JAMES BRINKMAN

Brink

Vocalist / Guitarist / Songwriter

 

 

"About myself I have no great illusions. I know what I am. I know what I'm good at. I know what I ain't. I'm always hoping to surprise myself. But I do have a love of music and I do love to communicate it, and that's the best I can do, really. And I can raise a good family, too."   Keith Richards

 

I am, at heart, a communicator and a storyteller. Whether it's writing songs, which I've been doing since I picked up my dad's guitar when I was 13, or just playing an instrument, there is always a story to tell. I remember thinking, when I was playing piano at the state competition when I was in 4th grade, that I was more interested in the dynamics of any piece rather than the techincal aspects of it. To me, being able to play those keys loud, and then very soft, said more than a hundred notes strung together. Some of my favorite guitar solos that I've played over the years have one bended string crying out over an entire measure.

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In the end I like to tell stories more than anything. When I wrote those initial songs as a teenager, it was a blend of truth and fiction, and that is still part of the calling card of my writings. I've crossed genres, from rock and prog rock to roots rock, alt-country, and country.

 

I started out more as a solo songwriter and having one of my songs get picked up as the title track and designated single

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Music is about emotion. Music is about feeling something. Hopefully I've done an okay job over the years as the steward of this gift. I've always heard the music, even when none is playing, like a radio frequency in the air that I've just stumbled across and it's up to me whether to write it down or just enjoy it and let it pass on.