Kieran Webber
Director and Founder of CLUNK Magazine, CLUNK Events, and other CLUNK affiliate businesses. You’ll probably find me tucked away somewhere sending emails, listening to music, and creating content.
US based artist Brian Emory chats with us about his latest single ‘Cut You Out’, what being a musician means to him, and more!
After dropping his most recent single ‘Cut You Out’ Brian Emory sat down with us to chat about his new music, how he started this musical journey and a lot more!
Kieran: Thanks so much for chatting with us! How have you been?
Brian: Since finishing my recent single things have been flowing creatively. I’m currently working on my first album, which I’m excited about. It will be something completely different than I’ve ever done before, so stay tuned for that!
Kieran: As we come to the end of 2024, it’s time to start reflecting.. How was the year for you and were there any highlights?
Brian: Creating my new song ‘Cut You Out’ was a high point for me. The history behind the song is a pretty stressful one. However, completing the song was the payoff. I also got to work with my best friend and filmmaker Joshua Boshell. He recently shot a music video for the song. It turned out great and we explored some unique visuals that resemble the slit scan effect in 2001 Space Odyssey.
Kieran: So, let’s start at the beginning. How did you get into music and what was the pivotal moment you knew you wanted to chase this as a ‘career’?
Brian: This question takes me back to the age-old saying “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Music is my biggest passion. The Joy I get from performing and creating is unparalleled to anything else. Transparently, nothing is perfect and music has its challenging moments. I believe that these challenges are what make it special. Pushing through them is what makes it worthwhile. I feel like I’m compelled to pursue music as a career; there’s no way around it.
Kieran: Did any artists or people influence you as a musician? If so, how and why?
Brian: It’s difficult for me to answer this because I love so much music, not to mention so many genres. However, my A-team would be Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, The Smiths, and most importantly my uncle. I used to hear all kinds of music coming from his room as a kid, a lot of Jimi Hendrix. I was drawn to Hendrixs’s sound. I thought it was like nothing else. My uncle taught me “The Wind Cries Mary” and after that, it was all history. Later I got into Radiohead and The Smiths. My folks played them a lot so I was “preconditioned.” For Me, Morrisey was one of the best lyricists of the 80s. His words were so poetic and thoughtful. I relate to them as someone who’s both musing and introverted. Radiohead is probably my favorite here. It’s hard to categorize them. The diversity of their albums and the sincerity of Thom’s songwriting is hard not to appreciate. Their music rocks me to my soul and it’s gotten me through some tough times. I would love to collaborate with Thom York someday, he’s a true musical Genius.
Kieran: You recently dropped your latest single ‘Cut You Out’, can you talk us through this track and what it means to you?
Brian: ‘Cut You Out’ is about having the courage to remove people from your life who are weighing you down. I had an experience that reflects this. As I mentioned, the story behind the song was a stressful one. I had a friend who was trying to stifle me creatively in a very toxic fashion. Unfortunately, It kept me from releasing my music for a time. As disheartening as it was, this experience led to me writing this song. I consider it a victory as this is one of my best pieces. I came full circle with this project. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Listen to ‘Cut You Out’ here:
Kieran: Can you talk us through the writing and recording process of this release?
Brian: The song was written for Joshua Boshell’s Short Film “Something Somewhere” an 80s sci-fi flick. Check it out if you haven’t, it’s frickin awesome! I was under a time crunch for writing this song and the clock was ticking. I wrote the whole song in a day, which was the fastest I’ve written a tune and enjoyed it. Later, I wrote and arranged all the bass and guitar parts. I first recorded an acoustic demo on my computer then at a professional studio. I worked with Sean Mccue (Producer/Musician) at Coyote Road Studios. Nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara, we recorded my song. I performed all the parts aside from the drums which were played by Austin Beede (Grateful Shreds Drummer). After a few days the song was complete.
Kieran: How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard of you?
Brian: It’s deceptively simple upon first listening. When you start digging deeper, you’ll find more treasures. Tonally, my music is a blend of melancholy and optimism. Some people have told me that my music has a sense of longing to it. This is my favorite sound fusion. I don’t dislike “Happy Music” I just prefer deep music that has some element of darkness or mystery. I feel like my music fits that role. Lastly, I’d say go in with open ears and an open mind. Be willing to be in touch with your emotional side when hearing my tunes. The best way I can describe it is if my music were weather, it would be like rain on a sunny day.
Kieran: Lastly, what’s one positive about being a musician in the USA and one negative?
Brian: The US has a lot to offer as far as opportunity goes in show business. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. Overall in my experience the music community seems pretty supportive, especially the jazz community. I’ve hung out with my uncle and his Jazz buddies. They’re all supportive and easy to be around. I think there’s this notion that Jazz musicians only listen to jazz. In truth, they’re more versatile than any other type of musician. They can hop in on any genre and just groove. This usually has something to do with their heavy understanding of music theory. In contrast, the USA is flooded with music. It is hard to stand out since the market is so overrun. For this reason, I feel like people place less value on artists. In Europe, it seems like street musicians get a lot more respect. This makes me wanna jump the pond sometime in the future.