Fall 2008: a 'dining room' demo featuring Matt Epp on vox & acoustic guitar, Alex Sannie on vox, Kerri Woelke on vox, and Brent Warren on electric hollowbody. Music & Lyrics by Matt Epp & Alex Sannie. I recall this song being constructed over many days of wine, bonfire staring, and uncertainty. Seems like yesterday...

'Anna' by Rescue Motorboat

Sneaking into his older brother’s bedroom to borrow a beat-up nylon string guitar is what gave birth to Brent Warren’s obsession of then commandeering his parent’s vinyl and 8-track collection back to his own bedroom, with said guitar in tow. A recovering, early 80’s headbanger, Brent was rehabilitated and educated from his bedside by the likes of Chuck Berry, Scotty Moore, Luther Perkins, and Duane Eddy. Brent’s love of history then led him in two directions. ‘Where did these guys get this stuff from?'; and, 'Where did it go from here?’. The answers he uncovered, along with the new questions these answers brought, landed him at the doors of, among others: Hubert Sumlin, Jimi Hendrix, Django Reinhardt, Lightnin' Hopkins, Ry Cooder, & Robbie Robertson. 

As Winnipeg’s burgeoning blues scene in the late 80s and early 90s coincided with Brent’s 18th birthday, it was time to pull the car out of the garage. Becoming a regular on the blues jam circuit, he gained confidence from being encouraged by the likes of Big Dave McLean, Ben Sures, & Luke Doucet. After diversions into alt-rock, gypsy-jazz, & experimental music, Brent returned to his 'roots' when he was asked to join one of Winnipeg’s premier blues bands, The Blues-O-Matics. So began a kinship with vocalist/harmonica player, Brian Ellis, which lasted almost 15 years. 

After largely retiring from public performance for 5 years, Brent resurfaced in 2008, playing sideman to local singer-songwriter, Kerri Woelke. While comfortable and excited with a sideman role alongside the likes of Matt Epp, The Stumblers, or Jesse DeNatale, it is Last Ditch On The Left that now garners Brent’s full artistic attention and energies.

Brent D Warren

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