Hello. My name is Brandon Schott, and I’m an LA-based singer-songwriter-producer-father-husband. Jeff asked me to write a little something for Popdose in anticipation of our joint charity event at Safari Sam’s on Sunday September 14, 2008. Here’s a bit of my story…

“Maybe life is curious to see what you would do
With the gift of being left alive”
-Marc Cohn, “Live Out the String”

These days I find myself returning over and over again to the idea of Spirit. Prior to the winter of 2007, whatever elusive experience I had with Spirit was mostly found in music — in albums or songs so beautiful that an intangible divinity seemed to roll along in their rhythm, as if they couldn’t possibly have been written or constructed by human beings (see Radiohead’s “The Tourist”). I recognized it in lyrics that speak so clearly to our shared human journey that they seem to be born from beyond this world, created for us in order to affirm the greater picture (see Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today”) — reminders that stand to say as long as we can all sing along, we are not alone.

On November 28, 2007, I was diagnosed with a rare, but very treatable stage three germ-cell cancer. The following six months proved to me without a doubt that such a clarity of Spirit could indeed be a very tangible and active presence in my life.

I’ve been blessed with an amazing family and a tremendous group of friends, and for that I’ve always been thankful. However, the most unexpected gift appeared when people who were complete strangers prior to my diagnosis suddenly became set into the deep groove of my life — confidently fighting, loving, praying, and comforting me right along with my family and friends. There were the doctors that diagnosed and guided me, the nurses that administered my chemo and supported me through the sometimes exhausting daily routines, and the gracious friends from our church who brought home-cooked meals twice a week. Then there were the friends of family, or friends of friends (or friends of friends of family) that had their churches saying prayers for us in their prayer circles. And while I still haven’t had the honor of meeting many of these people, for their gifts of love and unity and peace I am eternally grateful. (more…)

Brandon Schott - Golden State (2007)
purchase this album (Amazon)

Brandon Schott is a patient man. As those of you who read Jefitoblog might recall, I assembled a “staff” of writers at one point, in an effort to expand the site’s coverage of independent artists. Unfortunately, I didn’t do a very good job of cracking down on those writers if they dragged their asses getting their posts in — something Schott discovered when he sent his second CD, Golden State, in for review. The writer who requested it never submitted his review, and then the site disappeared, and here we are, a year later, and poor Golden State still hasn’t been given the coverage it deserves.

That all ends today, because I’ve been spending the weekend listening to nothing but this album, and I’m ready to tell you that fans of wistful, laid-back California pop need look no further for their next fix. Schott describes the record as “Neil Finn meets Neil Young meets Michael Penn meets Gram Parsons, with a shade of Brian Wilson,” and that pretty much hits the nail right on the head — the entire album is shot through with gossamer guitars, gentle vocals, stacks of harmonies, and the occasional tasteful extra production touch. Those prone to napping should probably avoid listening to Golden State while operating heavy machinery, but anyone with a deep appreciation for ’70s West Coast pop will instantly fall into deep and abiding love for these songs the first time they hear them.

Records this beautifully ethereal tend to work better as a whole than parsed out into single tracks, but start yourself off with the title track (download) and Schott’s slowed-down cover of David Mead’s “Everyone Knows It But You” (download) to get an idea of what Golden State has to offer.