Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (August 22, 2008)

“THE GAY JONI MITCHELL”
So a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this indie Australian musician, Brett Every, with this interesting Tom Waits, bluesy lounge-singer style — who writes and sings from a gay perspective, no less! Turns out we share not just a similar name, but also a deep and abiding love for Emmylou Harris and Stevie Nicks (hi, Snicks!).

Brett Every, looking sauve

If there’s any justice in the world, we’ll be hearing much more from Brett in the years to come (he just turned 30). In the meantime, I defy anyone not to be impressed by the languid infectiousness of “’Till Your Eyes Adjust,” the jazzy groove of “Devereaux” (about, yes, The Golden Girls’ Blanche), and the quiet, but cathartic build of “Camping Out.”

Two boys and their fire, trying to keep it alive.

It’s good stuff, I tell ya!

AfterElton.com: So why’d you decide to be an out musician?
Brett Every: I'd been writing songs all through my teens and twenties. But I realized a couple of years ago that I’d been avoiding writing love songs from my own perspective. A friend actually made a point of it — she said that whenever I did write about love, it was always about someone else's love. So I took it as a challenge to start writing love songs in the first person, without changing "he/him" to "she/her".

On my latest album [Camping Out], I'm simply singing about some of the many ways that love can work between two men, without getting political about it. There is very little angst and struggle on this album, which I guess is a political statement in itself!

AE: Trace for me the evolution of your very unique style.
Brett: Here's where I think it helps so much to be gay! I think I've spent a long time listening to artists that straight guys may not have been influenced by, and in the end, whether you want it to or not, it contributes to a style that you just won't get from a strict diet of Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Pearl Jam.

So I got my sense of songwriting from the likes of Stevie Nicks, Dolly Parton and Alison Moyet. Vocally, things got tricky because I had brought myself up on huge amounts of Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler and Emmylou Harris, and it's difficult to blend those influences in when you're stuck with a voice as low as mine. So I moved through rock and folk, to end up with a more bluesy, swingy, lounge vibe that evokes a smoky jazz bar at three the morning ... kinda like Norah Jones getting drunk with Tom Waits while praying to the spirit of Dusty Springfield.

Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Allison Moyet

AE: Ha! Perfectly put! And I adore all your influences. I knew there was a reason I liked you. What’s your songwriting process?
Brett: My songs mostly spring from the words. A phrase or image usually presents itself and then it's just a case of working out what kind of melody and chords will carry it along. I'm especially happy with the title track “Camping Out” — it's the story of two boys in their teens keeping each other warm on a cold night while sleeping outside. It starts out as such a no-nonsense rock song, but has these quirky saw solos (literally, it's an industrial saw that you bend and play with a violin bow). The song traces rapture and excitement, and mixes nostalgia and romance, all within a camping trip narrative... and strangely enough, I wrote it just before Brokeback Mountain.

AE: What is your "wildest dream" in terms of success?
Brett: At the heart of it, I'm a songwriter, but success wouldn't be becoming the "gay Bob Dylan" of songwriting — I would rather be the "gay Joni Mitchell". My wildest dream is to record a duet album with Megan Mullally! Our voices couldn't be more different, but that's what would make it work! That would complete me.