Brett Dennen did not set out to be a professional musician. That's surprising because he embodies the best of songwriting: singular storytelling, singability, and the unique capacity to hold up a mirror to our lives, our society, and the greater world. Before all that, he was a painter. Perhaps that's whe his lyrics have always seemed to bloom before one’s eyes, somehow both stark and colorful, intricately constructed and sweeping in their scope.