By @KralTunes
Given the choice between C-SPAN or WWE Raw and most people will choose to watch chair shots to the head instead of public policy talk.
Bryan McPherson is the rare exception. And he thinks these broadcasts are interchangeable. He told KralTunes, “These people are characters who talk all kinds of trash and all kinds of game but at the end of the day they are actors and the fix is in and they go have drinks with each other and laugh about it.”
Calling Out the Bullshit
This is the kind of analogy that folk-punk troubadour Bryan McPherson weaves throughout his lyrics and you expect to hear more in his third release, Wedgewood, due June 10th. Fusing the styles of Bob Dylan, Ani DiFranco and the Sex Pistols, Bryan tells compelling stories about society and everyday frustrations, all through a fusion of Americana, folk, alternative, and punk music. “I just express what Is going on inside me in some way or another. There is happy music and there is sad music. If someone wants to lighten the load there is plenty of shitty pop music out there to choose from.”
Wedgewood is filled with these type of stories, including his experience at the Occupy Oakland protests in 2011, where McPherson recalls instinctively picking up his guitar and heading down to Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. While he was there, he said that he witnessed what became known as ‘Teargas Tuesday’ on October 25 when protestors attempted to retake an encampment outside the city hall. According to McPherson, the police met the protestors with a great deal of teargas and he said, “That’s when I started to notice that the police looked an awful lot like the military, like storm troopers, tanks, black SWAT gear, and all of these sort of sci-fi weaponry.”
Album cut “Here We Go” encapsulates McPherson’s response to the protests;
The government wants the internet,
Iran wants the bomb,
Our senators are the Hitlers,
‘Cause they’ll lock us all away,,
Bill of Rights burnt up right
AmeriKa,
M.I.A.
Aside from societal woes, McPherson is not afraid to put personal trials into his work. In “Hearts In Boxcars“, McPherson expresses the difficulty of a couple moving their separate ways, while “Burn It Down” illustrates how the personal struggle with anger can either be used to fuel ones determination or devour its host in flames.
Off the Grid
McPherson stepped off the grid to record Wedgewood. Cut off from cell and internet service, he and a few crew members worked in a hut on the old Arrowhead mine in California. The rugged, isolated setting helped shape the sound of this new collection; Bryan went even as far as to name the album after the brand of the stove in the hut: Wedgewood.
Contrasting the album’s creation, Bryan turned to a more modern method to fund the album’s production; Kickstarter. Fortunately, the entire budget was fully funded in less than a week. This humbling achievement is not lost on the artist. “My mind was blown when it was hit in just a few days. I don’t want to give the impression that you can just throw a campaign up and get a bunch of money, but if you are giving it your all out there on the road and doing your best to make records and stuff then people will get behind you. I still find it incredible.”
Of course, such a feat does not go without some enticement, as several ‘backer rewards’ were offered to fans. People quickly snatched up the incentives such as living room concerts and early access to all future recordings. With everything on the auction block, McPherson said, “It is a little nerve-racking to think of what people might expect, like I hope they LIKE the record. This campaign went up with only 2 small samples of songs on the record so still amazing. I put the high dollar contributions on there because hey, someone might be down to do that. But again at the same time its like Holy shit this is intense! I’m also glad I don’t have to carve 150 sticks of wood as well!”
Off the Stage
An emotive performer, Bryan McPherson is not afraid to proudly display his heart on his sleeve. Such intensity can leave this artist completely exhausted at the conclusion of a tour. Although daunting, he is fully aware of the expectations, “Some nights I have to dig deep, but I always dig. Always. If you came to hear me sing and spent your hard-earned money, then you are going to get everything I have.”
Of course, being an open and honest musician can have more public drawbacks, especially when you are scheduled to play in a venue owned by the “happiest place on Earth.”
Slotted to open for the Dropkick Murphy’s this past fall, McPherson received the unfortunate news that the Anaheim House of Blues (Disney operated) would not allow him to perform on their stage. The reason, according to Bryan, was his “anti-political police views and drug insinuations.” McPherson said, “At first I was a bit outraged and then I was flattered that they went and listened to all of my music. Then I was even more flattered that I was the punkest, most dangerous person on the bill that night. 🙂 Really though, I have never been a fan of what Disney does…even as a child.” While Such notoriety only elevated him to Stone Cold Steve Austin-badass mode in the punk folk music scene.
On the bright side, he was paid for his ‘performance’, and was offered free tickets to the theme park. McPherson’s reaction…
“I did not oblige.”
WEDGEWOOD, via O.F.D. Records, comes out June 10.
See BRYAN McPHERSON Here:
JUN 11 Matthews Pub Portland, ME
JUN 12 The Midway Cafe Boston, MA
JUN 13 Map Room at Bowery Electric New York, NY
JUN 14 Russo Music Asbury Park, NJ
JUN 16 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, PA
JUN 17 The Court Tavern New Brunswick, NJ
JUN 18 The Mill Hill Basement Trenton, NJ
JUN 19 Gorham Brother Music Syracuse, NY
JUN 20 The Barn Oswego, NY
JUN 24 Newport Thompson House Newport, KY
JUN 25 Sabbatical Indianapolis, IN
JUN 26 The Waiting Room St Ann, MO
JUN 27 Reggies Rock Club Chicago, IL
JUN 28 Money Wolf HQ Kansas City, MO
JUN 29 Gust Gullie Laramie, WY
JUN 30 Forge Pub Fort Collins, CO
JUL 1 The Garage On Beck Salt Lake City, UT
JUL 2 The Colfax Theater Colfax, CA
JUL 3 The Crepe Place Santa Cruz, CA
JUL 5 The Night Light Oakland, CA
Find BRYAN McPHERSON Here:
Tonight at Dawn 
One thought on “Artist Spotlight: Bryan McPherson- Wedgewood”