Six years after being caught up in the ‘legal woods’ Gleaner the acclaimed debut LP from songwriter Brendan Welch is now getting a well deserved vinyl release on September 25th, thanks to the crew at Heart Of The Rat Records.
Produced by Something For Kate frontman Paul Dempsey, the well-traveled Gleaner features songs Welch penned in Northcote, New York City and Nashville, and while touring Australia supporting Paul Kelly.
After unleashing the record to an incredibly warm reception, Welch parted ways with his label and management and promptly disappeared from the scene. The years following have rolled past with low-key gigging and constant writing.
Featuring a pretty impressive list of admirers (which you can check out below), the reissue of Gleaner comes as both a long-awaited gift for old fans and a fantastic opportunity for new fans to become acquainted with the talented musician and songwriter.
Out September 25th on a very limited run (250 copies) of 12″ vinyl via Heart Of The Rat Records we’re celebrating its release by giving you a teaser in the form of a digital stream. Check out the record below and if you like what you’re hearing pop by the Heart Of The Rat Records site for more info.
Paul Dempsey
“In around about 2007 I had the pleasure of working with a very shy and unassuming young chap named Brendan Welch on his debut album as producer and multi-instrumentalist. To this day it is one of the most enjoyable studio experiences I’ve had, and the album still holds a very special place in my heart. Brendan’s talents as a songwriter and storyteller were and are beyond his years and the characters and voices in his songs don’t much care what year it is either … and good for them. In a world where all is revealed the moment an opposable thumb hits a touchscreen, they remain beautiful and mysterious.”
Josh Pyke
“I discovered Brendan’s music when he supported me on a couple of shows years ago. He was a quiet kid; looked younger than he was. When he opened his mouth and sang up there on the stage, his voice blew me away. A natural baritone sprang from his young body, as if there was an older, grizzled being inside. He told me he had only recently figured out that he could sing, and I wondered if he’d never sung in the shower or in the car. How can someone not know they possess a voice like this? His songs are classic, familiar, brand new, and seem to come from where his voice might live: an unexpected, unknowable place.”
Jordie Lane
“Brendan Welch is without question my favourite voice I’ve ever heard from Australia. I first heard about Brendan at a gig we did together. It was in 2007 at Bar Open in Fitzroy. He got up and played solo and I just hadn’t ever heard a voice like that. It was amazing.. What a voice! Obviously, we’re influenced by a lot of the same artists. I hear a lot of Roy Orbison and Willie Nelson in there. I think I was in awe of his voice. I thought, damn, I’m never going to have a voice like that, but that’s made me excited about trying to write songs.
When I heard him sing ‘I Think I Always Thought (I’d Fall in Love with You)’, [I was] thinking, ‘That’s my song! That’s my story!’ I asked Brendan, “Can you give me the lyrics, and can I sing a cover of it?” I was really excited to sing that song because it stands for my own unsureness of committing to things. For me it’s one of the favourite songs I play. People come up to me after my gigs and say, “I love that song.” So I can thank Brendan for that.”
