There is a point in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz where Levon Helm is describing the musical melting pot that is the mid-South – that place where rhythm and blues, western swing, blues, country and gospel elements blended together to create what we call rock and roll. These were all influences in the Muscle Shoals area where musician/artist Browan Lollar was raised, from his early experience with music in his father’s church to his time playing with several bands and local musicians in the Sh...
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There is a point in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz where Levon Helm is describing the musical melting pot that is the mid-South – that place where rhythm and blues, western swing, blues, country and gospel elements blended together to create what we call rock and roll. These were all influences in the Muscle Shoals area where musician/artist Browan Lollar was raised, from his early experience with music in his father’s church to his time playing with several bands and local musicians in the Shoals. After years as a sought-after guitar player in the Southern independent music scene, Browan is releasing his solo debut, the EP For The Givers And The Takers. Chances are you’ve heard or seen Browan play before – whether in his 6-year stint with Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, his work with Saddle Creek artists Azure Ray, or his playing with emerging Shoals band The Pollies. Now, after relocating to Birmingham, Browan is stepping forward to the mic and unveiling this set of songs written during his time playing with the 400 Unit and The Pollies. His collaborators on the record are a Who’s Who of the up-and-coming new music scene taking shape in the Shoals, including The Pollies and members of the Alabama Shakes, Lauderdale, Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil, and TheBear. The EP was produced by Browan and The Pollies’ Jay Burgess, with recording and engineering work from the Shakes’ Ben Tanner and Lauderdale’s Niles Lee, and was mastered by Matt Pence (who happens to play in one of Lollar’s favorite bands, Texas indie stalwarts Centro-matic). But the process was a loose, collaborative one and did not necessarily involve the kind of defined roles that would involve the assignment of titles – “Everyone knew what to do, so there wasn’t a lot of discussion about the process. Everyone was very professional, and very talented,” says Lollar. The songs reflect a period of transition for Lollar and also his broad musical palette – there are elements of rock, jangly pop, classic country, and Shoals R&B, sprinkled with a healthy dose of the rising Southern indie sound. “I’d just call it a rock record” is the way Browan describes it. For The Givers And Takers is a finely-wrought work of artisanal craft, and reveals that in addition to his already well-known skills as a player, Lollar possesses a talented voice – both with the pen and behind the mic. And, as Levon would say, “it dances.” Album Credits - For The Givers And The Takers Produced by Browan Lollar and Jay Burgess Recorded at Studio 144 in Greenhill, Alabama Additional recording done at The Nutthouse in Sheffield, Alabama Track 1 engineered by Ben Tanner Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5 engineered by Jay Burgess Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 mixed by Niles Lee Track 5 mixed by Ben Tanner Mastered by Matt Pence at Echo Lab in Denton, Texas Horns by Seven Points Horns Strings on track 3 by Kimi Samson Arrangement by Kimi Samson and Browan Lollar Tambourine on 3 by Reed Watson Harmony vocal on 5 by Amber Murray The musicians: Jay Burgess, Chris James, Jon Davis, Daniel Stoddard, Ben Tanner Browan uses Reverend Guitars, Sommatone Amplification and Baxendale Acoustic Guitars www.thisisamericanmusic.com www.browanart.com
