Brave

This page follows the creative journey of “Brave” ~ from early acoustic versions and studio recording sessions to the finished song and live performances.

Early Versions

Brave – Live from Frisco, Texas

“Brave” was a co-write with Patricia Bahia that I had just finished when this video was filmed. The recording eventually grew into a funky rhythm section with some swampy slide guitars.

You might notice some changes in melody and song form between this early version and the final recording ~ that’s all part of the creative journey from songwriting to recording to release.

 

Recording the Song

Brave ~ Rhythm Guitar Recording Session

This is a video I wasn’t planning on publicizing… It’s me in Seth’s control room messing around with some rhythm guitar parts. He plugged me into this Soviet-era tank of a tape delay machine (it does way more than just tape delay ~ I should really learn more about it!) ~ it actually IS from the Soviet Union (I guess Russia, technically) ~ and it amuses Seth to no end when he gets it to work 😜

He actually had to pound on the thing to get it to start working a couple of times during the session… nothing like an old, old piece of gear to have that CHARacter! 😉

 

Brave ~ Guitar Solo Recording Session

Here’s some studio footage of me and producer Seth Horan recording the guitar solo for “Brave.” 

 Usually, we record several takes (more like 1000 🤪), and then we do what is called comping. Comping pretty much means we’ll take bits from different takes to create one final solo.

This video is a compilation of the most important takes that ended up being part of the solo you hear on the final master.

 

Brave ~ Vocal Recording Session

Here’s a little iPhone recording of me singing lead vocals for “Brave.” Seth recently conducted a mic shootout of all the high-end studio mics at Mutato Muzika (Mark Mothersbaugh’s studio, where Seth is Lead Engineer), and I’m singing on Seth’s favorite mic (he likes it even more than the mic that I used for “Pour Me Another,” and THAT mic was used by Bono, so… it’s a good mic! 😉)

 

Music Video

Brave ~ BTS Video Shoot

Here’s a little sneak peek behind-the-scenes at my most recent video shoot for “Brave.” As you can see, we had a LOT of fun. As you may not be able to see, it was insanely hot in that little room (even with the swamp cooler on full blast). Thank goodness for my hair/makeup expert Anthony Betance, who kept me looking fresh throughout the shoot! The rest of the cast & crew of the video were:

Marisa Testa – Drums
Ben White – Bass
Susie Major – Vocals/Harmonica
Mark Ludmer – Filmmaker
George Skarpelos – Lights & Playback.

 

Brave ~ Music Video (In Progress)

This is the first edit of the official music video for “Brave.” I have some tweaks in mind for Mark Ludmer, who shot and is editing the video. It’s scheduled for release in a couple of weeks, and you’ll see the changes we make then 😎 But YOU saw the original edit, warts and all! 😜

 

Brave ~ Official Music Video

Official Music video for my latest single, Brave 🎶🎸🤍

 

Live Performances

Brave ~ Guitar Therapy Session 5

Here’s our rehearsal of my latest single Brave, the day before our performance at the 2022 NAMM show. 🎸

Lineup

What you’ll hear on this iteration of “Brave” is Jimmy Paxson’s completed drum tracks, including his signature trash can 🔥 ~ along with my “scratch” (temporary) lead vocal and guitar. 

When I first wrote “Brave” with Patricia Bahia, I didn’t know how I wanted to produce it. But I knew I did not want it to sound like a “typical” blues-rock song, which it was in danger of becoming ~ the chords are basic (not necessarily a bad thing, but it can lead to a track being boring if you’re not careful). 

So I went on a hunt to find bluesy songs that we could use for inspiration in crafting the perfect groove for “Brave.” I found what I was looking for in Gin Wigmore’s “Man Like That.” (an AMAZING song ~ if you don’t know it, check it out!!)

I sang the lyrics to “Brave” to Wigmore’s song, and it totally worked! Not only did it work, but it instantly took the song from being a typical blues rock missive to something far more fun and groovetastic 🎉

When we were in the studio, we had Jimmy listen to the Gin Wigmore “reference track,” and then we went to town.

 

This second audio is an UNMIXED version of the song “Brave,” which I had been recording with producer Seth Atkins Horan. At that stage, all the elements had been recorded, and we were moving on to decide which elements we were keeping, as well as the thousands of little (but not unimportant) decisions that Seth makes while mixing a song.

Part of what I LOVE about this recording is the incredible guitar sound Seth & I got for the guitar solo! We put my Dan Armstrong guitar through my Talk Box, but instead of using the tube that I normally would use with the Talk Box, we mic’d the hole in the box where the tube comes out of. Then Seth found some insanely amazing effects to apply to that weird sound, and it sounds SO vintage!! We both instantly fell in love with that sound, and it’s the kind of studio magic you just can’t plan.

 

This last one is the final version of Brave that was released to the public on July 29, 2022! (that date also happens to be my beloved niece Kate’s 16th birthday) 🥰🥰🥰