Its awesome to enjoy the blast of an artist who is influenced by the great Beatles and has perfect vocal pitches to sound almost close to John Lennon, forget about the beatles it’s a long gone era, and lets focus on the more important, the present with the emerging Brady Harris who is having this long awaited interview with us.
Welcome Brady for this exciting interview..
Thanks, Amgad.
- How did you start your journey with music?
Clumsily. With a baritone ukulele a cousin had loaned me and a keen desire to be a great drummer and get ahold of a drum kit. Eventually I did land a drum kit, but I wasn’t a very good drummer. So I moved back to the baritone ukulele and then on to other things.
- Tell us about your previous releases. Which one is the closest to your heart?
Well I could say Next Door To Nowhere because it was my first solo record. Or Good Luck Stranger because it kind of put me on map with indie-Americana magazines and fans. Or Lone Star because it was the first one I self-produced. Or Mectologie because it’s in French. Or…. Hate to say it, but they’re all special in each way, I guess..
- Could you tell us How your music is featured in the Portuguese Media?
A young music licensing company from New York called Pump Audio found my music and asked if they could try and place some of my music. Portugal’s biggest bank ended up selecting my song “Good To Know” to be featured in a year+ worldwide ad campaign on TV, Radio and the web. It ended up being real success for the company and I was interviewed by Wire magazine about it.
- How did it feel to have your music as themes for indie films and tv ads?
It’s always a rush when someone says they heard your song on the TV somewhere.
- So what is the story of the EP “Hotel In The Sky” and what is the concept?
I was reading a story about a singer and his hangers on and they’d congregate at a flat in the east end of London, which they dubbed “Hotel in the Sky”. The title stuck with me so I put it in my notebook and wrote the lyrics from the title. And then the music later.
- Which track is the closest to your heart from “Hotel In the Sky”?
Right now, probably Chateau Hill.
- How do you write your music? Tell us about the whole process.
You take songs however they come to you. Music first, then lyrics. Lyrics first, then music. If you’re really lucky you get both at the same time. There’s an old saying about writing that says that “Inspiration is for amateurs.” I kind of get that. Probably like most songwriters I keep a notebook around with lyrics and titles and random couplets and whatnot and it eventually develops a table of contents and the ideas become songs and I hand write the page numbers so I can find quickly what I’m looking for. Likewise, I keep a collection of musical ideas (riffs, chords changes, melodies, etc) on hand as well (these days it’s my iPhone, used to be a mp3 recorder, still is sometimes). I do a lot of my writing in the mornings, with a coffee, before any internet or apps or screens zap my concentration and… inspiration.
- You seem to be an independent multi-instrumentalist and do the whole job on your own, why did you prefer working solo on this EP?
If I know what I want, I feel bad asking someone else to do it for me. And on this record, basically all the parts were within my reach playing-wise guitar, bass, piano or whatever. But I was stuck for a guitar solo on “Parting Gift”. I couldn’t come up with anything I was pleased with myself. So I reached out to my friend Cooper Walker (a stunningly accomplished artist in his own right) and asked him to give the solo a whirl. After a little back and forth we quickly got the take you hear on the record.
- What do you do besides music?
I’m a keen happy hour connoisseur and a lazy francophone.
- Who are your major influences? How did that affect the album?
Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, JJ Cale, Elliott Smith, et al. I wrote the songs pretty quickly. I’m inspired by all those artists but I’m not sure how that manifests itself while I’m recording. Elliott Smith, McCartney and Emitt Rhodes all self-recorded, so I think of them a lot if I get stuck. My main mantra is to remember to keep it all in my reach. Don’t get out ahead of myself, especially on a straightforward rock and roll record like Hotel In The Sky.
- What is your favorite song of all time?
Oh man, that’s too tough! I’ve got too many.
- Any upcoming gigs?
Always. This Friday night at Lost Chord Bar in Solvang, CA. Saturday at Kalyra Winery in Santa Ynez, CA. 4th of July weekend at Dana V Wines in Solvang. And the list goes on.
- Lastly, a word to your fans.
Of course “Thank you!”. The generosity and support I’ve received from fans has been humbling and touching. From overpaying for a record, to giving me a couch to crash on when I’m on tour, to buying me beer or a meal, to hosting house concerts and on and on. I’ve been really fortunate.
