{image1}My most persistent memory of Will Branch is of him walking down the street in front of the East Side house I was staying in, looking, to me, to be a little out of time, in clothes -- generally a button down shirt and a pair of slacks -- that could have been thrifted from the '50s or early '60s, and, sometimes, a hat -- not a cap -- over his graying hair.
This must have been around the mid-'90s and not much has really changed, despite the fact that Branch has been playing music for a living since about that time. As for his man-out-of-time appearance, Branch isn't bothered.
"Old timey music is in good shape -- it's healthy," he says. "It's about just playing music, it's not about image ... The really important emotions don't change."
What has changed, however subtly over the years, is the music itself. Branch got his first induction into playing music full time with John The Conqueroo -- a jug band of sorts. "I was about the only one playing a pre-made instrument," Branch says -- while still in his 20s, playing a blistering 250 shows a year.
Since then Branch has been in the process of refining his style, of getting to the heart of music, first with his trio and then solo. His sound has become much more stripped down, as he's delved into the history of American roots music, and as he's eschewed playing in bands, something that had frustrated Branch due to energy wasted rehearsing.
Another influence on his music has been his exposure to Utah Phillips and Larry Penn, two near living legends of folk music. Phillips he met just after 9/11 on a weekend trip with his grandma's cousin, a musician herself. Penn, a Milwaukee-based artist, has had luminaries Pete Seeger and Rosalie Sorrels, among others, play his tunes.
The interesting things about the roots music scene is that it, like jazz, relies on standards, and a musical vocabulary common to the musicians. This is what Branch meant when he gave up rehearsing. He just wants to play.
Fortunately for him, there's a healthy group of musicians to work with around Milwaukee. When Branch isn't playing solo, his primary collaborator is Dave Fox, who plays fiddle, guitar and washboard. The two play folk festivals all over the Midwest, interspersed with good number of shows for kids. Branch also likes to share the stage with some of Milwaukee's better known, and loved, roots musicians, to whom he dedicates his latest recording "Press On."
"The CD is a thank-you note to the musicians who I work with and inspire me," Branch says. "I owe a lot to the people on the CD."
The record features some new material by Branch alongside tunes by others, some classic and some contemporary, recorded on the spot, without much more than a quick run through. John Nicholson, a longtime professor of roots music, lends his formidable guitar, slide-guitar and banjo skills to the mix as does folk champion and practitioner of the harmonica and mandolin Lil' Rev. The lineup is rounded out by Ken Haferman contributing song material and banjo playing, Susan Jeske-Dermody, one of the strongest fiddle players around, and the aforementioned Dave Fox. This album is really for them.
Considering Will Branch plays five to six times a week he's not hard to find. Come to think of it, most of the other folks on his latest record aren't exactly hiding out either. If roots music is what you love or you are new to the scene Branch and his contemporaries are a must see. His Web site is www.willbranch.com.
