Austin Sound

Even though this video was self-made, it’s pretty good. Some of that credit has to surely just go to the quality Chris Brecht’s songwriting itself, with “Night Highway 99″ one of the more impressive songs on his debut from last year, The Great Ride. (Some of the credit also should probably go to Brecht’s girlfriend who was apparently ok with him filming her in the bathroom, ahem.) Brecht’s imagistic narratives and languid drawl reel the listener in with a Dylan-esque aplomb, and backed by his band of Dead Flowers, he’s been known to throw down some kick ass country-rock. That will likely be the case tonight, June 30, when he takes over the Mohawk with an awesome lineup that includes Leo Rondeau, who impressed us with tales Down at the End of the Bar, and former Sound Off featured artist, Mike and the Moonpies. As an added bonus, we just discovered that Brecht has put up a bunch of older recordings on his Myspace page for download, including some unreleased stuff. Video for “Night Highway 99″ below:

If Bob Dylan and Mason Jennings had a baby, it’d be a boy, and he’d be named Chris Brecht. Brecht brings alt-folk-country to Austin with scruffiness, Woody Guthrie and beat poet lyrical undertones that make you feel like you are sitting shotgun with Kerouac at the wheel. The Great Ride, Brecht’s first full-length studio album release on Dead Leaf Records, hit the airwaves earlier this year and combines a nasal folkiness with guitar strums and lines of unfeigned poetry while sliding in harmonica, fiddle, Hammond B3 organ, and background harmony. The album has a freedom and restlessness with a folksy, bluesy, rock backbone.

Although Austin has its share of artists revamping “Blonde on Blonde,” Brecht brings something else to the table. He straddles a line gracefully, keeping a foot in the 1960s and another firmly planted in the present - in both appearance and sound - using vintage elements authentically.