(May 20, 2008) PCM's Kristyn spent
a rainy afternoon chatting with up-and-coming singer-songwriter
Brendan James before the release of his debut album, Day
Is Brave. Check out more about Brendan, including his
biography and music from the album, on his official MySpace
page.
K: Hi Brendan! How are you?
BJ: Hi, I'm good, I'm sorry, I was a little bit late, I
couldn't get out of what I was just doing. I'm so sorry.
K: That's okay, it happens. So Brendan, where are you
located right now?
B: I live in Brooklyn, New York.
K: Oh, is it raining up there?
B: Oh, it is! It's such crappy weather up here right now
and I'm sad because you'd hope that it would start to look
like summer, it's May.
K: Could you start off by telling our site readers a
little about yourself? How did you first become interested
in music?
B: Sure, well, I was always singing around the house when
I was younger, but it wasn't until my second year of college
that I discovered the piano. When I did that, I married
it to singing and realized that was something I wanted to
do, to write songs. I was pretty late in the game, around
19.
K: Did you take lessons? Or were you self-taught?
B: I was self-taught, it took a lot of hours in the basement
of my apartment at college.
K: Wow, that's impressive though! I read you also used
to break into ballrooms to practice piano?
B: Yes! I had to, when I moved to New York, I only had
this little keyboard. I don't have very good luck writing
songs on keyboard so I'd have to find a piano. I just learned
how to sneak into hotels. I had some awkward situations
where a guy would ask me, "Ok, be honest, are you a
guest here?" And I would be like, "No, I'm not
a guest." They'd throw me out.
K: Well, I'm glad you got away with it somewhat. The
release of your album, "Day Is Brave," is right
around the corner on June 3rd, are you excited for the release?
B: I am so excited for the release, I've been dying to
get these songs on an album and get them out there. I'm
ready to work.
K: I definitely agree that you're one of the up and
coming artists to watch out for. How has the feedback been
thus far on the album?
B: So far, it's been received very well, there's already
a bunch of pre-orders for it on Amazon.com and people have
been picking it up and I'm excited. It's good to know that
it's being received well.
K: That's good! Can you share a little bit of your writing
process? What generally comes first for you? Hook? Melody?
B: It's the melody that comes through, sitting on the piano,
humming along and not really putting words to it yet. I
kind of think about what I have wanted to write about at
that time and the moods that I'm in. Lyrics are always last.
K: Do you write from personal experiences?
B: Yea, my best song happens to be written about personal
experience - whether to me, my friends, my family. In some
instances, I get my writing from a broader sense.
K: Okay, who would you say are your main musical influences?
B: James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel,
Ryan Adams as of late, Snow Patrol, Death Cab for Cutie.
K: Those are good influences. I personally see a bit
of David Grey in your sound, have you heard that before?
B: Oh, definitely. I love his work and I hear that too,
sometimes. He's terrific.
K: I think your song, "Green," is just as
catchy as "Babylon."
B: That's a good sign, thank you!
K: Your songs have been featured on a bunch of TV shows,
were you approached directly or were your tracks submitted?
B: I was approached directly, someone found my song on
iTunes and they wanted to use it. It was flattering. For
the show Private Practice, my manager had submitted my tracks
and they loved one of them.
K: You can see that happening a lot lately with good
music on TV and it gets the artists out there. People are
always searching down the song they heard at the end of
whichever show they were just watching.
B: I feel like television is the new MTV, I'm not sure
how you describe it but it's a huge way for artists to break
now.
K: Oh, definitely. What would you say is your favorite
song off the upcoming CD?
B: (pause) Um, geez, maybe "Hero Song," is my
favorite song. It feels good to have written a song with
a message behind it. It's a big reason why I wanted to become
a songwriter, to help shed some light on things.
K: Do you have a favorite to play live? What gets the
crowd going?
B: Probably, "The Other Side." It's an upbeat
one and about me growing up, the band and I have a fun time
playing that song and getting into it.
K: Are you on tour now or heading out soon?
B: I am heading out on June 3rd, the actual day it's released.
K: Oh okay, what are you expecting for the tour?
B: Well, June will be kind of a crazy month cause I will
be trying to do several different locations around the country
and not one single tour. I'll be in all major cities over
the summer but it will be kind of random. July is looking
more like a steady tour, going everywhere from Minnesota
to Nashville to L.A. to Dallas. Trying to get to all the
cities, you know?
K: You better stop and see us in Philadelphia! How do
you feel about Myspace as a way to connect with fans and
audiences?
B: You know, in the last two years, I think MySpace has
been the best and easiest way for me to connect directly
with fans. Now Facebook is a terrific way to do the same
thing. It's so important, the Internet is undeniable nowadays.
There are more and more musicians out there that you can
connect to and fans that can hear your songs immediately.
To read their comments, too! It's been pivotal, to say the
least.
K: Do you maintain your own page?
B: Yep!
K: So it's nice to hear that when people are messaging,
they are hearing back from you directly.
B: Oh yeah, it's me reading and responding to it. I'm going
to keep trying to do that. I like to learn about who's liking
my music and why so it will always be me on the page.
K: That's great, have you always any crazy fan experiences
yet?
B: No, not really yet! I love the long comments on YouTube
that people leave though. Some are that they really connect
to a certain song so nothing crazy yet!
K: Just wait for your tour! I'm sure you'll have some
stories! Where do you see the future of music heading and
where do you see yourself in that picture?
B: The stakes are high. I think that to be a musician nowadays,
you need to be focused on what you want to say and how you
want to say it. There are a lot of us out there now and
you've got to be pretty damn good and have to want it. I
think about the history of music all the time and the last
40 years of rock and roll. How many more musicians can come
out? I think that songs have to be good and the message
has to matter.
K: Do you think we're due for a rock revival in terms
of the music scene these days?
B: I think it's been nice in the last three or four years
especially with the advent of MySpace, iTunes and YouTube,
people are now used to getting their music on the Internet.
That transition has now happened and there's a revival in
that.
K: How would you describe your sound to a first time
listener?
B: Tough question, somewhat mellow. It's certainly based
around the piano and the lyrics. Almost like Elton John
or Tracey Chapman or Ryan Adams.
K: What do you enjoying in your spare time? If you have
any these days?
B: I love taking pictures, photography. I have Canon 30V,
couple lenses for it. Pretty much always taking pictures,
read, play basketball. The last book I read was Three Musketeers!
(laughs)
K: Okay, well what would you say are some of your long
time career goals?
B: It's pretty simple, to make as many albums as I can
and to tour for the next thirty-forty years of my life.
To become a better songwriter and a better performer with
every year that passes.
K: Well, we certainly hope so! Is there any significance
behind the title, "Day Is Brave?"
B: Yeah, it's about my journey and the challenges I had
to overcome. It's about finding my way through an ever-changing
music industry and finally getting my album out there. It's
about waking up one day and doing what you believe in.
K: Can you tell our site readers one interesting fact
about yourself that we may not already know?
B: Hmm, well, I love watching Man vs. Wild on television.
I don't know! I started playing piano because my music teacher
came up to me when I was nineteen and said if I could match
my voice with a piano and write songs, that I'd be able
to possibly make an entire career out of it. It was really
then that started me on my journey.
K: What should fans be expecting from the future from
you?
B: Albums to come, shows to come, be as dynamic and entertaining
as possible!
K: Any final message or comment you'd like to leave
on?
B: Check out my first album and spread the word to your
friends.
K: Thanks, we'll be looking for you!