Profile :: Cory Branan :: Audio Portrait

One of my favorite singers of the past couple years is Cory Branan. I first saw him play at The Whig a couple summers ago, and it was without a doubt one of the best singer/songwriter shows I've ever seen. I can't even begin to explain the perfect combination of charismatic self-deprecation, songcraft, and improvisation that he puts into his act. He's come back into town a couple times since then, and each show has burned itself into my mind, especially this one night at New Brookland Tavern when my roommate at the time Rob Lindsey opened for him that remains one of the strangest nights of my life. Maybe one day I'll do a nice heartfelt post about that night, but this post is just about Cory and his songwriting.

Cory (and I use his first name because we've hung out on a few occasions, and he is without a doubt one of the down to earth artists I've ever met) was recently featured on ASCAP's Audio Portraits series, which has covered artists such as Steve Earle, Jurassic 5, Ray Wilie Hubbard, and the Old 97s. It's basically some of Cory's songs mixed with a phone interview where he talks about the inspirations and writing/recording process for the songs. It's very interesting to me as someone who has loved his songs for years, but it's also a great introduction to the artist for anyone who wants to check him out.

Click this link for the Audio Portrait and be sure to hit up Cory's myspace page for tons of great music to stream (I highly recommend 'Lily.')