On Saturday November 10th, 2018, we had the opportunity to catch Dean Brody in Guelph, ON for his Dirt Road Stories Acoustic tour. Dean Brody is praised, not only for his ability as a vocalist and musician, but as a storyteller; and a vivid one at that.
Let me set the stage here quickly. The River Run Centre’s main theatre in Guelph Ontario holds approximately 800 people. You walk in and take your seat in the small concert theatre, and in front of you sits a dimly lit stage with a piano, an old television, some chairs and stumps, a fridge, and a photo of Ron McLean.
Travelling alongside Dean Brody for this portion of his tour is Andrew Hyatt. Hyatt is best-known for his singles, “On Me“, “Do It With You”, “Habit“, and most recently, “My Kinda Crazy“.
He and his lead guitar man enter the stage and prop themselves on two stools, in front of two microphones, and 800 people. After a brief introduction, the crowd gets just a piece of who Andrew Hyatt is; as a man and as a storyteller himself. By the end of his set, not only was I pleasantly surprised with the vocal control, but how soft and commanding his stage presence was. The Sudbury native, and former miner shared just a piece of himself with the audience that earned at least one person in the room- that being myself, a new respect for him as a songwriter and performer.
After a twenty-minute break, Dean Brody took the stage with three of his band, guitars, an accordion, a fiddle, and dollar store kazoos.
The show was exactly what the title tells- dirt road stories. Dean Brody has a way of making dirt sound poetic, and a bush party sound like something we’re missing out on if we haven’t been. He shared stories of his past, what inspired each song, and how important writing his first (terrible) song ever was so important to his development as a creative.
Brody shared stripped down versions of “Dirt”, “Good Goodbye”, “Canadian Girls”, “8th Day”, “Time”, “Dose of Country”, “Bounty”, “It’s Friday”, “Love Would Be Enough”, “Another Man’s Gold”, “Little Yellow Blanket”, “Trail in Life”, “Mountain Man”, “Upside Down”, and even “Bring Down the House”. He took a moment to show his respect for Veterans and soldiers before his soulful tribute, “Brothers”.
I’ve seen Dean Brody when he’s passed through my area before. Double-fisting beer, swinging chainsaws all over the stage, and keeping the crowd rowdy. This experience was unlike any other show I’ve been to. Dean Brody reminded me that artists take such pride in their work.
If you get a chance to scoop tickets to the Dirt Road Stories tour before it ends, it’ll be worth your money, and definitely worth your time.
For Dirt Road Stories tour dates, click here.
To learn more about Andrew Hyatt, visit his website here.
In country music, the Front Porch has long been a place of reflection. A place where you can look at the life you have inside that front door. A place where time almost seems to stand still, where you can get away. It’s also a place where you can go to observe the world as it passes by you. To think about your place out there beyond the driveway.
