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Feet On The Coast, Mind On The Prairie: Tom Brosseau's Rootless Sound

Tom Brosseau's latest album is <em>Perfect Abandon</em>.
Courtesy of the artist
Tom Brosseau's latest album is Perfect Abandon.

Before he soaked up the American Songbook, Tom Brosseau grew up with music in church, school and home, surrounded by the hymnal and folk songs adored by his grandparents. Today he lives in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, but the North Dakota native says his heart remains far away, back at home.

"I have certain relics in my apartment," Brosseau says. "A pair of Dan Post cowboy boots from my grandfather, a bolo tie that my other grandfather wore. These are all symbols, to me, of the prairie. Coming to California and being by the Pacific Ocean, when I would get lonesome, which would happen every now and again, I would go out to the beach and look out at the ocean, and pretend it was just the prairie land of North Dakota."

Brosseau's latest album is Perfect Abandon, and he joined Weekend Edition Saturday to talk about how curious living situations and a naturally androgynous voice have added up to a distinct sound. Hear more at the audio link.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR Staff