Interview with Brendemere

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

If we had to point the finger at who got me into music, it would require both hands in order to do so. It was those nine masked marauders in a group called Slipknot. You've probably heard of them. Eleven-year-old me thought they were the coolest thing I had ever seen or heard.

What would I be doing today if it weren't for Slipknot? Well - if I had spent as much time studying in school as I did air drumming to Slipknot, I'd probably be a brain surgeon by now.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

My answer to this question is probably not a flattering one, but I gotta be straight with you.

I spend a lot of time listening to my own music. Not stuff I've already done. Just stuff I'm currently working on that's unfinished. Ideas come to me very slowly and in very small bits, and I've determined that if I don't spend a lot of time repeating a new song over and over, I come up with very few ideas. I'd love to be one of those types that can just spit something out right on the spot. But I need repeat listens before something granular or microscopic dawns on me.

How long have you been making music?

I've been attempting to since I was 12. The first few years didn't go so well. A recurring joke amongst the other kids I was trying to start a band with is that we would just play Metallica's "Master of Puppets" and "Seek And Destroy" over and over, because everytime they came over with their equipment. . .I had written nothing. Then, I would say, around 17 - I started to get comfortable in the composer seat. Or at least more willing to try. I think - at first - I was just a bit afraid to fail, so I didn't try at all.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

Currently in Seattle, WA. Which is where the record you hear was recorded. All the music had been written for well over a decade by the time I started working on it in 2021 (aside from some of the musicians adding some ideas here or there). So the locale essentially lended itself to the sound by way of me having to hire local talent. So - the singers you hear, the instrumentalists you hear, the audio engineering you hear. . .that all had to be found here in town. If I had done it in New York, or Nashville, or L.A., it would have come out a completely different way.

Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven't played live what is your vision for a live show?

Haven't played live as there is no band. Just your boy here. I'm looking to rectify that eventually, as my dream as a musician was always to be in a band. It'll be tough, but I think with some momentum, I can start putting a group together here in Seattle. The songs would definitely not sound live the way they do on the record, because that would essentially be impossible in terms of sheer manpower. I can't exactly fit a 7-piece horn section, an acoustic grand piano, 21 violins, 4 background vocalists and a 5-piece rock band on stage. But, there's a certain freedom to that. If I can find a killer 5-piece rock band consisting of myself, a lead guitarist, a drummer, a bassist and lead singer. . .that's doable. The songs may simply have to be arranged differently. I'm up for the challenge. I just need to figure out how to go about pulling it off. So, if any reader out there knows some bad MF'ers here in Seattle. . .do reach out!

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

I'd be happy on any stage in front of any crowd at this point. The task is on me for figuring out how to get people in the door. But once I crack that code, I'd be as happy playing in front of 50, 500 or 5,000. I need some time to figure that out. Like I said before - ideas come to me very slowly.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Brendmere, Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes was always something I daydreamed about. A Vampire Weekend show I saw in Tucson back in 2008, along with Fleet Foxes' self-titled LP in the same year reignited my desire to write music around a time I was kind of starting to give up on it. I think the 3 groups are different enough, but without it being completely absurd. Then we'd all join together for the encore finale - a cover of The Beach Boy's "Help Me, Rhonda" (the Live at Knebworth version). Don't worry - I've only thought about this 1,000 times. I'm still ironing out the kinks.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Learn new songs physically - ideally on either piano or guitar. You don't have to be a wizard. .Lord knows I'm not. But those are the two main compositional instruments. So buy some dusty Yamaha guitar or keyboard from the Goodwill for 14.99, and just learn enough to at least play chords, even if poorly. Listening to a lot of new music is a wonderful tool, but actually getting it into your fingers makes you look at things in a completely different way. We all operate with the same 12 tones, but it's the set ups and opportunities that are really gonna establish your own personal style. An identical chord progression played in the style of Cat Stevens is gonna sound wildly different than the same exact one David Bowie would use. Because they each have their unique entrances and exits to that progression.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

"Beverly's Song" - the album closer. It's a tribute to my grandmother on my father's side, who I never got to know very well because I was 10 when she passed. Since then, she's kind of occupied a mythological place in my mind. If there was a textbook definition of the 'ideal Grandmother', it would be Beverly without a doubt.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Right now, my manager and I are focused on getting the message out there. If any support does start coming in from people, I would love to hear what songs they liked the most.

What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

I try to warm up each session by learning a new song or two, as I alluded to earlier. Then from there is more or less a freeform exercise. Whatever sounds good. I save it in some documented form, usually tablature, and revisit later. If I think the idea is worthwhile, it sticks around. If I have writer's guilt, I wrap it inside of a dirty sock, wait until the coast is clear and then very nimbly tip-toe my way to the darkest corner of the forest, where it is buried. I hitchhike my way back into town before stopping at the 7-Eleven for some Totino's Pizza Rolls. I eat my greasy grub in silence and the event is never spoken of again.

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

The full album is waiting to be discovered by any curious minds and ears alike. Like ZZ Top - Brendemere is bad and we're nationwide. Okay - we're not quite there yet. But I'm a jaunty, spritely 35-years of age and willing to drag race any naysayers in my 2005 Toyota Corolla.

Free download at Bandcamp. Lyric videos on YouTube. Streaming on major platforms. Don't forget to jam the phone lines at Total Request Live. AND TELL CARSON I SENT YOU!

Stop me before I date myself again.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We're just gonna keep on rollin'. But, so long as I am the patriarch of this group. . .I promise more shenanigans, tomfoolery and general malaise for societal norms. And I will NEVER let the truth get in the way of a good story. You have my word.

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

Seeing as my burgeoning TikTok empire is about to crumble into dust, go ahead and look me up on Instagram @brendemeremusic DM me if you enjoy absurd conversations that start roughly around midnight Pacific Time, then abruptly cut off around 3 AM once the Totino's kick in.