Today we’d like to introduce you to Brody Walsh.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up on Long Island, New York where I developed a love for music and writing and formed my first band. It was a metal-core band in which I could yell about problems I probably didn’t actually have. I moved to Boston for school in 2013 and was able to quickly surround myself with like-minded people and a great community of creative thinkers. I was grateful for that, I immediately had more creative inspiration than ever before.
Early in my college career, I decided that I wanted to turn the poems I was writing into songs but had no band to supply the instrumentals. This led to lots of hip-hop and rap records being recorded in my dorm room. All I needed was a mic and a beat. At the same time, I had begun to teach myself to play the ukulele in order to gain more melodic control over the songs I was making. I never felt whole knowing that I only made half of the songs I was recording.
The ukulele in my hands soon became a guitar and I was able to record and release a handful of acoustic EP’s and compilations while playing constant shows with my emo/rock band at the time, The Half Rights. We broke up after about a year of playing shows and I went on to play the songs acoustically at small house shows and open mic’s. I had continued throughout all of this to write and record rap songs when I could.
Recently I decided to try my hand at beat-making so I could have total control over the entirety of the songs and still do it on my own. I ended up naturally blending all of my creative pasts into one sound that was new to me. I was able to utilize poetry, rock, hip-hop, and whatever I wanted all in my bedroom. I released the album, Jellyfish Stings & Sunburns and decided to really try and get it heard. It ended up being my most proud, honest, and exciting musical project to date.
I am excited about all of the doors I found throughout the process to now be open and for all of the positive feedback I have been receiving. It is strange, yet calming, writing out my story from what feels like only the prologue.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was frustrating for a long time knowing I had a lot to say and didn’t know how to play the instruments I wanted behind the words. Any struggles that came along with learning to make music, as well as learning about booking and playing shows, has ended up being a good thing in the end. There are still several moments where I feel grateful for my lack of a formal musical background.
Everything is constantly new and exciting and it doesn’t take much to inspire me because of that. I once had to google standard tuning during a show before because I forgot the notes. Moments like that I felt less embarrassed and more humbled and excited to know that it doesn’t take much to have to opportunity to share music with people.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The music I have been most recently making has been called alternative hip-hop, beat-poetry, and probably some other things I haven’t heard. It is a combination of everything interesting to me and I have been letting the songs write themselves.
People seem to be into the softness of the record as well as the critical and existential lyrics; I guess people have been questioning some of the same things as me and it’s nice to feel relatable.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I absolutely do! Boston has been very beneficial as a starting point because it has so many places to play and so many creative minds in one place. It’s cool having people around to nerd out on the same things with and also so many dive bars willing to host shows.
The DIY scene is also pretty good. It’s motivating to go make friends and connections to help make things a little easier.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.soundcloud.com/brodybrodybrody/sets/jellyfish-stings-sunburns
- Email: brodywalshh@gmail.com
- Instagram: @brodyberries
- Twitter: @brodyberries
- Other: www.soundcloud.com/brodybrodybrody/sets/jellyfish-stings-sunburns
Image Credit:
Andrea Angell, Jordan Duerr, Daniel Bracken, Amber Krauss, Kevin Fitzgerald and Seantel Trombly
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