After months of instrumental experimentation in a Ballard warehouse, indie bard Bryan John Appleby re-emerged with a host of emotive narratives, disguised as four-minute folk songs. Fire on the Vine, Appleby’s first full-length album, was released over two years after he first turned heads with the six-song EP Shoes for Men and Beasts in 2009. Using everything from conventional instruments to housewares, the songwriter creates a unified soundscape with a clarity that belies its complexity. Appleby’s delicate yet resonant voice drifts over carefully constructed guitar melodies, giving life to lyrics that suggest a restlessness only assuaged – or at least pacified – by the road. The culmination of that musical exploration is an album that should solidify his place in the region’s field of folkies.
Appleby will kick off a west coast tour in the new year, after an appearance at the Seattle Folk Festival on Dec. 10.
December 10 Seattle Folk Festival Seattle, WA
January 12 Neumo’s Crystal Ball Seattle, WA Reading Room
January 13 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR
January 15 Moe’s Alley Santa Cruz, CA
January 17 Slo Brew (all Ages) San Luis Obispo, CA
January 18 Bootleg Theater Los Angeles, CA
January 20 Mia’s Lounge Flagstaff, AZ
February 17 Neptune Theater Seattle, WA
-Kate Shepherd
Glory – Bryan John Appleby – Produced/Engineered by Alan Matley