Greg Brown at the Me&Thee Coffeehouse 16 April 2004

ONE WRITER DESCRIBES GREG BROWN AS “EFFORTLESSLY HIP.” That's as good a two-word description of him as any, at least of the first impression he gives you. As anyone who’s seen him in concert will tell you, Greg is as natural and forthcoming on stage as he is at his own kitchen table — funny and brilliant, in story and song.

He’s a big man with a deep, gruff voice that tends to the blues. He’s a folksinger who really does come from the folk: his grandparents were farmers, his dad was a Pentecostal preacher, his mom, a schoolteacher who got him started in music and literature and writing. So, if his fingernails are dark, it could be from soil or ink, and those calluses could be from hand tools as much as steel strings. Of course, you can’t leave out the years he spent in cities, or on “Prairie Home Companion” or the 20-odd albums he’s put out if you’re writing about Greg Brown. He's been around. The great thing about this guy, in our age of hype and commercial sentiments, is how real he is, and original. And what a damn good musician. But acoustic music lovers have known that for years.

We are lucky that the Me&Thee is a special place for him. Let's keep it that way. See you on Friday (and get there early after ordering your tickets on the phone)!

$25

I feel fortunate in that I do feel very devoted to music and writing. I really got into it when I was just a little child, and I’ve never lost my interest in the whole deal of music and words and songs and rhythm and all the stuff that goes with it, and how you can play with it and put your heart into it. It just seems to lead on; it always seems to lead on. So I feel lucky. My definition of success is being able to make a decent living doing what you like to do; it’s just that simple. And that’s all I was really ever aiming for. Greg Brown, quoted in mountainxpress.com