Down-to-earth Dennen to share his rocker side

Seattle is Brett Dennen's kind of town. Not only was KMTT-FM/The Mountain the first station in the country to put his song "She's Mine" onto its playlist, but he's also played here several times over the past two years, including Bumbershoot 2006, a gig at Chop Suey and opening for Damien Rice at Benaroya. He returns for his biggest one yet, headlining Saturday at the Showbox at the Market.

A striking figure at 6-foot-5, with a baby face surrounded by a shock of red hair, the California native is a singer/songwriter/musician with a folkish style and smart, richly evocative lyrics. His songs touch on personal and political topics, with observations and ideas running through them that stay with you long after listening. His intelligence and thoughtfulness may also contribute to his popularity here in our bookish, activist town.

And his songs have also been featured on TV's "Grey's Anatomy," which is kind of local, because the series' fictional hospital setting is in Seattle.

We're not the only ones into Dennen. Rolling Stone picked him as one of "10 Artists to Watch in 2008," and he recently performed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "Last Call With Carson Daly." His star is rising.

At the Showbox, Dennen may feature new songs from his third album, tentatively set to be released this summer.

"On the next album, I want to get more into the rock side of my music and dive deeper into the politics, mysticism and spirituality that I believe in," Dennen is quoted as saying in a press release about the upcoming disc. "I want to make a heavier album thematically and sonically, but with a great groove behind it."

Mason Jennings, one of the opening acts, also has a Northwest connection. After opening several shows for Modest Mouse in 2004, the Minnesota-based singer/songwriter was signed by Glacial Pace Records, a subsidiary of Sony's Epic Records run by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock. He released one album for the label, "Boneclouds." Jennings has jumped over to Jack Johnson's label, Brushfire, for which he has just released his first CD, "In the Ever."

Also on the bill is Missy Higgins, from Australia, whose song "Where I Stood" has been heard on "Grey's Anatomy." She was featured all last month on iTunes as "The Next Big Thing."

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com