By Andy Argyrakis
There’s a certain irony to the title of singer-songwriter Brett Dennen’s latest long player, See the World, considering that the bulk of it was penned when the entire globe was closed. However, upon closer examination of the project that brings him to Ravinia’s newly established and delightfully intimate Carousel Stage on Wednesday, August 4, not every moment is quite so literal in the nomadic or exploratory sense, starting with the classic-in-the-making title track.
“It started out as a song inspired by my son,” notes the relatively new father. “He was crawling and just learning to walk, and it got me thinking about where he’s gonna go in life. It made me think about the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, and it made me think about so many great song lyrics spoken from somebody who’s experienced life to somebody who’s just beginning, like Cat Stevens’s ‘Father and Son.’ But as I was working out the chorus, ‘Get out and see the world with your own eyes,’ it hit me that the song […] could be deeper, it could be broader, and it could be more about everybody needing to see and experience the world through their own lens with their own feelings. In doing so, they will have a much stronger sense of empathy and connection with everyone else on the planet.”
“I love playing Ravinia, it’s just a beautiful place … seeing people having fun, getting together in the park. We’ll do all the new stuff that’s out there, [but] then I’m sure I’m gonna play fan favorites, the ones that lend themselves to the outdoor, summertime concert experience.”
Ever since debuting in 2004, Dennen has steadily become one of the most articulate and thought-provoking voices of his generation, earning praises from prior superstar tour mates, such as John Mayer and Jason Mraz, while being critically acclaimed for following in the elite troubadour tradition of Stevens, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, or Van Morrison. Though he frequently falls into the folk category, there’s mounds more happening throughout what’s shaping up to be a landmark standalone collection at the very least and arguably a true career cornerstone.
“The way I made this album, I wrote probably 30 songs for it. I would write a song and I’d demo it, then I wouldn’t listen to it for a while and I’d keep writing,” says the meticulous song sculptor. “Through the process of a couple years of doing this, it took a lot of different turns, not necessarily thematically, but musically. Some songs were a little bit more rocking and grooving, and other songs were more folky. Some songs sounded like ’80s pop, some songs sounded even like old-timey country, and it was kind of all over the place. I just remember thinking, ‘I don’t even know if these songs are good or not,’ but I kept telling myself, ‘as long as I put “See the World” on the album, it will be good. It might not even be the best song on the album, but it’s the thing I wanted to say most at the time. At least the message that I want to put across is out there, and then everything else can somehow just fall into place.”
“There are a lot of songs about people not taking chances or wishing they would’ve taken chances,” Dennen continues. “I think that comes up in three or four songs, stories about people who dream big but then maybe never go after those dreams, and their life becomes something else. Then there are songs about people who do [follow through], but it takes them somewhere that they didn’t want to go. There are love songs that are about going through your own experiences and songs that come from a place of anger in my heart and sort of disgust in people at times. They’re songs about people’s ignorance, not understanding other people and feeling more entitled than I think they should be, so it all somehow comes back to this theme of ‘everybody needs to get out of their comfort zone, reach across, and understand other people.’ ”
Speaking of people, after over a year-and-half of pandemic-induced isolation, Dennen and his band cannot wait to connect with a crowd while presenting these current musings and prior staples at Ravinia. Though this marks his inaugural headlining performance, chances are audiences already caught a glimpse of such budding greatness opening up for Australian roots rockers John Butler Trio in 2017 and “I’m Yours” maestro Mraz in 2018.
“I’m an advocate of just going out and being yourself outside. Commune with the trees, listen to the birds, and watch the light change. That’s the most magical experience you can have.”
“I love playing there and it’s just a beautiful place,” enthuses Dennen. “I love being near the lake in the summer. It’s beautiful, but I think my favorite thing to do when I’m there is to walk around, like you play a show and then you take a walk to where they are selling CDs and T-shirts. I just love walking through and seeing people having fun, getting together, being in the park outdoors in the summertime. I get the most inspiration from that. By the time we play that show, the album will have just come out, so I imagine we’ll do all the new stuff that’s out there. Then since I have a great history of playing Chicago, I’m sure I’m gonna play mostly the fan favorites and the ones that lend themselves to the outdoor, summertime concert experience, which would be the more lively songs and songs that you hear on the radio.”
In addition to scaling the charts with the sing-along likes of “Make You Crazy” (a collaboration with Afrobeat innovator Femi Kuti), “Comeback Kid (That’s My Dog),” “Wild Child,” and “Already Gone,” another area that’s opened up extensively for Dennen is television, specifically landing tracks on Grey’s Anatomy, Parenthood, and About a Boy, to name but a few. Besides being an introductory platform to untapped audiences, the soundtrack slots have also been a bit of a financial lifeline, along with starting Dennen Goods Co., amidst an ever-changing music industry.
“I’ve been doing a lot of visual art and started a business with my wife putting that art in the form of graphic designs, posters with song lyrics, and positive messages to decorate your house,” explains the proficient painter-on-the-side, who also takes a similarly precise approach when writing for others. “Music is basically free now if you have a subscription to a streaming platform, so there’s not a great way for somebody to make a living just by writing songs and putting them out. You have to find places to put your music in and get some money in return for that. TV shows, commercials, and movies are just so great because you get to be a part of somebody else’s story that they’re telling. There’s a lot of storytelling in my songs already, and I think they lend themselves to helping tell another story. I feel so fortunate because it’s also a great place for people to discover music. You’re watching a show, it’s an emotional scene, a song comes on and you think, ‘Gosh, I actually really like this song. I’m gonna go look at it.’ ”
Given his uncanny ability to plug right into practically any storyline or scenario imaginable, Dennen was even commissioned to write the 75th birthday theme song for Smokey Bear, the iconic figurehead of the US Forest Service’s Wildfire Prevention Campaign (which is the longest-running public service announcement in American history). Though it would be an honor for any tunesmith to tackle, this had personal significance given the author’s lifelong affinity for everything relating to the outdoors and his commitment to environmental preservation.
“I think being inside and sitting around too much makes me depressed, so I’ve always loved being out in nature,” adds Dennen. “I’m a big surfer, skier, and hiker. I love camping and backpacking, but also I’m an advocate of just going out and being yourself outside. Commune with the trees, listen to the birds, and watch the light change. That’s the most magical experience you can have, to be still somewhere where you have a good view of the sky and watch it go from day to night. I think if you enjoy spending time outside, then you start to get to know where you are, what you’re seeing, and maybe the history of the nature you’re experiencing. That always leads you to the importance of keeping, preserving, and protecting public lands so that they can remain wild places and people can keep having that experience there. You can learn about yourself and we can all learn about each other from being in nature.”■
Andy Argyrakis is a Chicago-based writer/photographer whose credits include the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald, Daily Journal, Illinois Entertainer, Hear/Say Now, Concert Livewire, Chicago Now, Redeye, Metromix, Paste, DownBeat, Spin.com, MTV.com, Fuse TV, UP TV, Pollstar, and Celebrity Access, among many others. He also is the founder of ChicagoConcertReviews.com and the house photographer for The Chicago Theatre.