decker.

Decker – Courtesy of Amy Rollo www.amyrollo.com

Over the last two years,  Decker has played over 250 shows, touring relentlessly from his home in Sedona, AZ to Seattle, WA to Shreveport, LA and everywhere in between.  Not confining his shows to music clubs alone, Decker is known to play free shows in cafes, farmer’s markets and on street corners alike.  In the midst of traveling 50,000+ in his Dodge Caravan, he has self-released three albums on his own local record label, Mescal Porch Records, and, in June, delivered his first-born son in his kitchen to boot.  It’s safe to say, Decker is amongst the hardest-working touring songwriters you’ve never heard of.

But he’s doing his best to change that.

Decker has self-released 3 albums off of his Arizona indie-folk label Mescal Porch Records, all while touring the western portion of the country incessantly.  He and his band are presently working on their fourth, self-titled album decker. due for release this November.

Decker crafts songs which find profundity in their naked sincerity.  Not quite rock, not quite folk, his acoustic-based psychedelic Americana balladry draws upon a variety of influences; from Leonard Cohen to Tom Waits, from Cat Power to PJ Harvey.  Yet in the end, his music is unique and uniquely him, and that is his offering.

Some Press:

“Long as the Night” Review from Kudos, AZ

New millennium folk singers have a deeper treasure trove to dig through than their traditional counterparts.

It’s as natural for a young folk singer today to borrow from the genres of garage-band grunge and European techno-pop as it is for the traditionalist to blend elements of gospel and blues into a sound that is uniquely folk.

A perfect case in point is Sedona’s Brandon Decker, who professionally, and quite simply, goes by Decker. He’s a folk singer in the tradition of Guthrie, Dylan and Townes Van Zandt. But he’s not so locked into tradition that he will shy away from using horns, orchestra bells and Al Kooper-like organ riffs to accent and punctuate his music.
(for the full article, click here)

“Songwriter of the Year…………..he writes the kind of bluesy acoustic tunes that bear the comforting feeling of songs you’ve known forever.”  - Mike McQuillian, Yab Yum Music & Arts

“his music; which is as romantic, dramatic, intense, primitive and harrowing as a birth in a kitchen in Arizona…Broken Belts, Broken Bones creates its own furrow somewhere between Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska and Gillian Welch’s Time (The Revelator) with mandolins, sparse accompaniment, narcotic tempos and stray harmonies.” - Warren McQuiston, Performer Magazine

“…once again brilliant soul-searching music that explores the conflicts of his own mind and heart in a tight Americana format that defies genre pigeonholing.” – Mitchell Hillman, Java Magazine

“the lasting impression of this CD is some of the most soul-baring songwriting you will ever hear” – Dan Engler, Editor, Kudos AZ

“Decker crafts dramatic, emotionally enveloping songs rendered all the more raw and powerful because they are acoustic-based.” – Dallas Morning News

“He’s tattooed, mustached, and sincere.” - Flagstaff Live

“His effortless, soulful croon boasts a magnetic appeal. The accompanying instrumentation wraps around you like gentle winds. Decker’s folk melodies are interpreted through a hazy psychedelic filter that produces warm, personal songs.” - Jeremy Schaefer, Sun on the Sand

“…proves beyond any doubt that decker enjoys being on the road sharing their music with people; they pour every ounce of themselves into each performance, whether they are on brightly lit stage or a little piece of sidewalk in Santa Cruz.” - 1121 South.net

“…a gritty acoustic retelling of life, relationships, and redemption.” – Santa Maria Sun, CA

“..The music of Brandon Decker, who records as decker. has proven to be a pleasant surprise…there’s enough grit, creeping unease, and lyrical darkness on the record to appeal to fans of Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen as much as fans of The Swell Season or Damien Rice.” – Jason Woodbury, Phoenix New Times

“Decker’s doleful tunes remain upliftingly playful, creating the unique binary experience found in the comfort of shared woe.” – Yab Yum Music

“Decker’s freshman release is full of grit, tunes with a simplicity that had me singing along on the first listen and a depth that had me hearing new things on the 10th listen.” – Dave Manning, The My Home is on the Road Show, KWMD Anchorage, Alaska

“More than merely a debut album, Decker’s ‘Long Days’ is a tale of redemption structured around a narrative framework rife with poignant lyrics.” – Kudos, AZ

“Broken Belts, Broken Bones is an album about the work of being human.  And like your favorite person, it may not be perfect, but its presence will always make you feel good.” – Yab Yum Music

“Musically, Decker has found the avenue by which to deliver his poetics and the essence of his soul and experience. A cold world requires a song, and Decker sings in the long shuffling drawl of life’s days as they pull into nights.” – Kudos, AZ

“A virtual one-man band, Decker plays harmonica, tambourine and guitar as he sings in a one-of-a-kind voice that at times draws upon the sounds of Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon.” – Santa Maria Times, CA