Navigating the Musical Landscape: Bryan Brewster Dives into His Creative Process, Memorable Experiences, and Upcoming Projects
Bryan Brewster © 2024
Today we have this talented producer on Goathead !
GH: What inspired you to start making and producing music?
BB: Rockband! I played the shit out of that game. When Rockband came out with the drumset it was over for my free time. I would play for HOURS and over the years I got better and so did the game. When Rockband 3 came out there was an advanced drum set you could buy and on the expert difficulty, you could play the exact way the real drummer would play. I ended up getting pretty good at it and I was able to play most of the songs how they were originally supposed to be played. I eventually got a real drum set and have been playing ever since. Fast-forward to my first year of college as an Engineering major, and I decided to take music fundamentals as my fun elective class. We learned the basics of music theory and how music is just a different language, like how Spanish and English are different. I was enthralled by how little I knew and decided to take another music elective next semester. I ended up taking a music in computers class, which is pretty much an intro to producing class. And just like Rockband as a child, I was completely consumed by it. After that semester I changed my major to Music Technology and Recording Arts A.S. and eventually graduated and transferred to a CSU to get my Music B.A.
GH: Can you tell us more about your experience working with artists on their productions and what was the most memorable experience you had?
BB: Yeah, so I've worked with rappers, pop singers, rock bands, metal bands, and even EDM producers. Everyone has their own personality, workflow, inspiration, expertise, and most importantly a vision that makes every encounter unique. My job is to help them make the vision a reality. I have found that making an artist comfortable physically and mentally is key to making the highest quality music. Allowing them to really dive into their flow-state so that they can paint me their vision as clearly as possible. Most artists know exactly what they want their record to sound like, but if the artist can't convey it, or the producer can't see it, the track falls short. The most memorable experience I've had was recording vocals for a metal band called Parasite. The track was nearly finished and all we had to do was record vocals. The singer hops in the booth and is nailing every section except for one. We kept re-recording and in one of the takes he yelled, "Fuuuck!", because he kept messing up and it happened to be right before the song dropped back in. I instantly think this could turn into a cool moment and tell him to try one more time but this time I left the "bad" take in and told him to just scream after the recording said fuck. When the singer and the rest of the band got in the studio to listen for the first time, we all started yelling and jumping because it worked so perfectly for the song. It showed true frustration and how something "bad" could turn into something amazing if you don't give up on it. It was a moment none of us will forget.
GH: How is your process of songwriting and producing set around?
BB: It depends if I'm working on a personal project or someone else’s. If it's my project then I go off how I'm feeling in the moment I'm creating. If it's someone else's then I try to understand their vision and help facilitate it as much as possible. One of the beautiful things about music is that it's never truly wrong. Something might sound weird to one person and breathtaking to another. I used to think that certain things must be done in order or it won't work properly but that's just not the case. The best advice I've gotten was from my professor, "If it sounds good, then it is good." It's such a simple piece of advice but it's so powerful. So that's essentially what I set myself around, if I think it sounds good then it is.
GH: What motivates you to create music and bring awareness to different situations through your songs?
BB: People, including myself. I'm lucky to be able to say that I have over 1 million plays combining all my songs and the comments people respond with drive me. I get comments saying, "Thank you so much for this", "Don't stop!!🔥", or "This helped me get through a tough time". The fact that I can make something that brings joy and helps people means the world to me. Even if I was able to help just one person it'd be worth it. All I'm doing is making music that I think is cool and it turns out that other people like it too.
GH: Could you share some insights into your next projects and artists you are currently working with?
BB: I have a new EP coming out on 1/26/24 called Wrong Generation. It's a 6-track beat tape that is inspired by 90s Hip-Hop like J Dilla and Nujabes. The single "Soul Search" is out now on all platforms. The self-titled track has my good friends Mötz-Art and ILL MAXIME rapping over a chopped sample and some Boom-Bap drums. I recently flew down to San Diego to finish recording Mötz-Art's newest project which will be announced soon! He has a really dope concept and video lined up with this project, and I'm super proud to have production credits on more than half of the tracks. I'm also currently engineering, mixing, and mastering projects for a band called Odder and the band I mentioned previously Parasite.
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