My musical life can almost be laid out in exact decades, or at least presidential terms. 2000-2009, I was in a band called the Barnacles. We released 3 CDs, WIRELESS (2001), INLAND & OTHERWISE (2003), and CQD (2007). We created slick produced Americana pop/rock. Needing a break from the accesible sounds, I wrote a series of blues tunes, and utilizing some unorthodox recording methods, I released my first solo EP called RED DIRT BLUES in 2009. In 2011, I reunited with the Barnacles, but we changed our name to Barley Station, and released a pair of critically acclaimed albums. AFTER ALL (2012) and DAMAGED GOODS (2013) were accompanied by a US tour that made me decide to step away from the band for awhile. During my break, I graduated from college and wrote & recorded a solo album called FAR TO ROAM. The process of writing and recording with friends and random personalities in random locations restored the fun back to music for me. I really feel that can be heard in the soul of the album. I returned to Barley Station for one more album, 2017's BACK THERE SOMEWHERE before turning my attention to my latest album, WE SHOULD TALK. I partnered with various EDM producers to add to my acoustic sound. When the pandemic hit, Brian assembled a live rhythm section and Brian became THE Brian Jin; featuring Nil DeSilva on drums and vocals, and Nick Kladky on bass guitar and vocals. Together they recorded a mostly live-in-the-studio album called BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET & OTHER EXPERIENCES released in October 2020. Several songs received high streaming numbers from Spotify and grew their following tremendously. They immediately got to work on the next record, again building on their live-in-the-studio sound. The results were released in July of 2021 as THE FRENCHTOWN CONNECTION. This album outsold all of its predecessors combined. Internal friction among the trio set Brian back to work as a solo artist, with occasional input by Nil DeSilva. Released in December 2021 was the somber and folky THE LAST GOOD HIGH. Brian is currently working on new material with Nil and Nick and expects to release the next project by early 2023.
Music is the mortar that binds memories. It's a mirror that reflects who we are. It's a cheaper version of a therapist.
Simply to be heard and appreciated. Maybe be the writer of that one song that tells a listener I know how they feel.
Telling everyone to leave politics outside and return to a time where we knew what not to talk about in mixed company.
"Sea of Tranquility" by Gordon Lightfoot.
Still Gordon Lightfoot. Also Neil Finn, Howard Jones, R.E.M., and Radiohead.
I can't afford a psychotherapist so I need to tell stories somehow. Ha ha ha.
I don't know that I have a singular message. I just write what I know and hopefully someone out there gets it, too.
Energized. On. Like I can do no wrong.
You can't be free to be a musician without having a head for business. I hate that part. I think the actual art of music has suffered as a result. I think if we didn't have to have our irons in so many fires, the musical landscape would improve, be more for the artist, less for the consumer.
So far so good.
Pay-to-play. People with hands out the minute word gets out you have a record.
There really isn't much of a scene here.
Patience and skill would be nice. We all know though, he or she with the biggest bankroll wins.
Andrew Santon, Postindustrial Poets, January Fire, Fendahlene, Rose Alaimo, Pin Stripes, Chenel No. 1, Voodoo Planet, Koji the Planet Stoned Plus