Blueberry Hill

Brett Dennen

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

 

Many of the songs on Dennen's most recent album, 2006's So Much More, are inspired by his rustic upbringing. The twenty-eight-year-old turns out relaxed roots-rock jams about walking through the trees and watching desert sunsets. He's also got some serious guitar-playing chops — his finger-picked, jazz-influenced chord structures could be mistaken for Dave Matthews or early John Mayer tunes. In fact, Mayer has become one of Dennen's biggest fans: After catching a gig in California last year, Mayer asked Dennen to support him on tour and, aided by that exposure, So Much More recently peaked at Number One on the eMusic charts. "Sometimes I feel bad because I don't know the names of his songs," says Dennen of Mayer. "But I definitely think he's the shit."