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January 14, 2007 @ 3rd & Lindsley—BRETT DENNEN w/TOM FREUND This week's Lightning 100 (weekly) radio show from 3rd & Lindsley showcased the talent of Folk/Americana newcomer Brett Dennen. Opening the show was Tom Freund, a talented singer/songwriter who has toured with the Silos and is currently on tour with Dennen. Freund played a 40 minute set of thoughtful folk songs reminiscent of 90's Gainesville area college bands such as the Silos and the Vulgar Boatmen. Freund's vocal tone, however, is a bit more Steve Earle than Walter Salas Humara. Aside from an impressive cover of the Beatles' "Revolution," performed with only a fretless bass (played by Freund with precision and dexterity) and drums, Freund's set was a fairly typical dose of singer/songwriter G chords in search of layers and texture. To close his set, Freund invited Brett Dennen onstage to sing backup, and the audience was immediately struck by the presence and charisma of Dennen. Dennen (nervously) mimicked Freund's harmonica notes as Freund checked his tuning. Innocently and childishly smiling at the audience as Freund began the song, Dennen settled comfortably into his role and delivered impressive soulful backup vocals that added the texture Freund had been missing throughout his set. Dennen's appearance with Freund gave the audience a glimpse of what was forthcoming. Freund is a solid singer/songwriter, but the addition of Dennen on backups showed that Freund's songs would be much more compelling with a backing band. Regardless, this brief glimpse of Dennen's vocal abilities left the audience chattering with anticipation during the set break.
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