alcohol, God, life, death, the ocean, other artists, Jim Henson, guns, roses, the music of the Beatles, the films of Cameron Crowe, the words of Henry Rollins, New Jersey, Philadelphia, New York City, California, regret, injustice, people who suck, past experiences, future uncertainties and the list goes on and on....
"Master is an exceptional live performer who reaches his audience with great music and human touch…comparable to Elliott Smith and Michael Stipe."
- Music Connection Magazine
About, etc. Bryan Master is an alternative-rock singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, California.
So what does that mean?
That he sounds like every other solo ‘singer-songwriter’ out there? No – because he doesn’t…and he doesn’t, because he doesn’t want to. It’s exactly this reason that makes his music incomparable most times. Sure you’ll hear draws from his musical roots - his favorite band The Beatles, and from pioneering classic artists like Springsteen, Bowie, Tom Petty, Neil Young and Billy Joel. At his core, he is eclectic: “I write songs as if I’m listening to a movie soundtrack of various artists or a mix-tape…I’d get bored otherwise – and think the audience would too. I think it’s a reflection of mood, as well – moods are really captured in music & are ever-changing…and I’m one moody son of a bitch.” Raised on a healthy diet of folk, punk and rock – he is as much a combination of these components as influences like R.E.M., Elvis Costello, Lou Reed or Dave Grohl. “I don’t write ‘lowest-common-denominator’ music – I write smart music for smart people…I give my audience a lot more credit than the general music industry does. There’s a difference between ‘keeping it simple’ and ‘dumbing-it-down’. I want it to be visual…cinematic – evoke imagery and intensity all at the same time – like watching your favorite film.”
A multi-instrumentalist - he was practicing the trumpet and piano when he was 5…and like every other child who’d rather be out skateboarding, he hated it. Then he hit adolescence and was looking for something to hit – divine-intervention: the drums…and loved it. Bryan would eventually play drums professionally for years until morphing into the singer/guitarist/songwriter that was growing deep inside, dying to get out. He has the natural ability to pick up almost any instrument and instantly make sense of it and often cites the famous words of John Lennon: I'm an artist, and if you give me a tuba, I'll bring you something out of it.
Los Angeles – No…he isn’t an LA-native. No he didn’t take the easy way out and move to the beach to ‘make it big’. He took a slight 10-year detour (by way of New Jersey) through the grit & grime of New York City. Splitting half of that decade between drummer and front-man, he honed his chops, grew as a musician and gained life experiences and a worldly perspective. It was all practice for the real thing – Los Angeles, which is where he calls home (for the time being). “New York was a great place to ‘come up’ and get beat down – get thick-skinned…LA is where all of the deals are being made and the hands are shaking. It’s art vs. business. Los Angeles is great – every day is just another shitty day in paradise.”
In short, as far as a struggling, independent artist entering into the music industry at the worst possible point in history goes – Bryan’s doing just fine. Among his long list of accolades, he’s played the top venue circuits in NYC (Joe’s Pub, Mercury Lounge, The Cutting Room), Philadelphia (The Trocadero, World Café Live) and LA (Hotel Café, The Troubadour, Viper Room), received radio-airplay on major-market stations (LA’s Star 98.7, Philly’s WXPN, Austin’s Mix 94.7), been a finalist in both a high-profile national songwriting contest & an LA radio station contest, recorded and performed with world-renowned/Grammy-winning musicians & producers and was even a featured artist on Billboard. “I’ve already accomplished what I set out to do…and am very satisfied – but am ready for what’s next. It’s amazing what you can accomplish by working your ass off and just being a nice guy. Oh, and I guess you should have some talent, too.”
Bryan is currently recording his third studio album, For People Like Us, in Los Angeles with producers Evan Frankfort (Pete Yorn, Liz Phair, Rancid, the Wallflowers) and Doc Dauer (CBS's Swingtown and CW's 90210). The album will feature a collection of amazing guest musicians including renowned organist Rami Jaffee (Wallflowers, Foo Fighters), Shaun Hague (Amos Lee, Hodges), Luke Adams (Pete Yorn, the Sheers), Jonny Polonsky, Nick Amoroso (Matt Nathanson), Joe Ayoub (Nikka Costa, Cary Brothers, Population Game) and Evan Frankfort. The album will be catapulted by tracks like 'Moments Like This', ‘Lost Angeles’ and 'The Breakdown' and is slated for release in 2009.
Radio, Radio
Among others, bryan's music has been featured on the following airwaves: Philadelphia's
WXPN, L.A.'s Star 98.7 and Austin's Mix 94.7 FM's JB & Sandy Show.
To request songs on a frequency near you, please click HERE!
Song Licensing
To license Bryan's music for Commercial, Television and Film purposes, please visit his licensing archive for more information - click
HERE.
