Album Notes

Fall 2003 update:

I'm in pre-production for a second CD on Louie Records, tentatively titled "The Devil's Job." Productionwise, it's going to be a bare-bones acoustic singer-songwriter album with nine or ten original songs (about which I'm thrilled!), a couple of covers, and several gifted guest players. We hope to release it by Spring 2004. Stay tuned -- VJB

VALERIE BROWN BIO

"Brown's debut recording is distinguished by her sharp imagery "[H]er insightful vision of life and love emerges with consistency and conviction, this is a recording that reaches-lyrically and musically-and in that stretch surprises and pleasures reside." - The Oregonian

Valerie Brown is one of Portland's most distinctive and professional songwriters.

In 1999 she released her first CD, Uneasy Sleep, on Louie Records (Louie 014), produced by jazz master Dave Storrs. Currently she is performing with rock guitar god Steve Bradley, who is a very gifted singer/songwriter as well (check out Words, Wires & Whang on Criminal Records and It Came From the Patio on Rolling Donut Records; for the Storrs experience, visit Louie Records at www.peak.org/~louierec).

A cumulative 17 years of musical training (classical piano and flute) by the time she graduated from high school prepared Valerie well for the songwriting life. Her first band was Moonstone, a 6-piece group renowned in the Portland club scene for its eclectic range of instruments and material. She next worked the acoustic clubs solo and in duos with Cal Scott, Gary Ogan and Richard Moore, among others. Gary Ogan produced a single of her original song "I'll Be There" on Nebula Circle records. The B side was "What Do You Do with Your Time" by local bassist and impresario J. Michael Kearsey (Berkshire Snow Productions).

During this period she regularly placed high in the annual Willamette Week readers' poll, became locally admired for her songwriting skills, and attracted some attention from major labels.

While preparing her single for release, Valerie also began getting together with two other women (Ann Scott and Connie Fennern) to sing for fun. The three decided to run through their tunes at Valerie's record release party. After hearing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "It's In His Kiss" and 4 other tunes rendered a cappella by the trio, the crowd demanded to hear the whole set again. The trio adopted the name Betty Romaine and swept Portland's club scene for the next three years.

Eventually the harrowing 5-nights-a-week club routine took its toll. Valerie suspected she would not appear on the cover of Rolling Stone any time soon and decided to see if she could find a career with better working conditions. She finished her long-neglected college work and earned a master's degree in journalism.

But after several years of successful science writing and the relief of not having to carry heavy PA equipment up and down stairs in the middle of the night, her true vocation began to cause trouble, encouraged by Storrs. He lured her back into music gradually by having her work on several Louie products before making her own CD. At this point she has come to terms with the fact that she is a songwriter first and foremost. She urges you all to enjoy her work on Uneasy Sleep--and the outrageously good Louie players!--and prepare yourselves for her next CD some time in the next couple of years.