Gary Brewer

Confidently drifting out of the silence with a hesitant sonic presence, “Old Brown Case” is waiting for anyone brave enough to enter its gateway into Gary Brewer’s instrumental LP Gary Brewer’s House of Axes, and in the next few minutes that follow, the track will set the stage for everything soon to pass in the next eight songs. Along with its neighbor, the enigmatic Americana symphony “Southern Flavor,” “Old Brown Case” drops the chills on us right out of the gate in Gary Brewer’s House of Axes, and makes it abundantly clear to all within earshot that if they can’t stand the heat coming out of their headphones, they’ll need to take a step back now – for it only gets more intense from here on out. 

URL: https://www.brewgrass.com/ 

“Sourwood Ridge” continues the compositional stomp of the introduction with a pulse-raising tone and forceful arranging that collides together in a captivating hurricane of melodicism, and though this track isn’t as firm as the heavy “White Horse Breakdown” is, let’s be honest, very few songs ever could be. “White Horse Breakdown” is a hefty helping of old-fashioned heavy Americana prowess, but it doesn’t weigh down the midsection of Gary Brewer’s House of Axes with a lot of overblown excesses that wouldn’t serve the flow of the record well at all. Just like the ensuing “Old Minor Joe Clark,” this song is nothing if it isn’t to the point and arranged for both speed and comfort of both regular Americana fans and passersby who just want something to swing to this early summer. 

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Gary Brewer changes it up with some stylish string action in “The Little Rosewood Casket” and “Tom Rock Twist,” but by the time we swing back into the clutches of “Foggy Mountain Top / Lonesome Road Blues,” the Americana aesthetic is once again in full force and pulling us closer, into a playground of implied beats rooted both in folk’s constant rebelliousness and Americana’s unabashed purity. If the goal here was to finish even stronger than he started, Brewer scored a slam dunk with the construction of this tracklist, which seems to get even more entrancing with every listening session I spend with it. 

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/2Iwx8ycmfZyRJDdA99Mt4u?si=SY8wn-PtQBSba5d1G5gADw&nd=1 

Gary Brewer’s House of Axes concludes with a stimulating song in “Little Brown Jug” that simultaneously brings us full circle to where we once started while courageously looking ahead into what could be an even bolder, future effort from Gary Brewer, and though I’ve listened to it a few different times, it’s another tune that feels even more potent every time I hear its mighty melodies intertwine with one another.

I’ve never been much for instrumental-focused albums in the past, but Brewer’s new record is too difficult to dismiss as anything other than a wonderful set of songs that feels perfect for the eclectic aesthetic folk and Americana are both embracing at the moment. We’ll soon know for sure, but my gut tells me this won’t be the only hit this acclaimed guitarist releases in his solo career as it continues to take shape.

Joshua Beach 

Melbourne, AUS

6/2023