Artist: Garett Brennan
[for music samples + videos please visit www.garettbrennan.com]
Garett Brennan and his four brothers grew up surrounded by the refuge of the snowy Wasatch Rockies. He learned at an early age that there were two places in the world where the oddities of Salt Lake’s culture could never penetrate: the deep wild powder in the canyons overlooking the promised land—where the offspring of miners, whores and fiddlers proudly celebrated and protected the serenity of flying down a mountain with wooden planks strapped to their feet—and the late night family parties with guitars and banjos and Irish harmonies rocking the neighborhood to sleep.
Brennan was drawn to music and performance at a young age. His tunes conjure up the fresh snow of mountains, the clear water of his adopted home in the Pacific Northwest, and the intimacy and jubilance of jamming with some of the top players in the Americana-Roots scene. Producer Cookie Marenco (Blue Coast Records, Windham Hill Records) describes him as “Woody Guthrie meets Tom Waits,” an apt comparison informed by Brennan’s penchant for crafting original poetic songs that sound like they've been around since dust, yet are instantly familiar and of this time.
An avid telemark skier and mountain lover, Brennan doesn’t do things half-assed; he goes all out. So in 2009 while preparing to record his sophomore album, Huckleberry Tree, he gathered top session musicians in the Northwest and birthed The Great Salt Licks. Each of the players brought their own precise yet laid back style to Jim Brunberg’s (Mississippi Studios) attic, producing a sound that juxtaposes perfectly with Brennan’s lucid and gritty voice. Author and activist Bill McKibben (End of Nature) said of Huckleberry Tree, “Hotter than a July day indeed! These are songs for our moment in time - and for changing our time.”
Combining a passion for environmental protection with music, Brennan and fellow Great Salt Licks, Jon Neufeld and Will Amend, biked 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C. as the house band for the 2009 Climate Ride. Brennan has also forged partnerships with Clif Bar and 1% For The Planet to deliver music in sustainable ways that also support important planet-protecting initiatives. Putting his passions to practice, Brennan spends his days as the Executive Director of Focus The Nation – a national non-profit that empowers thousands of young people each year across the country to advocate for clean energy solutions.
A rotating cast of players, The Great Salt Licks regularly include Tony Furtado, Sammy Lind (Foghorn Stringband), Jon Neufeld (Jackstraw, Black Prairie), Paul Brainard (Caleb Klauder, M.Ward, Richmond Fontaine), Scott Law (Banjo Killers, Piano Throwers, Darol Anger), Scott Weddle (Amelia), Eben Dickinson and Will Amend.
Back in 2005… Brennan released his album, Little Cottonwood, which trail-blazed a whole new category of carbon neutral, environmentally focused music projects driven by Clif Bar under the name Clif Green Notes. In addition to Brennan, Clif Green Notes has worked with artists Josh Ritter, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Mason Jennings, Missy Higgins, Gomez, Xavier Rudd, John Butler Trio, Guster, Martin Sexton, Hot Buttered Rum, and Brett Dennen.
Shortly after the Telluride Bluegrass Festival selected Brennan as a first alternate in the 2005 Troubadour Songwriting Competition, he headed to a small cabin at 8,500 feet where the town of Alta, Utah sits, to cut Little Cottonwood with Windham Hill producer, Cookie Marenco (Windham Hill, Tony Furtado, Darol Anger, Keith Greeninger, Rob Ickes). The album was released on Three Pin Records and supports the Organic Farming Research Foundation in Santa Cruz via its 1% for the Planet partnership. The entire album and national tour were made carbon neutral through a donation to The Climate Trust.
Brennan’s music can be found at all major online retailers and select stores throughout the country.
Brennan was drawn to music and performance at a young age. His tunes conjure up the fresh snow of mountains, the clear water of his adopted home in the Pacific Northwest, and the intimacy and jubilance of jamming with some of the top players in the Americana-Roots scene. Producer Cookie Marenco (Blue Coast Records, Windham Hill Records) describes him as “Woody Guthrie meets Tom Waits,” an apt comparison informed by Brennan’s penchant for crafting original poetic songs that sound like they've been around since dust, yet are instantly familiar and of this time.
An avid telemark skier and mountain lover, Brennan doesn’t do things half-assed; he goes all out. So in 2009 while preparing to record his sophomore album, Huckleberry Tree, he gathered top session musicians in the Northwest and birthed The Great Salt Licks. Each of the players brought their own precise yet laid back style to Jim Brunberg’s (Mississippi Studios) attic, producing a sound that juxtaposes perfectly with Brennan’s lucid and gritty voice. Author and activist Bill McKibben (End of Nature) said of Huckleberry Tree, “Hotter than a July day indeed! These are songs for our moment in time - and for changing our time.”
Combining a passion for environmental protection with music, Brennan and fellow Great Salt Licks, Jon Neufeld and Will Amend, biked 300 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C. as the house band for the 2009 Climate Ride. Brennan has also forged partnerships with Clif Bar and 1% For The Planet to deliver music in sustainable ways that also support important planet-protecting initiatives. Putting his passions to practice, Brennan spends his days as the Executive Director of Focus The Nation – a national non-profit that empowers thousands of young people each year across the country to advocate for clean energy solutions.
A rotating cast of players, The Great Salt Licks regularly include Tony Furtado, Sammy Lind (Foghorn Stringband), Jon Neufeld (Jackstraw, Black Prairie), Paul Brainard (Caleb Klauder, M.Ward, Richmond Fontaine), Scott Law (Banjo Killers, Piano Throwers, Darol Anger), Scott Weddle (Amelia), Eben Dickinson and Will Amend.
Back in 2005… Brennan released his album, Little Cottonwood, which trail-blazed a whole new category of carbon neutral, environmentally focused music projects driven by Clif Bar under the name Clif Green Notes. In addition to Brennan, Clif Green Notes has worked with artists Josh Ritter, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Mason Jennings, Missy Higgins, Gomez, Xavier Rudd, John Butler Trio, Guster, Martin Sexton, Hot Buttered Rum, and Brett Dennen.
Shortly after the Telluride Bluegrass Festival selected Brennan as a first alternate in the 2005 Troubadour Songwriting Competition, he headed to a small cabin at 8,500 feet where the town of Alta, Utah sits, to cut Little Cottonwood with Windham Hill producer, Cookie Marenco (Windham Hill, Tony Furtado, Darol Anger, Keith Greeninger, Rob Ickes). The album was released on Three Pin Records and supports the Organic Farming Research Foundation in Santa Cruz via its 1% for the Planet partnership. The entire album and national tour were made carbon neutral through a donation to The Climate Trust.
Brennan’s music can be found at all major online retailers and select stores throughout the country.
Three Pin Artists
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