Brett Dennen’s Big Break

How John Mayer Is Paving the Way for this
Singer/Songwriter

by Drew Mackie

Brett Dennen is singing a new song. Technically speaking, he’s
singing a whole album of them, as his second full-length release
hit shelves in mid October. But this musician and vocalist — no
stranger to Santa Barbara venues — is enjoying heightened
popularity thanks to John Mayer. Not only did Mayer invite Dennen
to join him on tour, but the internationally popular
singer/songwriter also voiced his admiration for Dennen in a
September issue of Rolling Stone. Among other praises, Mayer
described Dennen as “timeless. … He’s probably 25, but he seems
like he’s 25 in 1972. He paints these gorgeous pictures,
musically.”

Dennen said he felt grateful for Mayer’s kind words, but not
just for the reasons any struggling artist would appreciate. “I
liked John Mayer before. I respected his music a lot,” Dennen said.
“When he said what he said, it was more than me being stoked. … He
put into words what I do with music. I’ve always tried for a sound
beyond any time constraint. He nailed it on the head. … It just
made me think he must be a really wise person.”