I always thought "I've arrived" every step of the way.

June 15, 2023 5:34 AM

Happy Pride Month! It's been a while since Brandi Carlile released her album In These Silent Days [YT playlist], but that doesn't mean she hasn't been busy. Just recently, Brandi help usher Joni Mitchell back before a paying audience for the first time in over 20 years [Seattle Times]. Spin has an article with video links. She also brought Tanya Tucker out of retirement, and made a documentary about it [1m30s trailer]. Here's Tanya and Brandi on Today talking about the film. [12m43s]

Carlile sat with Zane Lowe at her Cedar Grove retreat to discuss her pandemic album and her life in general. [2021, 1h]

And finally, here's Brandi perfoming The Story on SNL from Dec 2022 [4m40s].

posted by hippybear (19 comments total)

I have seen her crop up a few places in the last year or two, and she seems like she's a way better musician than the pop star that's lodged in my memory. Cool that she keeps evolving!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:59 AM on June 15, 2023

Wait, shit -- that's Belinda Carlisle, isn't it?

Ugh, my stupid brain. No wonder it seemed like such a stylistic shift!

It's good to have strong, grown-up women's voices singing popular music, and not just young women. P!nk is like this, and Bonnie Raitt, and...not enough, frankly.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:05 AM on June 15, 2023 [3 favorites]

So, to round out the Belinda Carlisle derail, she did release a new song a couple of months ago, and it's pleasant enough. Big Big Love
posted by hippybear at 8:08 AM on June 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wait, shit -- that's Belinda Carlisle, isn't it?

I have this incorrect association every time too, you're not alone.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:12 AM on June 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

I never paid any attention to Brandi Carlile until the rabid Joni fans started coming for her a few years back with absurd accusations that she was somehow leveraging poor enfeebled Joni for her own fame and fortune, as if she wasn't already an established (and beloved) songwriter in her own right. Ironically, that stupid dust-up made me wake up to what I'd been missing. As far as I'm concerned, Carlile has earned her place, and the fact that she's using her access and influence to support her heroes in their return from exile is a beautiful thing. Now, if only Case/Lang/Veirs was looking for a fourth...
posted by mykescipark at 8:40 AM on June 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

Ok I’ll cry this afternoon
posted by BlunderingArtist at 9:35 AM on June 15, 2023

When Criminal Records bought Aurora Coffee back in 2004/2005 (?), they introduced live music to Saturday nights at the Va-Hi location, much to the chagrin of the staff (including me). We didn't want to deal with live music at the shop because part of the appeal of getting through a night shift is at least getting to listen to your own music. (Not many people hung out past 7 pm at coffee shops located within a busy nightlife area.)

So Criminal scheduled their first initial live act: Brandi Carlile. She played a Saturday night to all of ten people, two of whom were employees, two of whom were Criminal management, and the rest of which were customers who were baffled by the whole thing.
posted by Kitteh at 10:29 AM on June 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

Wow, I had to look deep for this one, but I figured out where I first saw Brandi Carlile. Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, June 17, 2007 on the Despite Our Differences tour. While looking this up, I saw there were quite a few newspaper write-ups about Carlile touring with the Girls, and Saliers in particular promoting her at that time.

And here's that show, with Brandi sitting in on quite a few songs.
posted by hippybear at 11:51 AM on June 15, 2023

And thinking back, that was a pretty crazy weekend. We got in to discover that it was Pride weekend not too far from out hotel so The B-52s were playing as we were making our way to dinner, etc.
posted by hippybear at 12:19 PM on June 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) awarded her their Songwriter Icon award last night. She seems like a wonderful person, and her music is just so great. She sang her song "The Mother," which was beautiful. Allison Russell also sang a gorgeous version of "You and Me on the Rock", which Carlile sang on the same SNL episode that hippybear linked to. Brandy Clark also covered a Carlile song, though I can't remember which one. I hope some video clips of last night will eventually be posted somewhere, though I haven't seen any yet. I highly recommend seeking her work out!
posted by odin53 at 1:16 PM on June 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

I know very little about her music (though thanks to this post that may change) but every time I see photos of Carlile on the red carpet (not Carlisle), I'm wowed by her fashion sense. That is a woman who can rock a suit. I aspire to her level of awesomeness.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 1:44 PM on June 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

The Mother is one of my favorite songs; it's just beautiful and touching. I hadn't seen its video - that just solidifies it.

I've got some friends from Seattle who have been fans of Brandi's for a while, so she feels well-known to me, but I think people outside the Pacific NW are just starting to recognize her, perhaps.
posted by hydra77 at 2:48 PM on June 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

She blew up well beyond the Seattle area about 15 years ago, and at this point her albums sell and she wins awards just by breathing. I mean, maybe she's not well known with the people reading this comment thread, but she's got a pretty big following, enough to do headline tours.
posted by hippybear at 2:56 PM on June 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

She's in The Seattle Times at least once a week, it feels like. Their music reporters can't get enough of her.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:12 PM on June 15, 2023

Thank you to the kind stranger that posted this to YouTube.
posted by milnak at 4:51 PM on June 15, 2023

OK, am now a convert and a fan. Thanks for this FPP!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:50 PM on June 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

It is okay to also like Belinda Carlisle. But yay for new fans!
posted by hippybear at 5:59 PM on June 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

"The Story" never fails to give me chills.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:00 PM on June 15, 2023

I've been a bit of a devotee of Brandi's for years now (east coaster even, thank you WERS Boston). Just got back from the Joni Jam concert at the gorge (Holly crap). And have done two of her Girls Just Wanna Weekends down in Mexico. My favorite part about her is the amazing community she has created around her. She is so humble and lifts up not just other musicians but fans and ideas all while being an absolute gem on stage herself. I'm so glad she's getting recognized, so well deserved and I can't wait to see what she does next.
posted by danapiper at 2:16 AM on June 16, 2023 [1 favorite]