Chastity Brown

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Chastity Brown's NEW RELEASE, "BACK ROAD HIGHWAYS" coming MARCH 2012 with 6 Minnesota Release Shows:

DULUTH - March 1st @ Amazing Grace (tickets go on sale 2/1)

GRAND MARAIS - March 9th & 10th @ Gunflint Tavern

LUTSEN - March 12th @ Papa Charlie's

MANKATO - March 16th @ Coffee Hag

MINNEAPOLIS - March 24th @ Cedar Cultural Center (tix on sale now)

Chastity Brown will be releasing her latest record, Back-Road Highways, her first album on C & D Music Network out of Nashville, TN. Opening sets by local Americana faves Romantica and Black Audience will be followed by a rockin' full band performance by Chastity.

Chastity was recently interviewed by Twin Cities MetroMix, 11/3/11

"That's the hardcore folkie in me, because goals like that remove us from what music is: a platform for us to hang out. Music is what keeps us connected."

*Friday, Novmeber 18th at 3pm-

Catch Chastity and the band on Minnesota TV (Channel 5/KTSP) "Twin Cities Live".

*Wednesday, November 23 at 7pm-

Chastity's next full band performance at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, MN w/ Jeremy Messersmith. (tickets go on sale 10/14 @ noon)

"High Noon Teeth" reviewed in the Duluth News Tribune, 8/18/11

"It’s one of those little gems that doesn’t have a big promotional budget behind it and flies a bit lower on the radar than it deserves to. But the quality of the work is head and shoulders above the vast majority of releases in the roots genre.

The pure, raw emotion that this woman generates is something even veteran blues and soul artists could take a lesson from. The girl emotes, and emotes with passion."

Chastity and the band picked as favorite act at Bayfront Blues Festival!

"Chastity Brown, a Memphis girl-turned-Minnesotan, couldn’t sign on to the “sit down and play nice” style of the acoustic tent. She finally had to kick her chair aside and stand up and dance, her cowboy boots moving and tapping.

Brown has a big soulful voice that sounds like her guts are being squeezed.

Andi Spike, a blogger from St. Paul, is a blues fan who was covering the event for her fashion-music-vegan living website Bunny Warrior. She favors young blues musicians, she admitted, and said she likes the way they incorporate modern influences.

Spike said Brown was her early pick for a favorite of the day.

“I think she was the best I’ve seen,” Spike said. “She has surprised me the most.”

Chastity Brown plays Vita.mn's Music & Movies in the Park Friday August 19!

Chastity's newest album, High Noon Teeth is available on iTunes.

Chastity Brown to play a solo set at the CONGRESSIONAL BLUES FESTIVAL in Washington D.C. on Wednesday July 27!

Chastity Brown records for C & D Music Network in Nashville, TN this June and July 2011!

Here is a sneak peek of her new material, her first banjo tune, "After You," peformed live at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, MN.

Chastity will be releasing 7 NEW VIDEOS in 7 DAYS in MAY!!!!

From the wonderful folks at Cakein15:

"Soulful and explosive singer-songwriter Chastity Brown is doing something special for the month of May- releasing seven videos of her and her band in seven days. The last time we saw Chastity, she was killing it for Record Store Day at the Electric Fetus and then guesting on a haunting rendition of “Plastic Lines” for the No Bird Sing Theft of the Commons record release, but neither of those were really nearly enough of her glorious voice. So if you want more of Ms. Brown (and we figure she warrants the honorific, NYTimes & Lauryn Hill Style) then follow her on Twitter or Facebookto get the updates and the videos. She dropped the first video today of her combo opening up at First Avenue for Jeremy Messersmith with the tune “Strong Enough”. Keep watching the dial, and if you need more to fill you up, here is a post from her Cake Shop house show last year to keep you going!"

Find her on Facebook in order to catch the videos as they are released. Starts Monday, May 9th!

While Chastity is in Nashville recording new songs for the next two weeks, she has a show at the legendary BLUEBIRD CAFE--

Tuesday, April 12 @ 6:30 pm

Other big Nashville news coming soon!

Check out Chastity and the band on MN Original!

Chastity Brown listed in City Pages Twin Cities Bands to Listen for in 2011!

"Chastity Brown may well be one of the most underrated vocalists in the Twin Cities. Her music has roots in funky neo-soul and she has a voice that runs like warm honey, warming you up whether you're prepared for it or not. She brings a bluegrass-fed gritty, earthy sound that is as unencumbered by the waves of popular indie-rock trends as it is the jazz genre that would be a typical category for her songs. Far from being a coffeehouse blues singer-songwriter type, Brown has crafted a sound that will sneakily pull you in and keep you close. Her summer 2010-released third album, High Noon Teeth, got attention for its poetry and flow. Brown is a rare bird in these Minnesota parts, and it's worth a trip to see her play; she has a few dates out for early 2011 in some southern states and Minnesota, including a show on January 22 at the Aster Café."

