Muso to bring a slice of Americana

US musician Bret Mosley will be bringing his Americana sound to the Bootenal Family Tavern this Saturday night for an intimate performance.

Although Mosley is often categorised as a blues musician, his style is an amalgamation of many different musical genres.

“The way I would describe my music is Americana,” he said.

“It’s a genre that is coming into its own, that is comprised of the essence of American root forms — blues, bluegrass, gospel, RnB and country.

“It’s none of those pure source genres, but it is the thing they share, the common spirit that underpins the genres.”

Music has always been a part of Mosley’s life. He grew up in a musical family and was singing and playing guitar from an early age.

“I started singing to people when they walked in the house when I was three,” he said.

“I was really committed to learning how to play and sing by the time I was six or seven.”

Mosley hadn’t always planned to be a musician, working a variety of jobs throughout his life including work as a computer programmer and an actor.

“Music sort of waited patiently the whole time until I really committed to following it,” he said.

“One of the pivotal experiences in that progression was going out into the subways and busking in New York.

“That’s when I began to strip away the safety nets that I had maintained up until that point.”

Mosley released his debut album, Light & Blood, in 2007 and has toured extensively around America, clocking up more than 2000 shows.

Born in south Texas in a mountain valley close to the Mexican border, Mosley lived all over the United States, attending 28 schools and constantly on the move as his father was in the navy. In 2014, Mosley decided to move from Brooklyn to Perth, something he had wanted to do for a while.

“For many years, there have been many things that sort of called me to Australia,” he said.

“I think it’s the greatest place in the world — the musical opportunity and the audience I’ve found here has really sealed the deal for me.

“I see myself settling in Australia, absolutely, it’s my home.”

Mosley said he was looking forward to playing at the Bootenal Family Tavern because it gave him a chance to interact with the crowd. “It’s a listening-room setting — that’s such a treat for me,” he said.

“It’s about an intimate experience of the music, as opposed to me sitting in the corner being in the background, which I’m no good at.

“The real heart of what I do is connection. I want to connect with who’s in the room. I try to get really involved with the people who are listening, and talk with them.”