“Pat Brayer has built—with his own handwriting—a wilderness of his own design to howl in. When I need some inspirational humor, I know whom to check in with. His epigram has adorned my every outgoing email for the last 25 years. Thanks, Pat! That and $50 will get you a Frappuccini Grotte.”

Darol Anger (David Grissman / Turtle Island String Quartet / Mr. Sun)

(The Brayerian epigram which Darol Anger speaks of is: “If the search for reason had an end, and it hired a band, it would be a small army of old-time fiddlers on horseback.” This quote appears on Anger’s CD “Heritage”, which was a star studded neo-harrysmithian compilation which included such as Willie Nelson.)

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“Patrick Brayer…..we’d all be writing like him if we could.”

Richard Stekol (Ricky Nelson, Kenny Loggins, Kim Carnes, Arista Records, etc)

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“Patrick Brayer is a country, a culture, almost a planet, an earth poet/messenger broadcasting his lyrical and deeply literary beauty recognizer soul to our universe that pretends to be unheeding and impartial, but never really is anything but our partner in this creative crime of life and death theatre/dance orchestration of it all.”

John York (The Byrds)

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“Cabbage and Kings is a wonder. Deep, wide, and beautifully lighted. Brayer looks like he’s about to go dancing. The sparkle on that jacket is an education. Great, great job.“

Greg Copeland (Geffin Records. Jackson Browne, Nico)

TWO THREE FOUR

This is how you do it, boyos. 

He invented it for you.

Parts of speech out back.

Jumper cables. Sky blue ravens,

scratchy branches 

are their satin pillows. 

Got a problem 

he will help you out. Party tricks? He’s got exploding money. 

Broke down, shut in?

He come by, 

walk your wolverine. 

Bring you back your change.

Copeland Interview

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“Patrick Brayer is unique. In a world where every artist seems to have at least half an eye on their genre peers to make sure they don’t step too far out of line, Patrick Brayer doesn’t even know where that line is. He has his own lines, painted in a mixture of bourbon and dirt. No other artist is so resolutely their own person, both in songwriting, playing, image and just about everything. For me he is where the real American music is. When I listen to his songs I am carted off down a dusty highway to a world that may or may not exist, but has more vitality, texture and emotional high stakes than the real one.”

Charlie Williams (author: Deadfolk)

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“Who the fuck is this Patrick Brayer bloke? Oh, that feller with the songs and the cabbages. To be fair he ain’t bad, and I’ll listen to some of his hits when I’m putting away a plate of sauasages, bacon, five eggs, beans, mushies and black pudding. And fried bread. And I’ll tell you summat – you can smell his songs over the bacon fat, I fucking swear. There’s summat that gets right up your hooter in a way you don’t get from other music, not even “Burning Heart” by Survivor. In a good way, mind you. I dunno if it’s whisky or sweat or petrol or what but I can’t get enough of that fucking smell. And don’t tell me the word’s “gas” by the fucking way – gas is what comes out of my arse.”

Royston Blake (Charlie Williams character from the Mangel Series)

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We live in an era where the proliferation of mediocre online pomp is fed to dopamine addicted masses by unfeeling and invasive technology. In the Artificially Intelligent world of pretentious social media influencers, true creative genius is not obscured by superficial facades. Computers are useless – they only give you answers.

Patrick Brayer knows a better way. The creative root of his expression is the marriage of music and poetry, characterized by a prodigious imagination and an authentic poise-of-mind. His decades-long prolific output is a bright moment of triumph for the creative soul and his dauntless artistic courage is inspiring. It is my supreme fortune to have him as my friend and creative mentor.

Pat Cloud (Jazz banjo innovator, Flying Fish Records, Mel Bay author)

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“Cabbage and Kings” comes at us like a horrifying flood. The language licks, batters, wounds – a poetic, troubled rush of debris . . . Patrick Brayer has little mercy to spare, for his characters or himself. His text is broken, beautiful and ugly in spots . . . His song, “How’d I Get This Toe Tag On My Heart”  is like a good, long scream in the ear.

Derwood Brown (Arkansas State Penitentiary / Bank Robber)