VII - In Brandon’s Own Words

 This CD is my seventh release to date, appropriately entitled “VII”.   I think this is some of my best work, the songs are the strongest yet, and we really captured the energy of our live show for the first time in the studio.  The band tracks were recorded at Natura Digital Studios out in the country about 45 minutes south of Tulsa, OK.  with David Teegarden Sr, best known for his work with Bob Seger, and JJ Cale.   It was great working with David, not only because he is so wise and helped us keep everything in perspective, but also because he had always been a big hero and influence to me growing up in Tulsa.  In the solitude of the country setting we were so relaxed and at home that all the basic tracks were recorded live and most of them on the first take.  The band and I had been hitting the road pretty hard at the time, and the songs were part of our show night after night, so the session really flowed smoothly.  The night before we were scheduled to go back in to record vocals, I came down with a case of bronchitis so the session had to be postponed.  It was a couple of months before my schedule allowed time to get back in the studio, so I ended up finishing the vocals and the rest of the CD down in Austin, TX at Top Hat Recording.  The 10 track disc has a wide array of subject matter; love, death, reflection, and a couple party anthems, all done with an edge and musical freedom missing from most CD's today.

Tracks:

 WHY DID WE EVER SAY GOODBYE: First off, this song is our first single, and has already been a big hit for us on radio breaking into the top 20 before the record dropped.  I think everyone has that “one that got away”, this song details that emotion, wondering where they are now, and whether they ever do the same. 

CALL OF THE ROAD: This song deals with the struggle between having a family and following the dream of playing music; along with playing music comes traveling, and that is hard to deal with when your trying to keep a marriage together.  This is basically a song to my loved ones back home.   

STAY HERE WITH ME: I first started writing this song after the breakup of a long relationship at least 10 years ago.  I never got more than a few lines into it, but something clicked one night, and the song just came to life.  There is nothing like falling in love to heal the wounds of the past.

SATURDAY NIGHT: This song is a Rock Party Anthem!  I love being in the country as much as the next guy, but there is something about being out in the woods on a Saturday night, knowing all your friends are out at the clubs having a good time.  Any other night and it’s fine, but not Saturday Night!

ALL I EVER WANTED: I always admired people that stayed with their first “true love”, you know the ones from high school that are still together.  Really that’s what we are all looking for, and to find it so early must make life so much easier, it takes most people a life time to figure out what they had, and how love is all you need.

LIVIN DOWN ON THE LINE: This song should be called Sand Spring Line Part 2, it’s a better and more accurate description of growing up on “The Line” than the original song on my 1996 album “Faded”.  I don’t think the subject matter is exclusive to that area though, in a broader sense it represents the class struggle across the whole country.   

THE GHOST: I first got the idea for this song after listening to a news story on modern day hobos.  They were asking a guy about why he rode the rails, he said he had lost his son in an accident an he had never recovered from the loss, but the one thing that really stuck in my mind was when he said “the ghost still follows me”, the song pretty much wrote it’s self after that.

PAINTED ON SMILE: It’s hard to imagine how different cities, bars, and gigs could run together, but the fact of the matter is they do; sometimes I couldn’t tell you the town I was in the night before.  Sometimes I have blinders on, and I’m just trying to make it through another day.  Not only do I have the road to deal with, but I have all the same things to deal with back home that everyone else does.   It can all become overwhelming if you let it.  

I STILL THINK OF YOU: When you fall in love, no matter what age you are, you become that goofy teenager you were the first time it happened, sweaty palms and all.  I think we all have a person or place that we think of, or reflect on when times get tough, this song really deals with those two situations.