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A Bunch of
Brady
In a world where lyrics are more commonly lost
beneath the din of electric guitar feedback, or
 scrambled by a lead singer too preoccupied
with jumping up and down to annunciate with clarity; Brady Brock is like a
breath of fresh air.
With boyish features and retro thick-rimmed glasses
that might be more associated with the looks of a cast member from that other
famous Brady - TV's The Brady Bunch
- Mr Brock is used to contrasts. In the same way that his rugged growth of
man-beard off-sets his boy-next-door appearance, his music offers melancholy
words wrapped up in uplifting harmonies.
His latest stuff is as warm as
the warmest American sweater and makes you wonder: where is this coming from -
and how can I get there?
Brady Brock:
These songs just kind of appeared out of nowhere in a very short period of
time. My first record came out on March 20th, and I was already in the studio
recording my second album, Warm American Sweater, by October of the same year!
CM: As a 25 year old
singer-songwriter, it can't get any better than this though, can it? Are you
living the dream? Young, recorded and out there...
BB: Well, I think I am living the same life that we
are all living. Although, I think Justin Timberlake may be living the dream,
and may be on top of the world, but my life hasn't changed at all... I am just
continuing to do what I do, and trying to create something others can enjoy.
That said, it is great being able to have the opportunity to share something
you created and that you truly believe in with people everywhere. So I do feel
blessed in that respect... That people are actually listening.
CM: When did you start writing and who were your
influences back then?
BB: I have been
writing songs for as long as I can remember. I am a huge fan of the folkies:
Simon and Garfunkel, John Denver, and Tim Buckley. However, I listen to some
really aggressive music that inspires me, like the Icarus Line, and Blood
Brothers... I also listen to a lot of Soul. Just this morning, I put on a Fela
Kuti record while showering, and left for work with the Afghan Whigs in my
headphones - My musical tastes are all over the map.
CM: The Brady Brock sound has been compared to the
likes of The Smiths. How do you feel about that? 'I'm not worthy' or do
comparisons make you yawn..?
BB: I am
definitely not worthy! That is such an intense compliment. The Smiths are one
of my all time favorites. I really put the Marr/Morrissey writing team up there
with Lennon/McCartney and Richards/Jagger. Some would say that is blasphemy,
but I truly believe it. Johnny Marr was such an amazing and inventive guitar
player that it seemed effortless, and I just think Morrissey is a genius. I
literally own every single that band released... I could never, ever, put
myself in the same league though.
I think the connection that people may
see is the pop sensibilities shining through on the instrumentation and
sometimes desperate, somewhat melancholic, lyrics on top of it all. The Smiths
were totally like that.
CM: Does it
feel weird that your music may now influence another generation of song writers
and listeners? Or is it more about 'entertaining' the masses?
BB: Oh, I don't think about that. I am certainly not
here to give people a release from their days at work, ya know? I will leave
that to Poison and bands like that... I am just trying to be honest with these
songs and represent what all of us go through everyday, and just be sincere.
I would much rather sell one record that really spoke to someone than
millions of records because it is fun to drink beer to... There is nothing
wrong with music like that, however, it just doesn't interest me too much. I
just appreciate sincerity. I mean, I did just admit to listening to John Denver
all the time!
CM: As a resident of The
Big Apple, do you mind me asking how 9/11 has affected your writing - if at
all? Many artists have crafted tribute songs to memorialise the tragedy - has
9/11 inspired any of your recent or upcoming tracks?
BB: I was born and raised in a city called Pasadena
which is right outside of Houston, but have lived in NYC for about 8 years
now... I don't think I could ever express any words in a song that could
possibly represent the seriousness and the utter devastation of that tragedy.
So many people lost their whole world that day... I don't think I could lock in
those emotions within three and a half minutes.
I know that music is
definitely a healer - it certainly is for me. It helps people cope and
understand things a bit better,and if someone can come along and write a song
that helps people deal with their situation, especially one like this, then
that is amazing.
CM: Your music, I
would say, is melancholy mellow... in a good way! How would you describe it?
BB: It is definitely melancholic...
but it isn't a complete downer. A lot of these songs do represent that hope is
always alive and with you...
CM:
Considering your brand of thoughtful lyrics, do you sometimes listen to music
on the radio and think 'what the hell did he just say?' ...Would you like to be
known as the singer who brought back to the world audible and coherent vocals?
Because that would be cool...
BB: I
stopped listening to the radio years ago because of the content of the actual
songs. I don't mind it when people are screaming or emoting aggressively - that
shows some passion, and I appreciate that. As far as content, I just started to
feel that bands weren't taking me seriously as a listener. I started to feel
like they were dumbing it down a bit, and they were trying to force feed this
stuff, that is created by marketing guys, down my throat.
Every once in
awhile, I will hear a band that is completely commercial and popular, and it
will have substance and it will make me completely happy that they are taking
themselves seriously. Like that Christina Aguilera song, 'Beautiful.' I know
someone else wrote that song, but Christ, love her or hate her, the song is
amazing. It reminds me of something you would hear on classic rock radio,
something that has stood the test of time. Too bad the rest of the record
probably isn't like that...
CM: The
tunes you play are definitely warm (like an American sweater...) - is that a
balance you strive for? The sometimes melancholy lyrics wrapped in soothing
rhythms...?
BB: I think Fleetwood Mac
was really good at this - having something that sounded melancholy and was kind
of down, but also had a real warmth to it... like it was alive. Like whatever
was being said or being created was real, and was important and needed
attention and was in the room with you. I definitely strive to create something
similar to that feeling - that is the goal anyway.
CM: From your liner notes I gather you are quite the
musician -- you play guitar, piano, bass, drums - all on your album. If you
weren't recording music, would you be content as that guy who busks in the
street with all the instruments hanging around his neck - sort of a one-man
band? You certainly come across as an ambidextrous (ambimusicalous?)
individual...
BB: I am really good at
being half-assed. One of the songs on the new record is a piano song, and I
literally have no idea what I am playing. I can sit down and play pretty much
anything - except strings. But if you ask me what I am doing, I would be at a
complete loss. It is all about natural melody... having personality with the
instrument you are playing.
I am completely self-taught with everything I
play. I had a couple of guitar lessons around 13 or so, and once I had the
basic chords down, I figured I could handle finding out the rest along the way
by myself. I think it is all about trying to convey a particular emotion. If
you can get that down, you are set - at least it makes it a lot more
interesting.
CM: You also play the
minimoog... What's a minimoog??
BB:
The minimoog is a smaller, more compact version of the moog synthesizer. They
are really amazing and you can create fantastic sounds, but they are incredibly
hard to keep in tune.
CM: Now what
have you got coming up - are you gigging? Is there a Warm American Sweater tour
in the works? Where can we see/hear Brady Brock next?
BB: I will definitely be touring behind the record
once it gets a bit warmer. This New York City winter has been pretty harsh this
year. If you see me around, definitely come and say hello. I also own my own
record company called Feel Records and
we are releasing new records by Philadelphia's The Capitol Years, Houston's
*MyTwilightPilot* and Munich's Miles in the next few months... Life will be a
little crazy, but it is definitely worth it when you are putting out music that
you love.
Warm American Sweater is released on May 6th. Check out
www.feelrecords.com for more
information.
Toby Osborne -
Celebrity Mate© |
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