Cory Branan back on the road

The guitarist will return to Jammin Java as part of his current tour

Singer/songwriter Cory Branan is critically acclaimed because of his powerful and relevant lyrics.  

Writing what he calls “character songs,” Branan is able to deliver potent messages because people can relate to the themes he’s talking about, and many take surprising turns that make the songs memorable. 

For instance, in his song “Another Nightmare in America,” which serves as a rallying cry against police violence, he takes an unconventional approach from the perspective of a racist officer. And yes, this was written before the death of George Floyd.

In the past 20 years, Branan has released five albums and earned kudos from the likes of NPR, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone, the latter of which described him as “A country boy with a punk-rock heart.” 

Hailing from Mississippi and then Memphis, Branan took to the guitar early and became heavily influenced by heavy metal, even forming a Black Sabbath cover band as a teen. But he also had an interest in country music, so he would play in bands in both genres. Today, his sound is something of an alternative country, with a punk effect mixed in. 

“Growing up where I did, it’s pretty steeped in a lot of traditions in music,” Branan said. “My father was a drummer, and his father was a fiddle player, and everyone in my family played piano. No one really pursued it as a career; heck, no one ever left Mississippi. But I stumbled into writing songs and I just knew it’s what I needed to do.” 

Branan will be playing a solo gig at Jammin Java, on Jan. 21 beginning at 7 p.m.

“I’ll be swapping back and forth with an electric and an acoustic, and just playing a lot of stuff that’s coming off a record that I’m just finishing up now,” he said. “So, in addition to this new stuff no one has ever heard, I’ll be playing any of the old stuff anyone wants to hear. I just try to keep things loose.” 

Branan kept himself pretty isolated at home during most of the pandemic, but when the first “all clear” came in June once vaccinations started, he performed live for the first time in more than a year. 

Not that he stayed away from music. Branan was plenty busy putting out records direct to fans—a collection of commissioned tunes and covers, which he dubbed “quarantunes.” 

“I put out like five albums of me covering everything from the Replacements to ‘Peaches,’ so I was all over,” he said. “I had to teach myself to record at the house and how to mix and master, and all these things I have been putting off my whole life.”

But now Branan is something of an expert on the tech stuff, and he’s been putting his new skills to good use as he readies his new record.

“During this past year, there were some certain circumstances that were novel to me, and I went through some relationship stuff, and that will all be on the record,” he said. “I was going stir crazy because I just wanted to move and move and move, and I think that’s a feeling a lot of us were having.”

Since he regularly performs hundreds of gigs a year, the time away was brutal for him, and Branan realized after his first show back that he didn’t just miss it, but he needed it. 

“It’s an integral part of how I see myself and how I find value, my self-worth,” Branan said. “I get as much out of it as anyone.” 

The music world has changed a great deal since he started as Branan noted he began writing when Napster was popular and it’s taken a lot of maneuvering to learn how to make money off his records.

“It’s always been about touring for me, and luckily, I enjoy playing live,” he said. “This will be my fifth time at Jammin Java and I really love the place. Any time you have a sound system like that, which is made for songwriters, it’s just something special. And they’re not afraid to let it rock a little bit.”