High Noon Teeth in Twin Cities Metromix Ten Best Local Albums of 2010!

"Giving the Twin Cities scene a much needed injection of brassy soul, Chastity Brown’s fusion of coffeehouse folk and full-throated R&B is hard to pigeonhole but plenty easy to enjoy on “High Noon Teeth,” her third album. Working with a crack supporting band, Brown’s melodic command is equally unwavering whether playing the role of stripped-down acoustic troubadour on epic lyrically driven ballads (“Only This”) or getting her groove on atop jazzy piano-pop arrangements (the simply sublime “From My Own”)."

New Article in The Daily Times (12/16/10): "Singer-Songwriter Chastity Brown returns to East Tennessee to bare her 'Teeth'"

"...Brown’s voice pours forth like warm honey, a sweet and rich concoction of melody and passion"

Join Chastity & the band on Saturday Nov. 6 @ The Dakota Jazz Club for a Tour Send off show!!

Chastity's new album High Noon Teeth is reviewed in the Roots/Soul/Jazz section of The Alternate Root Magazine!

She is a featured artist of the week "Only This" - FREE DOWNLOAD

"Blues, soul, jazz, gospel and rock act as highway signs as Chastity drives her songs. The overall feel is soul, not because of the songs make-up but the heartfelt, inner fire that pushes up the words from her core out into the world. Chastity Brown infuses the songs, no matter the style, with true soul, the kind that allows the words to form and the spirit to give them life."

Keep posted for East Coast and Southern Fall Tour Dates!

Chastity's new album, High Noon Teeth is now available on iTunes.

Chastity is featured in the October issue of Mpls / St. Paul Magazine!

Chastity listed at #22 in the Metro Magazine's annual 100 great things about the Twin Cities in 2010!

Next Twin Cities show is on 10/16 @ Kitty Cat Klub w/ Bruteheart & Mayda!

Pics of Chastity and the band @ First Avenue 9/18

Review: "Chastity Brown Mesmerizes at First Avenue."

9/18 at First Avenue's Mainroom w/ Jeremy Messersmith & Total Babe! Get your tix!

8/27/10: New Review of High Noon Teeth

8/11/10: New Artist Profile: "One answer to hard times: Sing - and grow your own food"

8/5/10: New Review ("Lovable Huggable Chastity Brown") of Chastity's performance at The Aquarium and Celebration of Women in Music at the Fargo Theatre!

7/30/10: Recap of Chastity's Performance at the Landmark Center in St. Paul.

7/22/10: New Review ("You Have to See Her to Believe Her") of Chastity's CD Release Show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis

6/15/10: New video of Chastity performing "Plans of Buildin" for MNPLS TV's City of Music series:

City of Music: Chastity Brown from MPLS.TV on Vimeo.

6/12/10 LYRICS for High Noon Teeth:

High Noon Teeth

Push You Away

Chorus:

I just can't push you away

tried everything

even tried to throw in your face

you'll never get the best of me

honey, the truth is

you've already seen the worst of it

so far

this is me loving you

with my honesty

no I did not come in here on no high horse

but my own two feet

can you accept this

can you accept me

you see the woman that I am

chorus

can we go

I just want to get away

can we go

I want the chance to just breathe you in

you see the woman that I am

the woman

you see

Oh I can't no more,

I can't no more

push you push you

Strong Enough

Chorus:

we were strong enough

to fight them off

by the ways they just kept comin'

by the waves they just kept comin'

We were strong enough

to fight them off

by the ways they just comin'

by the waves we were strong

Jimmy said it must of happened

someone closer to the dawn

remembers picking up his jacket

heading out and gettin gone

Somewhere Z just leaves the office

swollen eyes and heading home

they didn't understand her language

too much diction in her tone

cause ink was bleeding on the pages

all she had to do was change

to thumb out, to play numb

Chorus

If you go there, don't stay

If you take them, don't leave

If you face it, be brave

Cause you cannot take what's mine to keep

You don't know where it came from

You don't know what it means

No you cannot take what's mine to keep

You don't know

Chorus

From My Old

Chorus:

Last I was sleeping

I dreamt in a marvelous error

that I had a beehive here inside of my heart

oh the terror

and the golden bees were making

white combs and sweet honey

from all of my old failures

(from Antonio Machado's poem, "Last Night I Was Sleeping")

