I first saw Brendan Boogie I believe about 4 years ago, with thick framed rose colored glasses, belting out Roy Orbison tunes in the basement of the Lizard Lounge. I knew that night that this guy was something special and his cover project was something amazing. I have heard rumbling of “The Mayor of Rock n’ Roll”, seen its posts for extras on the old Facebook and eagerly awaited the release of this wonderful project. For those of you that don’t know, its been a busy year for the man…I would imagine that writing and producing a movie takes a bit of a time toll on a person. But I cannot wait to see the fruits of his labor. The band is dusting off the old axes and getting back out on the stage this Saturday at The Davis Square Theatre and is a sure show not to be missed! I caught up with Brendan to answer some questions about the break, the movie, and his life as a Boston musician. Check it out below…
1) For those that have been living under a rock, tell us a little about the band. What kind of vibe to expect, the sound, the inspiration?
BB: We’re like Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem without the gravitas.
2) There has been somewhat of a hiatus with the band…what gives? Why are you guys coming out of the shadows this Saturday and can we expect more in the upcoming months?
BB: We took some time off from gigging in 2013 to work on a movie I wrote called THE MAYOR OF ROCK AND ROLL. The story takes place in the Boston music scene, so there is a ton of live music in the movie. So while we weren’t actively playing out, we were very busy working on music for the movie. Though it was fun to play in front of audiences full of adoring extras, I suspect they might have been faking it. So I’m bringing the troops to the Davis Square Theatre this Saturday night to see if I’ve still got my fastball.
3) What inspires you as a musician?
BB: Fear of failure. And gas. Mostly gas.
Actually, right now I’m most inspired by the amazing people in my band – Chris Coughlin, Jess Fox, Scott Kremer, Scott Miller, and Phillip Ouellette.
Playing with them inspires me.
My approach has definitely changed in my old age.
I used to bring songs in with all kinds of ideas for sounds, structure, and arrangements.
Over the years, my songwriting process hasn’t changed at all but I’ve learned to let go more.
Now, I play the chords, sing the melody, and say “Play whatever you want, guys.”
The sounds that float back to my ears from these incredible talents are so much better than anything I could have pre-conceived.
As a result, Brendan Boogie and the Broken Gates has a much more diverse, organic sound than anything I’ve previously done.
4) Boston is known by its musicians for its community and being more supportive than its counterparts when it comes to “band envy” and competitiveness. How has that affected you as a local musician over the years?
BB: I owe almost every bit of happiness I’ve had in my life the last decade to the generosity of the great people in the Boston music scene. It’s only because of other people’s support that I’ve been able to make my dreams come true. In the last ten years, I have been graciously allowed to make a movie, host my Rock Therapy interview talk show, play 2 Rumbles and One Night Band, impersonate Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury and countless others during the run of the Cover-Up, make eight records and counting with various versions of my band plus another two with Scamper and one with Parlour Bells, and play countless shows with some of the best musicians in town. I’m so lucky I sometimes feel like pinching myself. But that would violate the restraining order I put on myself for excessive pinching. Wait, what was I talking about?
5) Tell us anything and everything else you want us to know about Brendan Boogie and what the future holds.
BB: Brendan Boogie and the Broken Gates are currently working on our record with Jack Younger at Watch City Studios.
We’re recording on all pre-1970s vintage equipment directly to two-inch tape, so it sounds incredibly warm and retro and amazing.
Two-inch tape is like the yoga pants of recording.
It smoothes out the rough edges and even makes an ass like me seem good.
Now that the film is “in the can,” we’ll be out gigging more this spring and summer, starting with this Saturday night March 15 at the Davis Square Theater with the Easy Reasons and Summer Villains.
I hope people come out and like the new direction of what I’m doing.
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Get at Brendan online: http://brendanboogie.com/
And be sure to check out the show this weekend. More info on the Davis Square Theatre and this show:
http://www.davissquaretheatre.com/shows/2014-03-15-summer-villains-the-easy-reasons-and-bre.html
