Brian Dewan

Biography

Musician, visual artist and craftsman, Brian Dewan -- has released his debut album, Brian Dewan Tells the Story on Bar/None Records.

In a world grown weary of turgid rock and tired Euro-dance rhythms, the classically-trained Dewan weighs in mightily with this awe-inspiring compendium of original, electrically-charged folk tunes and cranky Yankee tales. Already a favorite of BBC tastemaker John Peel, Dewan is an American original and truly a Renaissance man.

The Dewanian instrument built by the man himself is an electric zither -- made entirely of wood and harpsichord hardware -- it is plucked and sits like a table. It appears like an oversized autoharp without the felt dampeners. Thanks to its eight Humbucker pick-ups and his own booming baritone, Dewan stands tall among the rock legends of the future creating a sound like Jimi Hendrix on smart drugs.

Originally from Lexington, Massachussetts, and currently residing in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, Dewan performed in and composed for the band in the successful off-Broadway act Blue Man Group and appeared on The Tonight Show. He has also created a number of album covers, including They Might Be Giants' Lincoln and David Byrne's Uh-Oh. Dewan also crafts unique furniture in his shop and his elaborate pieces grace some of New York's finest homes.

Dewan is the voice of an America seldom explored. From the devastatingly powerful crowd-behavior countdown, "99 Cops," to his signature screed of rock discipline, "Obedience School," (which earned him the title "the Vice Principal of Rock" on New York's Lower East Side art scene) and on through "My Eye," a sorry tale of a young man compelled to poke out his own eye on his father's cruel imperative, Dewan tells the story like it has never been told.