THE RED CUP DIARIES BLOG INTERVIEW OCT 2011
Haven’t heard of them yet? You will…
Our October Spotlight is Brandon Lepere!
Brandon Lepere is a country singer from New England – what is that you ask? Yes, I said New England!
Brandon was voted Junior Male Vocalist of the Year by the National Country Music Association when he was a teenager and then seemed to disappear from the scene; that wasn’t entirely the case – he’s back with an individual sound and ready for a career in Country Music. He’s embraced the sound of Contemporary Country Music and yet still is able to stand out in the crowd of many others in the genre. Please take a moment and watch his video…
Brandon’s both a songwriter and entertainer that shouldn’t be missed. He took a few moments and answered some questions for us…
RCD: You had success as a teen in the Nashville scene, why did you leave the music world for a period of time?
BL: Funny, that is one of the questions I get asked the most. Usually, it is someone at a show complimenting me for showing restraint and taking my time with my career. At the time I didn’t feel I was being handed the world on a silver platter by winning the award. To me it was more like a solid platform to start a promising career in Country music. Although my “retreat” from music is a common belief among my fans, the truth is I didn’t leave the music scene exactly; I still performed in the Northeast region. I just wanted to take my time to explore different styles of music so I could bring something to Nashville that was a bit more seasoned, interesting and inspired. Incidentally, I was lucky enough some years later to be courted by a major label producer who took me under his wing and helped me as an artist, writer and performer. I was a real sponge and learned things about music songs, production and engineering that I never could have learned otherwise. Also made some amazing friends with some of the top session guys in the rock pop, jazz and country world whom I learned much from too. It was a great time to be creative.
Certainly I was very thankful for the opportunity and grateful for the recognition, just not inclined to step further into the country spotlight yet.
RCD: You perform all over New England, but do you ever perform in other areas? Places where country is more “acceptable?”
BL: Yes, actually I perform in Nashville quite often now. Working towards other regions where the country music market is huge, like Georgia, the Carolina’s, Florida, Texas, even Canada.
RCD: Originally from the south, my southern friends are always surprised that country music is so popular in the North East, why do you think people in our area relate to the country genre? Why do you think it is such a shock for those down south?
BL: What’s happening in New England is that there seems to be a true appreciation for today’s country music. I think so many bigger country artists have such mainstream sound thanks to producers like Dan Huff and Mutt Lange etc… that many more people simply enjoy the sonic qualities of the records and masterful delivery of the stories in the songs than ever before. The songwriters in Nashville are expert in crafting songs specifically for the market. The songwriters and producers, ever so slightly, are always trying to push the envelope in what will be accepted by the big country artists, labels and radio stations in terms of lyric content and musicality. I think this often pushes country in a direction that borrows heavily from the latest pop, rock and even rap ideas, concepts and productions. This seems appealing to a very wide variety of people in New England and beyond.
I think historically a lot of country music has always had its strongest presence down south and in a way it’s been the music of the south, by the south and for the south. I understand how it might be shocking for certain southern region country music fans to see such a shift.
RCD: Do you plan to relocate to Nashville? Do you feel it’s necessary for your career?
BL: No plans in the works at this very moment, however much of my creative work has been focused in Nashville and if it becomes necessary it is definitely on the table as things progress.
RCD: How did it feel to play in front of a major country act such as Toby Keith?
BL: During my show at the Fiddle and Steel last month, Toby was there; however, I didn’t know Toby was in the audience until I stepped off stage, but it is always nerve racking to play in front of music industry when you know they are listening.
RCD: You recently tweeted that you are in collaborations with Casey Weston – of the voice, and by far one of the stand outs, how did that come about?
BL: I met Jeff Bridges (the actor) at an event I performed in Boston for his new movie with Kevin Bacon and Ryan Reynolds, he helped set up a meeting for me in Nashville with one of his long time friends and co-writers on Crazy Heart.
The meeting was postponed and a friend set me up with Casey last minute to fill the schedule slot. She is a tremendous talent!
RCD: When did you realize singing was the career choice for you?
BL: When I realized there was nothing else I did more easily, however I think entertaining is the real passion, singing is just a way for me to entertain. I started entertaining when I was 6 years old when I wrote my first song on the guitar, played it and sang for my family at my grandparents house during lunch one afternoon. I had the audience in the palm of my hand that day.
RCD: Who has been the most influential person in your musical career? Why?
BL: That is a big question. There are so many who have influenced me in so many ways. As a songwriter, I would have to say Don Henley comes to mind. Truly, anyone who helps inspire me to continue creating, whether it is a fan, a friend, or another artist or writer.
RCD: Which artist would you like to tour with?
BL: Anyone who doesn’t upstage me. (Kidding)
RCD: Do you watch shows such as The Voice, American Idol, XFactor? If so, what elements of each do you think are most effective in picking future singing stars?
BL: Honestly, I haven’t watched them lately due to my tightened schedule; however, I think they all have the same elements in place to affectively pick future singing stars.
Big funding, big visibility, and high quality talent scouting for engineering stars. The rest is just a matter of luck.
