Profile in Music: Brandi Carlile

Enjoy, even if you missed her 'SNL' spot. Plus this week's hot political cartoons.

I will use the excuse of Brandi Carlile’s guest shot on SNL this past weekend to update one of my most popular Profiles in Music from over a year ago. But first, the usual political cartoons. Remember, if you have not subscribed you still can, and it’s playing for free….

A Little Brandi, Straight Up

Usually for these profiles I provide a little more bio material but I want to get this up following SNL. You can find her story online easily, and then there’s her recent memoir (from growing up fairly poor to rocking in obscurity and coming out, and then hooking up with “the twins” on guitar who still play and live with her in the Great Northwest and share songwriting and producing etc.). She’s up for more Grammys in a few weeks or months (I’ve lost track), plus helping get Joni Mitchell to her first full concert next spring. Anyway, here’s a selection of some of her best, IMHO, starting with her latest single with Allison Russell (who wrote it) and the back to her breakthrough, “The Story,” which was featured on SNL, from the Austin City Limits where I first spotted her.

“You’re Not Alone”

“The Story”

“That Wasn’t Me”

“Hold Out Your Hand”

“The Joke” at the Grammys

“Folsom Prison Blues”

“Looking Out”

“Madman Across the Water” by her idol Elton.

Another great cover, re: my man Roy Orbison

And from most recent album, “Right on Time”

“Mainstream Kid”

“A Case of You” (Joni Mitchell)

“Essential daily newsletter.” — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire

“Incisive and enjoyable every day.” — Ron Brownstein, The Atlantic

“Always worth reading.” — Frank Rich, New York magazine, Veep and Succession

Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books, including the bestseller The Tunnels (on escapes under the Berlin Wall), the current The Beginning or the End (on MGM’s wild atomic bomb movie), and The Campaign of the Century (on Upton Sinclair’s left-wing race for governor of California), which was recently picked by the Wall St. Journal as one of five greatest books ever about an election. His new film, Atomic Cover-up, just had its world premiere and is drawing extraordinary acclaim. For nearly all of the 1970s he was the #2 editor at the legendary Crawdaddy. Later he served as longtime editor of Editor & Publisher magazine. He recently co-produced a film about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.