Support Your Local Busker - Brother Han
Whenever I come across a busker I always try to take a moment and appreciate the music being played by these brave musicians, who are putting their heart and soul into their music in one of the most down to earth ways possible.
Generally, they are standing in front of an audience of complete strangers, most of whom pass by without a glance or a second thought, trying as hard as possible to catch a willing ear; maybe convince someone to toss a tip in their jar or perhaps buy a CD if they have one in their usually open guitar case set upon a filthy sidewalk. Such was the case the other day when I passed by (all too briefly unfortunately) a young man named Brother Han.
He looked to be in his mid-20's, strumming an electro-acoustic guitar and singing into a powered mic and amp set up near the corner of Wilshire and Western, mere steps from one of the most legendary concert halls in Los Angeles, the venerable Wiltern Theater.
Usually I will stop and take a few minutes to listen to any busker I happen across. As I was hurrying (analogous to most within earshot) to catch the subway several stories below where Brother Han was playing, I only heard a fleeting minute of his music, acoustic Folk balladeering with a tinge of Hip Hop style in the vocal, before my elevator arrived to descend beneath the streets. No. No, I will catch the next one. Crossing back between him and the disinterested street level commuters, I meant to throw a couple dollars in his tip jar, but noticed he had a stack of discs in his guitar case. I liked what I was hearing but did need to catch a train, so I picked up one of the professionally packaged CD's he had and made sure to make eye contact with him to show him I was dropping the appropriate amount of money in his sadly barren jar.
A polite thank you came from his amp as I crossed back to the elevator with the knowledge of his name; Brother Han, and a six track disc of his music entitled When The Sun Burns Through The Clouds in hand. As the elevator doors slid shut I heard the words "new album" and "Kickstarter".
Flash forward to tonight and I spun up the disc for a listen. Here, albeit in a slightly different order, are the same set of songs, which I encourage you to hit play now on and enjoy.
Immediately I noticed a much deeper sound that he could muster on a dusty sidewalk in the City of Angels. Rich production, acoustic and electric guitar, live drums and the Hip Hop tinged vocal delivery I had heard for only a moment. "Shining On" opens the disc and it tells the tale of Brother Han himself and his journey to be heard. A well written piece in the long and storied canon of songs written about being a traveling musician.
Many of the songs share a similar motif of urban Folk storytelling. "Tommy's Song" treks through darker territory, including the shadows of 9/11 and its subsequent wars, backed by a plea for "peace when I'm gone" in the chorus. The haunting cello of Abbey Scoville adds gravity to the sound and offsets Lawrence Han's plaintive vocals perfectly. (Post-Review Note: After repeated listens to this track, it is most definitely one of the strongest songs here, due in large part to Han's vocal delivery.)
As I listen to the love ballad "Winter Curtains", I'm finding Brother Han has a strong ability to blend the melancholy and the uplifting simultaneously to great effect. The album ends on a high note with the pure fun of "Sunsets Over Africa", which includes a wonderful Pan Drums performance from Christian Beana.
After checking out Brother Han's various web portals, I found that he successfully funded a Kickstarter project for a new album at the end of last year, entitled Natty Blue. Based on how strong these six songs are, I am finding myself already looking forward to hearing it when it releases.
Brother Han's When The Sun Burns Through The Clouds is available on iTunes, so if what you've been hearing is pleasing to your ear, I encourage you to download it.
Looking back, I did have a few more minutes, and really could have stood there and taken in another song before departing. Seeing as how I once spent 20 minutes in the frigid cold of Tokyo in January, listening to a busking duo perform in a language I don't speak at midnight outside Shinjuku Station, it would have been good to have spent more time appreciating Brother Han in person on a warm summer evening. Or perhaps it was that blip on the interminable ribbon of time which made listening to Brother Han after the fact that much better. Either way, the next time you see a musician like Brother Han giving it their level best in a less than ideal performance location, stop and listen. You might just find your next favorite music artist.
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