Not everything has to get you down,

take you out, take your breath away

There comes a time in your waking life

you can live your dreams outside of your mind

Chorus

There was a time I would take myself

right out of my mind, right out of my skin

Then I realized that this is now, and that was then

Yeah that was then,

This is now, this is now

Chorus

Only This

She moved to the woods to get away from her kids

to her it was not like that

she sat there in silence and nature's defense

heard the voices of the past

folks said she was selfish for leaving demands

she knew they would not understand

She worked all day and was worked by the land

She said I am, only

She said I am, only this

She said I am, only

In all of his life he only worked three jobs

the last one longer than the first

boss came in one day and he gave him a raise

let him keep it for a while

then he took it away just the same just the same

gave him back his old job

and to his surprise he fathered a kid

also to his shame

he didn't want her to see the way that he lived

from paycheck to paycheck again

then he came in one day, found a note with his name

some bullshit reply for an excuse

boss man said I know that you pulled your load

you see I ain't got no use for you

so he went outside, lit a cigarette

sat down on the curb,

and somewhere deep inside his chest

started mumbling these words

He said I am, only this

He said I am, only only, only this

Now I know I am dreamer and a son of a bitch

Often too stubborn to move

I wear my heart on my sleeve

yeah it swung from my chest

it's tender and no longer new

yeah I know I'm a dreamer, but not the only one

you see I've connected with a few

you can see it in their eyes and the way that they stand

been knocked down but came up swinging a time or two

you can see it in their eyes and the scars on their hands

been knocked down but came up swinging a time or two

Sayin

You see, I am, only this

You see, I am, only only, only this

Lose Ya Now

Funny thing you say to yourself

when no one's around

I'm in the habit of forgetting things

take a moment write this one down

It's a sorta shedding of the skin,

sorta shedding of the shit that's gone down

sorta shedding of the skin and everything

Chorus:

There just got to be a reason to laugh out loud

There just got to be

a reason to hang on

There just got to be

a reason to throw our heads back

Cause I don't, I don't, I don't no no

I don't want to lose ya now

I don't no, I don't want to lose

You say it's a constant contradiction

keeping you from freedom

you overcome one thing, here comes something else

And ain't nobody around when you throw your hands up

in desperation

looking for some peace and a moment to yourself

Chorus

By The Train Tracks

Down by the train tracks on the side of the road

there a man gone sit there since long time ago

Down by the train tracks on the side of the road

There came a woman someone saw her go

Down by the train tracks on the side of the road

said she was on a journey you could tell by her tone

she was headin' somewhere that somewhere wasn't home

it was way it was way down

on the side of the road

There were two young lovers who's hearts had sprung

they tasted others, but nothing so strong

they sealed their desire and need for the song

way down by the train tracks on the side, on the side of the road

Now this man he's a story, this man he's a song

his hands are big now, his arms are strong

his father was bleeding and his mama was gone

way down by the train tracks on the side, on the side

on the side of the road

Way way way down

way way way down

well well well now

oh lord oh lord oh lord oh lord let's go

way way down on the side of the road

This man he did witness, this man he did know

a many people come and a go

he just sit in his chair there, he don't say a word

down by the train tracks on the side, on the side of the road

Plans of Buildin'

Keep a pile of scrap metal close to the house

got the plans of buildin' something, got the plans to tear it down

guess I'm just a sweetheart wasting your sweet time

wait for me to run out, wait for me to run dry

Guess the goods for gettin' baby, guess the gander's gone all bad

and I'm not much for quittin' lately, the slow still silence makes me sad

I guess I'm just a sweetheart wasting your sweet time

but you don't even know me, I don't even know myself

You pick me up, you tore me down, you run me dry,

you wore me out

Placed your hand upon my brow, wipe the sweat coming down

guess I'm just a sweet

All I ever wanted

All I ever needed

what I got I couldn't handle

what I got I couldn't keep

A Melody

Chorus:

This is how it all goes down

a melody starts rolling out,

a fire burns and it takes the weak

and opens up their mouths X2

Smoke rises, to lift and swirl the heavy air your breathing

eight hour away lost up in your conscious understanding

not even I or the strongest could pull you down from who you are

Chorus

My finger plucks the strings

premonition, the path I choose to lead

a poet's life ain't never been nothing

except lonely

Chorus

What is constant finally

What is constant finally releases

Chorus

Bound to Happen

You say you wanna,

You say you wanna, X2

You say you wanna know me

Back in Tennessee where I was raised

mama worked two jobs went to school full time

she did the best she could with us kids

every now and then I'd get so mad I would cry

mama would sit me down, said this is bound to happen sometimes

Chorus:

yeah my mama said life will hit you in the heart

right between the eyes ain't it strange how you'll find

take a look around and see where your friends are

Well my daddy was a black man and my mom blond hair, blue eyed

you know people would stare at us children

like we were some suspicious kind

oh but mama never flinched

no she never broke her grin

she would take us home and tell us

child this bound to happen

Chorus

Would you like a definition

what is riding a fence

would you like a definition

what is black and white, blurred skin

would you like a definition

how I love in the dark when the night grows dim

say you really wanna

Chorus

Back Road Highways

Chorus:

It's just the same as it ever was

It's just the same, still I wanna go

It's just the same as it ever was

the same as it ever was

It's just the same as it ever was

but still I wanna go

I've been driving

down back road highways

through the fog

out in the cold

If I had it my way

it would be more simple

than the rain that's fallin'

down my face

Chorus

When I got your phone call

I could hear breathing

out all your troubles

and your fears

and my heart was breaking

cause I could not be there

to give you all my love,

at least a hand

Chorus