Where Songs Come From
"My name is Jack Miller—I'm an old union man
and you're standing right now
in the house that Jack built."
Brad Warren's songs are about life as we really live it. "The
House That Jack Built" is the song of an old Wobbly organizer who
proudly tells how he and his fellow labor pioneers fought so that future
generations of working people could earn a decent wage.
Jack Miller told that story to Brad two decades ago. He also told the
young songwriter something about his own future: Brad's work would be
to help people find their own stories and discover that their lives
are worth telling about. And worth singing about.
With a guitar and a knack for drawing people out, Brad finds stories
that deserve singing everywhere. "Manhattan Lullaby" is his
touching reply to a New York store clerk who asked for a lullaby for
his newborn twins. "Sweet Holy Terror of Love" is a universal
prayer for an open heart.
Describing music is an awkward business, but if you imagine a crossroads
where Bruce Cockburn, David Wilcox, Marc Cohn and Lyle Lovett might
meet to swap songs, that's where you'll find Brad's work, too. Brad's
CD, "Company Might Come," distributed by Waterbug Records,
features accordion from Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco, Bruce Cockburn, Laura
Love) and upright bass by Tony Garnier (Bob Dylan).
Workshops & Residencies
Brad tours widely, offering concerts and workshops in schools, festivals,
churches, community centers, theaters and homes around the country.
His main workshop is an introduction to methods of creating songs:
"Finding Your Story and Singing It." Workshops are available
in tightly structured "quick studies" (to fit a 50-60 minute
class period), in intensive sessions of up to two days, or as a sequential
course. Brad also offers the following workshops (1 to 4 hours each):
"Introduction to Harmony Singing," "Basic Singing Technique,"
and (for guitar players) "Shaping songs with Chord Phrases."
Budget
Brad works with presenters at many levels. With a little resourcefulness
we can usually create agreements that work for everyone. For details,
please email <Brad>
or <Connie
Fanos> in California.
