Photos by Jon Wesenberg

It’s not the oddest thing in this town to catch a car salesman on the southwest corner of the Murfreesboro Square busting chops with a jack-of-all-trades musician; so Ira Dean, Nashville country singer/songwriter, producer, and Grammy-nominated studio musician, found himself a car salesman this evening. While he has already achieved success with everything from some of Golden Tee‘s score to penning hits for the likes of Garry Allen, Montgomery Gentry and Trace Adkins as well as playing head-lighted basses for Trick Pony, it’s time everyone hears he’s still kicking hard with proof of it scheduled for release in January. In the meantime, he’s finding time to head down for a Murfreesboro visit.

Fatigued from a heavy work load but glowingly dedicated to his craft, Ira comes into town from Nashville at least once a month to perform a show at the Aura Lounge at the request of his golfing buddy and Aura owner Cary Kendall. On the particular cool fall evening of Oct. 29, he had just come down from a long day in the studio producing up-and-coming country starlet Brooke Burrows’ debut record and both were tired-excited to hop on stage for a night’s worth of intimate unplugged originals, showcasing what Mr. Dean has been up to since branching out on his own for a second wind post-Trick Pony.

“In 2008, I signed with Sony and started doing my own stuff and did a few showcases and just couldn’t get an album out over there so I just staff wrote and kept writing songs and hoarding them up. Colt Ford heard some of the stuff I did […] and said ‘What’re you doing with this?’” Dean explained.

This happened about the same time Montgomery Gentry was leaving Sony because its, as well as Dean’s, contract were expiring at the time and Colt Ford, co-owner of Average Joe’s Entertainment, was serving up his label right in front them both. The stars aligned and Ira found himself working the country star beat around Nashville again, recently playing a charity event at Nashville’s Buds and Suds with label brethren Ford and Gentry, as well as shows at Wildhorse in Nashville when he gets a chance. And that’s on top of extracurriculars like producing Ms. Burrows’ album.

The main focus, though, is an upcoming album release for the no-bull Nashville-country Beer or Gasoline, due out in January. It’s been in the works since 2005 as the title track, co-written with David Lee Murphy, was birthed that year, motivated by the sky-rocketing gas prices of the Bush era and standing alone as a radio air until Dean pulled it in as the focus of his first the first solo record. The following single, “Something About a Sunday,” just wrapped up its video shoot and is scheduled out in January closer to the album’s release.

“It’s almost finished up now. We got everything knocked out and all the artwork, but we might go back in [because] there are a couple of songs I’ve written lately that I’d really would like to get in.” said Dean. “…A couple of things I wrote with David Lee Murphy and Jeffrey Steel. Hopefully, I can get back in and cut that and swindle my way in a couple more.”

Everything is progressing nicely for Beer and Gasoline with promotional photo shoots being knocked out and planning for a release date. Coinciding events are underway.

“I’m sure when [“Something About a Sunday”] comes out in January, they’ll […] showcase to let everyone know I’m still alive.” Dean said with a chuckle. “I ain’t dead yet by any means.”
That was highly evident the 29th at Aura Lounge as Dean and Brooke Burrows jovially entertained the crowd. The number attending waxed and waned for over three hours with Dean and Burrows only breaking a couple of times to come down and have a word and a drink with the crowd. And at some points, the crowd went up to him for duets and such.

Just the two of them, with Ira on guitar, were on that stage beginning the evening around 9:30 with Burrows belting out Bonnie Raitt’s “Give Them Something to Talk About” being the only cover of the evening outside of her respects to Patsy Cline on “Walking After Midnight” towards the end of the night.

The two shared the spotlight like caring adults throughout the almost 30-song set trading out opportunities to get their originals out as Brooke sang her own “Falling For You,” “Liar, and “Wake Up and Smell the Whiskey,” while Ira got a chance to get in singles “Beer and Gasoline, out there by song 3 and “Something About a Sunday” later on in the set. Both played as loudly as they were meant to be played until Ira cleared the stage, inspiring one of the breaks. And the sections of his catalogue hired out to Montgomery Gentry and Trace Adkins were recognized by Aura patrons too. A couple of them were caught pulled up to the bar, singing along happily to themselves.

The audience grew to a full but not an uncomfortably crowded capacity in Aura and really got into it once everyone had enough time to get a friendly buzz on as Ira’s banter lightened up the atmosphere even more. Aura became a nice little exclusive nook in Murfreesboro proper’s landscape that chilled autumn evening. All thanks to some good folks’ mission to spread their talents where it’s appreciated. The intimate evening was a great pre-cursor appearance to Beer and Gasoline.

Ira Dean will perform at Aura Lounge again on Nov. 17. Check out iradean.com for more information on in- and out-of-town appearances and updates on Beer and Gasoline’s release. Brooke Burrow’s album will be finished with production and released early 2012 as well.