I scratch my head sometimes in wonder as to why the pecking order is what it is. It mystifies me why some artists have not yet connected with a larger audience, when I know that audience would relate to their music if only they knew it existed. So it is with Brandon Jenkins. His is an iconic image, appearing as an imposing figure; bald, bearded, tattooed. He is an everyman, a sensitive rough guy, a poet inhabiting a dockworker's frame. He is a gentle giant, a steely voice writing acerbic social commentary. When I watch him, I yearn for the day when he will be regarded as the important generational voice that he is. It makes me crazy more people don't know about him!
Brandon Jenkins comes from the Red Dirt. He brought the song craft, the tradition, and the attention to detail with him when he moved to Austin. It is steeped in his soul. The soil here nurtures him though, as do all his ex-pat brethren, be they Oklahoman, Texan, or kindred spirits that the wind blew this way. He is quite frankly political. A populist. This song, "Perfect Slave" will be on his next CD, set for release this April. We filmed him during MusicFest 2011 in Steamboat Springs just a few weeks ago, in what I think was his first time recording this song acoustically.
- Jessie Scott
