By Lori Bartlett
Daily Press Staff Writer

The eclectic, laid-back vibe of Santa Monica seems to suit folk-rock artist Brett Dennen just fine. The local singer says he prefers the low-key lifestyle afforded by his Ocean Park digs as opposed to the hustle and bustle of the Hollywood club scene, where he often plays shows.

“I’m really proud to live in Santa Monica,” said Dennen on Wednesday. “The thing I really like about it is that it doesn’t have such a nightlife buzz, it’s mellow. That’s why I like living here. I can drive to the Eastside and play, and after a gig, it’s not all crazy here like it is in Hollywood.”

Dennen grew up admiring folk artists such as Paul Simon, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan in the rural atmosphere of Oakdale, California. His sound is mainly acoustic in nature, with some world music influences in the beats. His positive jams have gained Dennen a measure of popularity, including being asked to open for the likes of pop singer John Mayer and being included in the Bonnaroo festival lineup.

Dennen’s latest adventure is a three-month tour, playing at 57 clubs, some Apple stores and local radio stations along the way. “The Love Speaks Tour” will take Dennen and crew across the nation and parts of Canada in an R.V. While the tour is obviously a vehicle for Dennen to promote his music, “Love Speaks” also aims to serve a greater purpose.

“The idea behind (the tour) is that if you speak from your heart, you can only do good for yourself, for your friends and for your community,” said Dennen. “So at every show, at every city that we play in, we’re having non-profits that are local to that region have a presence at the show. So, they can set up a table and put out some literature about what their mission is, put out some flyers and things to take home. We’re donating a dollar from every ticket sale to the non-profit.

“What I want to do is to get people inspired to make a difference. I’ve gone to shows that I’ve been really inspired just on the music and just on what the artist is saying ... so hopefully, at these shows, people will get inspired and are like ‘Yeah, I want to do something for my community,’ and they turn around and there is a non-profit that is already doing good in the community. I just want to use my music to get people connected to any social activism or any community program that they might not be aware of. I think that music can do that.

“Music is a good way to get people together and get people to do stuff.”

Coordinating the tour and having a non-profit at every show has been an exhausting effort for Dennen. He intends to use local non-profits in each city, with a few national organizations — Habitat for Humanity, Save Darfur and NAACP — peppered in the mix. Each non-profit will get a few minutes at the mic to try to encourage audience members to get involved.

Dennen hopes that even if the tour doesn’t immediately provoke people into joining a movement for social change, it might just plant the seed.

“Maybe later on in life, when people are thinking about making a donation to a charity, they will still have the organization that they saw at my show in the back of their mind,” said Dennen.

The kick-off party for “The Love Speaks Tour” will be held Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the Hotel Cafe on Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. The non-profit that will be represented is The Youth Think Tank Performance Project, which takes students from the South Central L.A. and Crenshaw districts and brings them to UCLA to research topics on social change. The students then create and put on performances.

Dennen is looking forward to the L.A. sendoff.

“It’s going to be a really loose, fun show,” he said. “It’s more of like a bon voyage.”

ticket information

- $12 admission. Purchase at www.hotelcafe.com