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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. 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.
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! |
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(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
