The term singer-songwriter elicits images of coffee shops, tortured souls and just about any character from “My So Called Life”. That’s why Jay Brannan, though he falls into this art-house trap, is a completely refreshing and bitingly honest turn from the suicide-inducing norm. The openly gay Brannan took the stage at 3rd and Lindsley Wednesday night looking every bit the quirky solo act, and also one that could have just stepped out of an Urban Outfitters catalogue.
What followed was an earnest set (and the stuff little boys’ dreams are made of) as he gave a performance that seemed to be a mixture of his Facebook “About Me” page and the heartaches that would never make it to the cyber world. His voice was chillingly clear and in choir-like perfect pit throughout the show. Putting a new face to the traditional angry girl folk singer, he makes the genre his fabulous own.
With only two studio albums under his belt, he played songs that fans have come to expect (evident by the applause that came within the first two chords of each song he played.).Beginning with the song “Home”, he set the mood for a night filled with similar sentiments that are found in the lyrics, “Late nights in Hollywood/Banging guitars and boys/ Swing sets and cigarettes were our joys.” Ani Difranco would be proud; Ann Coulter would be disturbed.
He followed with almost every track from his 2008 release “Goddammed,” and interjected some notable covers: “Zombie” (The Cranberries), Black Boys on Mopeds (Sinead O’Connor) and “Every Little Bit” (Patty Griffin). Perhaps the most unique cover was Lady Ga Ga’s “Nothing Else I Can Say,” before which he told the audience if they remembered nothing else from this show they should take with them the first lyrics of the song, which are: “Cherry, cherry boom boom gaga.” Sorry to disappoint you Jay, but I get the feeling the audience took away a different message altogether. Which is somewhere along the lines of: Forget the Rufus Wainwright comparisons, Jay Brannan is his own (more disarming) force to be reckoned with. – Krystal Wallace