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Barstow to Reno

by Brian Granse

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about

Brian Granse has released his first song in thirteen years, Barstow to Reno, a working class tale that follows the personal hardships of a character’s life amid the post-recession landscapes of rural California and Nevada. As Glide Magazine puts it, “Granse’s strength as a lyrical storyteller is on full display as he transforms his own experience of witnessing a family of four in the parking lot of a small hotel while traveling through the east side of the Sierras a few years after the 2008 recession.”

Granse’s delicate vocal tension captures the stoic, yet somber disposition of one man’s life, the bleakness of hotel living, and the loneliness brought on by underemployment, exploring the endless search of the laboring class for a better tomorrow that never comes. Layered with haunting honesty that reflects an awareness of working class vulnerabilities, Barstow benefits from Granse’s past work in construction, experienced by the listener as authenticity.

Granse is releasing Barstow to Reno as the lead single off the six-track EP, The Longwall, due out in January 2020. The Longwall is a re-centering of his career, highlighting a deeper maturity and focus within the Singer-Songwriter/Americana genre, and a return to his own name after many years under the name American Nobody.


Despite the notable guest musicians from Portland who appear on the upcoming EP, The Longwall is Granse’s passion project, having written, arranged, and produced all of the songs, singing and playing live for most of the record to capture an authentic delivery of his parts. Barstow stands as a timeless recording, a testament to Granse’s focus and dedication in the studio, and a tribute to those who do the heavy lifting in America yet find themselves struggling to make rent.

lyrics

Barstow to Reno © 2020 Brian Granse

It’s been two years running,
Counting my change.
Marking up the classifieds,
And typing my name.
The walls are plain here,
Each room the same.
But the water runs warm,
And the nights are safe.

I’m paying them late each week,
They cut me a break.
But they gotta draw the line,
There’s a living to make.
And I’m about 70 shy,
Of waking in the truck.
I’m digging around Reno,
For an honest buck.

I held my pride once,
My wife held a job.
Now we’re just sifting,
Through the desert rocks.
Now we’re just searching,
Two desert hawks.

In these brown hills,
The sun’s ablaze.
There’s nothing much going,
Hasn’t been for days.
There’s nothing much growing,
Just a handful of snakes.

credits

released February 21, 2020
Brian Granse: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar Swells, Piano
Russ Kleiner: Drums
Chris Frank: Upright Bass
Gideon Freudmann: Cellos
Produced and recorded by Brian Granse
Drums recorded by Justin Phelps at Cloud City Studios in Portland, Oregon.
Mixed by Brian Granse.
Mastered by Ryan Foster at Foster Mastering in Portland, Oregon.
Lyrics and cello compositions by Brian Granse.

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Brian Granse Portland, Oregon

Brian Granse is a singer and songwriter in Portland, Oregon. He released his first EP,” 0.5,” in 2001, and then Earthrise (2004) and American Nobody (2006). After touring and piecing together construction jobs, Granse performed full-time from 2007- 2010. Granse now teaches beat production, audio engineering, and Social Studies at an alternative high school, producing Hip-Hop with Portland youth. ... more

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