Versatile singer gives everything he has to the music he performs

Augusta-based singer-songwriter Young Goodman Brown believes in a full-package performance.

Mr. Brown, who takes his stage name from a Nathaniel Hawthorne short story about the duality of man, said music is about performance and persona in addition to the songs themselves.

"I definitely would like people to feel like they have gotten the full show," the soft-spoken artist said. "I see a lot of shows where the music might be good but there's really nothing beyond that. I want to give people something more."

Mr. Brown's performances combine equal parts folk, rock and soul tradition. He said it's a difficult style to articulate because he believes the songs are more channeled than traditionally written.

"I've always felt that good songs write themselves, and what I'm doing is just tuning them in," he said. "So when I can really hear a song well, it's a success."

Mr. Brown said there are times when he feels his ability to present the songs he hears is lacking. He does not, however, believe that makes him less of an artist. He said that struggle is, in fact, the nature of art.

"People might think what I'm doing is great, but sometimes, inside, I think it's terrible," he said. "That's the way it works, though. An artist should always be his own worst critic."

Mr. Brown would like to expand his songs and sound and find a band to play dates with.

Working with a band offers more booking opportunities, although not surefire success. He said success for him will always be measured in the abstract, in the satisfaction of a job well done rather than record sales or door receipts.

"I didn't get into this expecting success," he said. "I think that's a mistake a lot of people make. I mean, if it happens, it happens, but I plan on being poor. I've made all my plans around being poor."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.