Cory Branan With Thrift Store Cowboys Plus MP3

Cory Branan's latest album, 12 Songs, is a throwaway album. Not because the songs aren't good, or because they are not fully realized, but because it's a collection of songs that are mostly three or more years old and the album was thrown together by his former label in order to fulfill his obligation of putting out another record on Madjack. It's filled with songs that most of his hardcore fans knew every word to before the record ever came out. It's one he wasn't too excited about when it was released back in March. But the songs are good, and now that he is touring with Thrift Store Cowboys, the songs are being more fully realized and the fans are coming out to hear them. When Cory plays the first set with Amanda Shires on violin it's pretty magical.(TSC plays their full set second, then Cory closes the show playing his songs with TSC backing him). If you get the chance to see these guys play together, it's a show I highly recommend.

The first time I saw Cory Branan he was sitting in Melange, a local bar that has since changed names, he was alone at a table writing in his notebook. Someone whispered to me who he was and why I should care. This was a few years ago and he had recently been a guest on David Letterman and was quite the hot commodity. "The next big thing."

Anyway, I ended up going to check out a show he did with Blair Combest, and he put on quite an impressive show as he sat on a stool on the stage with a borrowed guitar, drinking whiskey, smoking cigarettes and playing a few songs. I immediately saw what everyone was talking about, the boy had star power.

We became friends and I have written about him many times over the past few years, last year he moved form Memphis to Nashville and I haven't seen him around as much. He has continued to tour relentlessly, winning over fans the old-fashioned way, and once again I have begun to hear rumblings of him being the next big thing. With this new tour maybe things will finally happen for him, seeing him play with a full band does make him sound even better. But he's still the same old Cory, I guess he's just back in vogue. I don't understand why he's not the biggest thing on earth, he can sure put on a show.









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P.S. Knuckles from Giant Bear is in love with me.









Cory Branan - Tall Green Grass - MP3
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Cory Branan - Hell-bent and Heart-first - MP3

TOUR DATES

Nov 7 2006 8:30P
Cinema 218 (All Ages) Texarkana
Nov 8 2006 8:00P
Antone's (All Ages) Austin
Nov 9 2006 8:00P
All Good Cafe (18+) Dallas
Nov 10 2006 9:30P
Jake's Backroom (18+) Lubbock
Nov 11 2006 9:00P
El Dorado Hotel (All Ages) Santa Fe
Nov 12 2006 9:00P
Taos Inn (All Ages) Taos
Nov 14 2006 8:30P
Last Exit (21+) Tempe
Nov 15 2006 9:30P
Vaudeville Cabaret (21+) Tucson
Nov 16 2006 7:30P
Pappy and Harriets (All Ages) Joshua Tree / Pioneertown
Nov 17 2006 8:00P
The Mint : Sin City Presents Los Angeles
Nov 18 2006 9:00P
The Grind (All Ages) Cedar City
Nov 19 2006 9:00P
Hi-Dive (18+) Denver
Nov 20 2006 8:00P
ALL NOVEMBER SHOWS W/ THRIFT STORE COWBOYS Everywhere