Brett Dennen
Based in Northern California, Brett Dennen is a skier, a painter, a mountain climber, outdoorsman, rosé wine entrepreneur, and an environmental activist dedicated to raising awareness about climate change. He also happens to be a folk singer, usually incorporating one or more of those aforementioned interests into songs like his soulful debut single from 2004, “Desert Sunrise.” If you believe the 38-year-old’s press, he’s always been somewhat of a social activist, growing up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range before going off to college and leading campaigns to ban smoking and ashtrays on campus and working with San Francisco’s Mosaic Project from its inception, teaching children about topics such as respect, ethnic awareness, and general peace, love, and understanding.
Dennen can be heard on the Mosaic Project’s album Children’s Songs for Peace and a Better World, and the Survival International charity benefit album Songs for Survival features his duet with San Diegan Jason Mraz,“Long Road to Forgiveness.” In addition to scoring both seasons of NBC’s About a Boy and contributing to the soundtracks of TV shows such as Wizards of Waverly Place, Parenthood, and Grey’s Anatomy, his own Dylanesque discography includes multiple EPs, a live album, and six studio full-lengths, the newest released last year, Por Favor. The final date of his U.S. tour brings him to the Belly Up on March 24, for a bill that includes Dean Lewis.