þ7#‰wWWWWWe.“““Ÿ © ³³„7x“¯ Ïô*Wôåôôôôôôôôphoto skel: Have guit-steel, will travel: Junior Brown brings his bodacious musical bounty to Fort Sanders Brownian Movement Junior BrownÕs got a sound thatÕs too country for country and too cool for school WHO: Junior Brown WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m. WHERE: The Laurel Theatre HOW MUCH: Phone 522-5851 for ticket info by Chris Barrett Do you ever get the feeling you could watch ÒHot New CountryÓ with the sound off and still know exactly what those hat racks sound like? While the fashion in Nashville is ÒrebellionÓÑa la Son of Return of Charlie DanielsÑthe fact that everyoneÕs a rebel now kind of takes the vinegar out of the uprising. But the mostly unshaven, fringe-sleeved country horizon is not without its bright spots. One of the brightest shines from under a Texas ten-gallon hat and goes by the name of Junior Brown. YouÕd need a bunch of barbed wire and duct tape to get BrownÕs music to stay in a pigeonhole, country or otherwise. Sure, itÕs country. So were Tennessee Williams and Louis Armstrong. BrownÕs whiplash take on the square-dance standard ÒSugarfoot RagÓ plays like a stylistic kaleidoscope. As fast as you can put a tag to a chop, heÕs off to the next, from rockabilly rumble to leopard-skin surf to some vaporous fuzzy feedback lifted from ÒThe Wind Cries Mary.Ó And while he can apparently play any damn thing on a guitar that he takes a notion to, his greatest talent lies somewhere beyond all that. You never really feel like youÕre listening to a hot dog. It takes a listen or two before you realize just why BrownÕs ÒSugarfootÓ is sweeter than all the others. ÒItÕs just my style,Ó says Brown. ÒA lot of that stuff may have started with something by Django Reinhardt or Les Paul or somebody, but then it just sort of evolvedÑor whateverÑinto my own lick. Some of these things start out as an imitation, but after a few years they meld with other things and become part of my own personality.Ó If BrownÕs ÒpersonalityÓ seems multifaceted, it could be for a couple reasons. He cut his chops in Austin, Tex., where he still lives, on stage with just about any band that would let him up. His instrumental range doubled a few years back when he dreamed up, then commissioned, his Òguit-steelÓÑa lap steel-Strat hybrid. He can rock flat out on the six string, then cast a brassy, bent-note lasso on the steel to pull a tune back in. Music CityÕs rep as a cookie cutter town remains solid even though the shape of the cookie changes occasionally. For a musician whose livelihood revolves around Nashville (he was in Nashville to guest on TNNÕs Marty Party when this interview took place), Brown is your proverbial free spirit. The standard issue buzz blinders donÕt seem to fit the man. Brown can dust off styles that died long ago and make them sound brand-new. ÒThe Gal from Oklahoma,Ó on his 1993 Guit With It, picks up the blue yodel where Jimmie Rodgers left it some 60 years ago. But if youÕd never heard the Singing Brakeman, youÕd reckon justifiably that yodeling just might be the next big thing. He also makes the country hula sound as fresh as tomorrowÕs donuts. On ÒLovely Hula HandsÓ from his new CD-5 Junior High, BrownÕs hands tell a story on both his wide and narrow necks. Twangy waves roll up to the shore as clouds slide by, glissing tremolo across high notes hanging from a sky of frosty azure, and all the friendly islanders smile and say ÒAlohaÓ with a southern accent. Brown says heÕs not out to revive any antique sounds. He just plays what he feels. ÒI just use little suggestions here and there,Ó says Brown. ÒItÕs just something that comes to meÑwhatever I feel the song calls for. I donÕt consciously decide to pay tribute to anybody or anything. IÕve got all this stuff in my head and it just comes out where itÕs needed.Ó If hot chops were all Brown had up his sleeve, he might have remained a sideman. What lends his playing relevance and sticking power is that it propels his literate, smart-without-being-smartass lyrics. From ÒStill Life With RoseÓ (Still, life with Rose is better, than life with you could ever be É) to ÒMy Wife Thinks YouÕre DeadÓ (If you think I want trouble, then youÕre crazy in the head, Õcause youÕre wanted by the po-lice and my wife thinks youÕre dead) Brown can string unlikely images and clauses together successfully, and make you feel you thought of them yourself. His chuckles and smirks arenÕt cheap; they donÕt require a rim shot or laugh track to underscore them. ÒItÕs difficult to write good songs,Ó concedes Brown. ÒItÕs easy to write lousy ones. I never really knew I had that songwriting ability until the early Õ80s. I donÕt know if IÕm getting better, but I think IÕm staying just as goodÑas far as being able to recognize whatÕs good and what isnÕt.Ó Brown says heÕs writing faster than heÕs making records. HeÕs got two records worth of new stuff in the hopperÑlook for a fresh one this fall. In the meantime, saddle up the weed eater and head on down to the Laurel. Junior Brown u€æk¼}#7Š>¡Þ>e•±A‹Kƒ8{ßÔzÊˆêXØ=ÐX÷µH{.õæ¢7ÿ`óh‡…‡Ç‘{wò*I–öu‡ÜŒul~ÏÑF ! P [µùšw„…†ˆ‰Žþýþýýýýýý÷ñ÷ë @ H @€kl~ÐÑãGHYŠHC C¤e¸Íwžw†‡ˆ‰ûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûûöûûûó ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿóôöÞ‰‰Ù'‰Pÿÿj@ÿÿPPÿÿŽ‰€Š‹ŒÁÔãäåûüý&C)L3ª3«3¬33®3¯3°3±3²8Ë8Ì8Í8ö8÷8ø8ù8ú8û8ü8ý9 9 9999Ž999‘9’9“9”:u:v:w:x:y:z:{:|QHHÚ(ÿáÿâùFG(üHHÚ(d'@=à/Ð ÐRH -:LaserWriter New York€ì÷€€ìEæEuý