
-Maple Blues Magazine, Toronto
"Browne's masterful manipulation of electric and acoustic 12- and six-string guitars is wonderful... Beautifully wrought, easygoing, soulful sounds that might make you wonder if the singer-guitarist was born in another era."
-Edmonton Journal
"Michael Jerome Browne digs deep to create a full-bodied work that should gain him some well-deserved wider attention. He sings and plays his butt off all over this thing... It's also worth mentioning that he's a damn entertaining guitarist who swaps boring note production for licks with personality and charm, leaving practically no mess whatsoever."
-What's On Winnipeg
"An articulate, superior package of Southern grooves"
-The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
"This Beautiful Mess is anything but disorganized, a collection of pristine-sounding folk, blues and pop."
-Now Magazine, Toronto
"A creative innovator who often blends different musical strains in fresh ways."
-Montreal Gazette
"15 pleasant surprises by a now radio-ready musical explorer who thrives on breaking his own boundaries. Bravo."
-Penguin Eggs
"Songs such as the melancholy The War Will End and the exquisite (Each Time) I Dream Of Meeting You - a country ballad worthy of vintage Willie Nelson - seem to flow so easily from Browne and band that one might wonder why the artist waited so long to unveil such fine country-soul creations."
-Ottawa Sun
"Like other virtuosos, he never lets his prowess get in the way of a good story."
-Montreal Mirror
"The songs touch on separation, longing and the cost of war, and have good melodic hooks"
-Vancouver Sun
"This Beautiful Mess expands the folk-based country blues and electric blues of his earlier excellent outings, and ranges into country, gospel and R&B territory... Browne's husky, assured tenor and tasty finger work dominate the generally upbeat tone."
-Toronto Star
"Browne's Indiana roots curl through the soulful Americana-drenched sounds of these 15 cuts."
-What's On Winnipeg
"A very expressive singer and a marvelous musician."
-fRoots
"Browne shares songwriting duties with B. Markus and has turned out some fascinating songs. Not just riffs but real songs."
-Green Man Review
"Michael Jerome Browne is one of my most favorite musicians on the scene today. His heartfelt original songs and soulful blend of blues and country sounds are the real deal."
-Eric Bibb
"The earthy country-blues of 2001's Drive On and 2004's Michael Jerome Browne & the Twin Rivers String Band were among the finest roots albums put out in this country this century."
-The Globe And Mail
- Various Quotes
PRAISE FOR 'THIS BEAUTIFUL MESS' AND MICHAEL JEROME BROWNE
"No matter what part of the roots genre he tackles, he nails it... solid, warm grooves and a skillful blend of '60s R&B with Nashville sounds from the same era."
-Calgary Sun
"A veritable feast... he can perform in any roots style, putting them all together simply requires good songs. He has them here. "
-Maple Blues Magazine, Toronto
"Browne's masterful manipulation of electric and acoustic 12- and six-string guitars is wonderful... Beautifully wrought, easygoing, soulful sounds that might make you wonder if the singer-guitarist was born in another era."
-Edmonton Journal
"Michael Jerome Browne digs deep to create a full-bodied work that should gain him some well-deserved wider attention. He sings and plays his butt off all over this thing... It's also worth mentioning that he's a damn entertaining guitarist who swaps boring note production for licks with personality and charm, leaving practically no mess whatsoever."
-What's On Winnipeg
"An articulate, superior package of Southern grooves"
-The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
"This Beautiful Mess is anything but disorganized, a collection of pristine-sounding folk, blues and pop."
-Now Magazine, Toronto
"A creative innovator who often blends different musical strains in fresh ways."
-Montreal Gazette
"15 pleasant surprises by a now radio-ready musical explorer who thrives on breaking his own boundaries. Bravo."
-Penguin Eggs
"Songs such as the melancholy The War Will End and the exquisite (Each Time) I Dream Of Meeting You - a country ballad worthy of vintage Willie Nelson - seem to flow so easily from Browne and band that one might wonder why the artist waited so long to unveil such fine country-soul creations."
-Ottawa Sun
"Like other virtuosos, he never lets his prowess get in the way of a good story."
-Montreal Mirror
"The songs touch on separation, longing and the cost of war, and have good melodic hooks"
-Vancouver Sun
"This Beautiful Mess expands the folk-based country blues and electric blues of his earlier excellent outings, and ranges into country, gospel and R&B territory... Browne's husky, assured tenor and tasty finger work dominate the generally upbeat tone."
-Toronto Star
"Browne's Indiana roots curl through the soulful Americana-drenched sounds of these 15 cuts."
