Seattle’s Bryan John Appleby

Over the weekend, I spent a fair amount of time listening to Seattle based songwriter Bryan John Appleby, who released his debut record, Fire on the Vine (AmazonMP3 & Spotify), after he spent two seasons in holed up in a house making music. Below is a video made by Sound on the Sound that tells the story behind the album. It’s a good one, so I won’t mess with it….just watch.

Appleby’s writing is remarkably deep, referring to the record as a “casting off a former self,” which he discussed further in a Q&A with Common Folk Music last September. I’ve been entranced by the album, and have been especially drawn to the songs “Glory” and “Honey Jars.”

Appleby tours with The Head and the Heart this fall and is revered by the band. Last year THATH’s Josiah Johnson told USA TODAY, “Bryan John Appleby is one of the best lyricists I’ve ever heard. He uses these twists and turns of phrases. Even playing acoustically, his music is epic.”

CORRECTION NOTE: An earlier version of this post said “Charity Rose Thielen, also of THATH, sings on the album.” A reader pointed out that I was wrong and that it’s actually Melodie Knight. She sounded so much like her that I didn’t check first. Not cool. Sorry!