Dallas Songwriter Kendall Brown Wrote These Songs 30 Years Ago, Now They're Out

Last year, Kendall Brown finally broke character. For decades, the eccentric writer/poet/songwriter/comedian/whatever he feels like has been nothing but a force of jovial nature in the Dallas arts scene. In fact, our recent interview with him centered around his plan to throw a 30th birthday party for his beard, a madcap vision that came to fruition months later in the backyard of Deep Ellum Art Co.

It’s what made the following moment last year all the more surprising, as if a brief existential crisis hit the then-58-year-old, suddenly realizing that despite his decades of songwriting, he had nothing recorded to show for it.

“My biological clock is ticking,” he said. “I feel like I want to get all this out while I still can. Who knows how long I'm going to be around? I'm going to do this big thing, and I'm going to record it. If I happen not to last longer than that, at least if I've got that, I'll feel like I've accomplished something really important.”

For a man who’s defined his life by the written word, it’s the way he stuck to his own word that’s most impressive. At long last, Kendall Brown has finally recorded and released his debut solo album.
Earth Tones compresses the last 30 years of Brown’s songwriting into a 40-minute, 14-song LP, with an all-star cast of Dallas musicians bringing his vision to life. Recorded mostly at Chris Norwood’s Gastonwood Studio, the album features new member of the Eagles, Chris Holt, on guitar, legendary Dallasite and Observer contributor Poppy Xander on keys and backing vocals, Eugene Cantera of Bastards of Soul on sax and drums from Earl Darling and John Dufilho.

“I really wanted every instrument to be a real instrument played by a real person,” Brown says. “I know there's a lot of great stuff you can do out of the box these days, but for this album in particular, I really wanted to go [with] more of the organic approach.”

A backing band like that makes the organic approach seem easy. What’s left? Brown’s writing.

“I didn’t want to just pick my random 10 best songs,” he says. “I really wanted it to feel like an album. I also wanted it to sound like it was recorded in the ‘70s. That was the kind of sound, texture and vibe I was going for.”

“Today’s Amanda” is the oldest song on Earth Tones. It was written on Labor Day in 1994, a date immediately recalled by Brown. It’s a cheerful, Jimmy Buffett or Mungo Jerry-esque, beachy ballad. It marks the 11th track on the album, which is split into two halves: the first seven tracks, “Without,” and the last seven, “Within.”

Brown hits his tightest stride on “Love No More,” where Xander’s harmonies are flanked by a twangy guitar and buoyant brass line, altogether resembling a late-stage Van Morrison B-side, save for the voice.

On that note, and depending on how you shake it, Brown’s vocals either help or hurt the album. For those already familiar with Brown, his years of Weird Al-inspired comedy songs could make the unabashed sincerity on Earth Tones come off as contrived. But to the uninitiated, Earth Tones has a sort of self-aware kitsch that’s as easy to pick up on as it is to be charmed by.

“I think any of these songs could stand well on their own,” Brown says. “But if you take 41 minutes and you listen to the album from start to finish, I think it will take you on a journey. That was my intention. I really put the songs in an order that I felt had a flow, and actually went from somewhere to somewhere else. Some of the songs actually took on some new meanings by being juxtaposed with other songs.”

Three spoken word segments are interspersed throughout the album, including a short poem titled “Halfway,” that fills the final 27 seconds of Side A, or “Without,” encouraging the listener to reflect on what they just heard before flipping to the next side.

Some listeners might get to do just that. Brown pressed a limited number of Earth Tones copies from a local record label and manufacturing plant, Hand Drawn, which can be purchased at his live shows, along with signature “Beard:30” t-shirts from last year’s beard birthday party.

Brown’s next show is set for July 19 at Opening Bell Coffee, from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on a pay-what-you-can entry fee. Speaking from experience, his shows are a blast, whether he’s doing comedy songs or his version of a one-man Summer of Love revival. If you can't make it, he's planning to keep playing songs from Earth Tones all year long, celebrating an achievement decades in the making.

“A lot of times, you release an album that goes poof and then it’s gone,” Brown says. “I want to do it like they used to do in the 70s, where they continued to release singles, they continued to play gigs, they continued to promote the album after it was out.”