-What's On Winnipeg
"A very expressive singer and a marvelous musician."
-fRoots
"Browne shares songwriting duties with B. Markus and has turned out some fascinating songs. Not just riffs but real songs."
-Green Man Review
"Michael Jerome Browne is one of my most favorite musicians on the scene today. His heartfelt original songs and soulful blend of blues and country sounds are the real deal."
-Eric Bibb
"The earthy country-blues of 2001's Drive On and 2004's Michael Jerome Browne & the Twin Rivers String Band were among the finest roots albums put out in this country this century."
-The Globe And Mail
- Various Quotes
Discography
"The Road Is Dark" (Borealis, fall 2011)
"This Beautiful Mess" (Borealis 2008)
"Double" (2 CDs- Borealis 2007)
"Michael Jerome Browne & The Twin Rivers String Band" (Borealis 2004)
"Drive On"(Borealis 2001)
"Michael Jerome Browne"(Bros 1998)
Michael has received Juno Award nominations for his first three recordings, in the Blues (first two) and Roots/Traditional Solo (Twin Rivers) categories. "Michael Jerome Browne"(1998) has been re-issued as part of "Double" (2007).
Photos
Bio
"One of the finest musicians who is well versed in so many interrelated genres when it comes to roots, Americana, blues, Cajun, you name it, Michael has got it under his belt in a big way and instruments in his backpack... Any chance I get to hear Michael and then play with him is a chance I'll leap at."
- Eric Bibb, roots music artist, interviewed by Holger Petersen in "Talking Music"
"An exceptional songwriter and singer."
- John McLaughlin (The Province, Vancouver)
"A roots music expert."
- Roger Levesque (Edmonton Journal)
“A multi-instrumentalist and singer of vast talent"
- Brad Wheeler (The Globe and Mail)
Michael Jerome Browne, New Folk Finalist, Kerrville (TX) Folk Festival, 2012; Canadian Folk Music Awards Solo Artist of the Year, 2012 & 2008; Maple Blues Acoustic Artist Award Winner; three time Juno Award Nominee in both the roots and blues categories. Michael is a multi-instumentalist, a songwriter, and a living encyclopedia of American Roots music. His New CD, 'The Road Is Dark' is now available on Borealis Records, and he currently tours solo or with drummer/percussionist John McColgan.
Whether he's gliding a slide across his national guitar, pulling his bow over the fiddle strings to play a lively Cajun waltz, or frailing away on his gourd banjo Michael's passion and virtuosity always shine through. In the true tradition of folk music, his performances inspire us to see the interconnections between the many cultures and influences that gave birth to American Roots Music. Gospel, Blues, Old-Time, Country, Soul and Cajun, expect to hear all of this and more from a performer who's been called a street-smart archivist and an absolute treasure.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Michael is the son of English professors whose love of music and poetry inspired them to take their nine year old son to the great jazz, blues and folk clubs in their adopted home of Montreal. By the age of fourteen, MJB was already a regular on the vibrant folk and coffee house scene adding banjo, fiddle, and mandolin to his masterful command of all variety of guitars and harmonica.
A musician's musician, when he isn't performing his own material he is in demand backing up and recording with artists such as: Eric Bibb, Jordan Officer, and Susie Arioli.
Michael Jerome Browne has four previous releases, three of them JUNO nominated:
"This Beautiful Mess" (2008)- Eleven original country/soul/blues creations, and a few unique interpretations. Think George Jones meets Bobby Blue Bland. Uptown, Down Home, Blues, Country, Soul. Hammond B3 Organ, Pedal Steel Guitar, funky bass & drums.
“Double” (2007) includes an exciting live electric set, plus a reissue of the Juno-nominated “Michael Jerome Browne” (1998), an accomplished debut album highlighting MJB’s musical influences, from Big Bill Broonzy to David Byrne. MJB lays down amazing guitar, banjo, fiddle, harmonica, and vocals, all live off the floor.
“Michael Jerome Browne and The Twin Rivers String Band” (2004) unleashes Michael’s passion for old-time string band, Cajun and classic country music. A stunning assortment of fiddles, banjos, lap-steel guitars, mandolins, Cajun triangles and yodels.
“Drive On” (2001). A life-long love affair with blues and early jazz results in a seamless blend of original, public domain, and new interpretations.
www.michaeljeromebrowne.com
www.myspace.com/michaeljeromebrowne
Contact: Michael Jerome Browne
tel.: (514)272-5209
cell: (514)889-5204
email: hokeypokeypro@yahoo.com
Band Members
Links
