Check out this AP article used by the Today Show and other national news outlets, about Caffe Lena's recent 50th Anniversary celebration!
And, Some Thoughts On Authenticity In American Music, that Brendan contributed to The Killing Floor Blog.
ALBUM REVIEWS & PRESS:
Boston Phoenix:
Long Night Coming Album Review
October 2009, BOSTON, MA
The strength of originals like the wistful “Nothing Belongs to Me” and the rambunctious, blues-fueled “Big Black Car” lies in Brendan Hogan’s chiseled, unhurried performing style and his direct manner of storytelling.
More >>
The Killing Floor Blog: Long Night Coming Album Review
January 2010, SOMERVILLE, MA
"So tie the laces on your shoes. We've got some walking to do."
But this is not a stroll through the park. It is more like the impromptu, purposeful but directionless movements of a refugee.
In the world laid out in Brendan Hogan's Long Night Coming the rich are uncaring and peers are malevolent. Love is fleeting at best and life-threatening at worst; lovers are married (and not to each other). Movie theatres burn down and family bonds are easily broken. The world is bereft of safety and security. More >>
Deli Magazine New England: Long Night Coming Album Review
January 2010, NEW ENGLAND
If you like Bob Dylan you'll love Long Night Coming.
The album is mostly soft and very pretty with light country and Celtic accents. Some songs like "Rock Cast in the Sea" and "Big Black Car" are larger and more swingin'. "Rock Cast into the Sea" is a fast, accordion-involved piece and really stands out on the album which shows Hogan's versatility.
All the lyrics are balladic or poetic and finely composed. The title track "Long Time Coming" is a beautiful and metaphoric piece, with soft but soulful vocals. The first line of the song explains the album cover, Hogan causally posed in front of the Somerville Theater. More >>
The Noise - Boston Long Night Coming Album Review
March 2010, BOSTON
BRENDAN HOGAN
Long Night Coming
10-song CD
Released in the fall of 2009, Long Night Coming marks the formal debut of Brendan Hogan’s signature folk and country sound. Having spent ten years in radio as host and producer at WERS and WGBH, Hogan’s songs are a blend of original roots, modern folk, and are highly blues-based. Through lush storytelling and an acoustic twang, listeners are able to easily resonate with Porter Wagoner’s “Green, Green Grass of Home” and the nostalgic opener, “Nothing Belongs to Me.” Others, such as “Big Black Car” are larger than life, toe-tappin’ with an authoritative edge, while “What’s the Difference?” is a beautiful duet between Hogan and Danielle Miraglia. A solid effort, Long Night Coming is poetic and expressive, conjuring images of tranquility–of country roads and hillsides: “Tie the laces on your shoes; we’ve got some walking to do.” (Julia R. DeStefano) More >>
Bird in the Tree Blog - Artist Interview: Brendan Hogan
October 2010, EAST COAST
I met Brendan Hogan when we shared a gig outside of Philadelphia a few months ago. He impressed me with his resolute stage presence, strong voice and clear articulation of the songwriting craft. I caught up with Brendan recently as he prepared for a full month of gigging on the East Coast. More >>
Deli Magazine New England: Interview
December 2009, NEW ENGLAND
Brendan Hogan's music is a transporting experience. The listener ends up as a witness to struggle, longing, and the need to seek a way out of despair in all its dark colors. Armed with an acoustic guitar, his live shows embody both a focus and a soulful quality that is deeply rooted in the blues. His debut CD Long Night Coming evokes all of these qualities and more. He will be celebrating the release of the record at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA on January 29, 2010. More >>
August 2008, NASHUA, NH
Minimalist doesn't begin to really capture Brendan Hogan's beautifully unadorned music.
Sometimes he's joined by a fiddle, keys or drums. But I think he's at its best when it is just him and the strum of his gently melodic, raspy voice -- the voice of an old soul in a young man's body. More >>
DJ Turns to Performing: Hogan Spins and Sings
December 2006, CAMBRIDGE, MA
Brendan Hogan might just be the coolest guy in town.
The 26-year-old Emerson grad who hosts NPR's "Blues on WGBH" radio program is an American Studies graduate student at UMass Boston and has been making a name for himself as a solo performer in local bars and clubs. More >>





