Braden Blake of Super Deluxe surfaces for Ballard show

One of my favorite recordings of the last 10 years, Braden Blake’s A Year in Pajamas was criminally overlooked and likely not a commercial juggernaut. In fact, I’ve heard little about him and is activities since. Until yesterday I would have guessed that he’s probably still in his pajamas.

Thanks to Marco Collins, a Seattle DJ turned concert promoter (at least for two shows), there has been a Braden Blake sighting.

In nearby Ballard (just outside Seattle) Collins put together two acoustic Christmas shows, the first of which featured Chris Orlowski, Noah Gunderson, and Braden Blake among others. Between jobs and struggling to discover as much as possible about himself and his skill set, Collins set about organizing these shows because “…it’s not like I’m doing anything else right now.”

While I would have loved to attend the show, I’m roughly 1000 miles from Ballard and just the tip on the cab fare would be enough to break the bank of yours truly. Still, I would have given my left arm to be there had I known of the shows. About all I have is this video shot from the night’s performance.

From what I understand, Collins’ selection of artists was an experiment of sorts, taking very diverse artists and asking them to adapt to an acoustic setting, knowing that each will adjust differently based on his or her distinct skill sets. Kinda like what Collins is attempting to find out about himself. I don’t know if he learned what he had hoped to but I know one thing. He gave power pop and Braden Blake fans a helluva Christmas gift.

Thanks, man.

For those not familiar with The Year In Pajamas, here’s a video of “Years Ago” from A Year In Pajamas and coincidentally shot just a year ago.