Eternal Optimism Musician Brian McGee has it

Thursday, October 7, 2010 (updated , 2010 3:00 am)
By Carole Perkins

Asheville rocker Brian McGee kicks the leaves that accumulated in his backyard while he was honeymooning in Italy and Spain. Tons of coffee mask his jet lag and fuel his energy to play at a popular music festival the next day.

McGee has plenty of time to travel and play gigs these days, having been laid off last spring from his job as a woodworker in a custom cabinet shop. But not even the stress of unemployment can dampen the spirit of his eternal optimism, a theme woven into every song on his new album, “The Taking or the Leaving,” due out Oct. 18.

Looking the part, McGee’s James Dean combed-back hair and long sideburns reflect his love of 1950s rock ’n’ roll as well as his what-you-see-is-what-you-get attitude on his new album. In a hybrid ’50s style of rockabilly with a little bit of country and a whole lot of rock ’n’ roll, McGee revs the engine of his all-American Springsteen-style songs about everyday struggles conquered with hope.

With galloping rockabilly romps such as “Hold Sway,” with lyrics “Well if we hold and sway/ We’ll go round and round ’til we beat everyday/ If we hold and sway and hold,” and a voice-cracking ballad “Walking Back to Love,” McGee cuts to the quick, wearing his heart on his sleeve with songs about overcoming desperation, finding love and welcoming new celebrations.

“I like this album because most of the songs are short and concise and get straight to the point,” McGee says. “It’s like Tom Petty once said, 'Don’t bore us, get to the chorus.’ ”

McGee picked up his first guitar at age 12 and played in punk rock bands in the 1990s until he discovered the banjo and started leaning toward the music of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie.

When asked about his evolution from punker to rocker, McGee says it doesn’t matter what you call it, he just plays what he likes.

“I like upbeat, downbeat, three-chord music, whether it’s Hank Williams, The Ramones, Wanda Jackson or Sam Quinn,” he says. “That’s what I like, so sometimes things get louder than others, but the soul is still intact.”

Produced by McGee and Pete James of The Honeycutters, McGee was joined in the studio at Echo Mountain Studios (The Avett Brothers, Band of Horses, Smashing Pumpkins) in Asheville with a star-studded cast of friends, including Sam Quinn, former front man of the everybodyfields, on backup vocals on McGee’s dream-inspired song, “Fire.”

Quinn says he was en route from Charlotte to Knoxville, Tenn., when McGee called, asking him to stop by the studio. Quinn says he was really sick but agreed because McGee is a friend.

“The first thing you should know about Brian is that he’s handsome,” Quinn says. “The other thing you should know is that he’s the salt of the earth, a very solid dude, and that’s why I like him.”

Also contributing to McGee’s sophomore album are Mary Ellen Bush from Ménage, Amanda Anne Platt of the Honeycutters and Pete James on lead guitar.

With a November tour planned from Nashville, Tenn., to his home city of Philadelphia, McGee is taking this time as an opportunity to sink his chops into his music full time. Putting a spin on a otherwise desolate situation, McGee is making the most of it.

“Not having a job means playing music is my full-time job now,” he says. “It’s a gamble, but we’ll see how it settles in the end.”

Contact Carole Perkins at CPGuilford@aol.com