Past Tours
6/11/09 hermosa beach, ca saint rocke
5/11/09 hermosa beach, ca the shore
3/27/09 redondo beach, ca the brixton
3/17/09 hollywood, ca hotel cafe
3/11/09 hermosa beach, ca the shore
1/13/09 hollywood, ca hotel cafe
1/7/09 hermosa beach, ca the shore
12/12/08 hollywood, ca hotel cafe
9/10/08 hermosa beach, ca saint rocke
6/2/08 hollywood, ca hotel cafe
4/9/08 hermosa beach, ca the shore
3/27/08 ny,ny the mercury lounge
1/26/08 hollywood the key club
12/28/07 ny,ny the living room
12/27/07 ny,ny cutting room
12/21/07 philly the tin angel
12/12/07 hermosa beach, ca the shore
12/4/07 hollywood hotel cafe
11/21/07 philly grape st.
11/19/07 ny, ny billboard underground
11/17/07 ny, ny the living room
11/8/07 hollywood hotel cafe
9/29/07 w. hollywood viper room
9/13/07 santa barbara rocks
9/8/07 new york the living room
8/28/07 philadelphia the fire
7/21/07 los angeles room 5 lounge
6/20/07 ny, ny the living room
6/19/07 ny, ny the cutting room
6/8/07 los angeles the troubador
6/6/07 san diego canes bar & grill
3/31/07 hollywood hotel café
1/17/07 hollywood sync la (nettwerk)
1/14/07 hollywood the viper room
12/20/06 wash., d.c. velvet lounge
12/15/06 philadelphia grape st.
12/14/06 ny, ny the cutting room
12/11/06 albany, ny valentines
12/09/06 burlington, vt club metronome
11/30/06 los angeles hotel café
11/05/05 los angeles ps arts benefit show
11/04/05 los angeles the mint
10/07/06 burlington, vt club metronome
10/06/06 philadelphia the tin angel
10/05/06 ny, ny the cutting room
9/23/05 los angeles the mint
9/02/06 hollywood genghis cohen
8/28/06 hermosa, ca the shore
8/21/06 hermosa, ca the shore
8/17/06 hollywood genghis cohen
8/14/06 hermosa the shore
8/07/06 hermosa the shore
8/05/06 venice, ca good hurt
8/03/06 los angeles hotel café
6/29/06 los angeles hotel café
6/11/06 las vegas house of blues
5/25/06 ny, ny mercury lounge
5/13/06 los angeles hotel café
4/8/05 los angeles room 5 lounge
3/23/06 ny, ny the living room
2/18/06 los angeles room 5 lounge
1/26/06 los angeles hotel café
12/30/05 ny, ny mercury lounge
12/29/05 philadephia the trocadero
12/10/05 los angeles hotel café
11/23/05 philadephia grape st.
11/10/05 ny, ny the cutting room
11/05/05 los angeles the mint
10/15/05 hollywood the key club
10/08/05 los angeles room 5 lounge
9/01/05 los angeles molly malone's
8/13/05 hollywood the viper room
7/31/05 hollywood the joint
7/18/05 hollywood the cat club
7/16/05 ny, ny the cutting room
6/28/05 hollywood lava lounge
6/24//05 philadelphia world cafe live
6/12/05 las vegas cox pavilion
6/11/05 las vegas fremont st.
6/04/05 los angeles room 5 lounge
5/21/05 venice, ca the good hurt
5/15/05 hollywood vine st. lounge
4/16/05 los angeles molly malone's
4/09/05 los angeles hotel café
3/26/05 philadephia grape st.
3/20/05 los angeles the whisky
3/12/05 los angeles hotel café
2/10/05 austin, tx lucky lounge
2/10/05 austin, tx jb & sandy show
1/29/05 ny, ny piano's
1/22/05 bryn mawr villanova university
1/07/05 ny, ny luna lounge
12/11/04 philadelphia world cafe live
12/09/04 brooklyn the kettle black
12/04/04 ny, ny the cutting room
11/24/04 philadephia grape st.
11/02/04 ny, ny sin-e
10/09/04 philadephia world cafe live
10/03/04 ny, ny piano's
9/25/04 philadephia grape st.
9/18/04 bryn mawr villanova university
8/26/04 bryn mawr the point
8/07/04 ny, ny mercury lounge
7/29/04 brooklyn trash
5/26/04 ny, ny the knitting factory
5/22/04 ny, ny the cutting room
4/28/04 ny, ny mercury lounge
3/20/04 ny, ny luna lounge
2/24/04 ny, ny fez
2/20/04 ny, ny the cutting room
2/17/04 ny, ny fez
2/15/04 los angeles hotel café
2/10/04 ny, ny fez
2/03/04 ny, ny fez
1/30/04 bryn mawr the point
1/29/04 ny, ny luna lounge
1/24/04 ny, ny fez
12/11/03 ny, ny luna lounge
11/26/03 philadelphia grape st.
11/14/03 los angeles genghis cohen
10/16/03 ny, ny sidewalk cafe
10/04/03 ny, ny luna lounge
9/27/03 manayunk grape st.
9/13/03 ny, ny the cutting room
8/14/03 ny, ny luna lounge
8/07/03 ny, ny baggott inn
7/18/03 ny, ny le bar bat
6/27/03 ny, ny luna lounge
5/30/03 ny, ny mercury lounge
5/24/03 philadelphia pontiac grille
5/10/03 ny, ny luna lounge
4/19/03 manayunk grape st.
4/05/03 ny, ny luna lounge
3/15/03 ny, ny the cutting room
2/27/03 ny, ny fordham university
2/13/03 ny, ny the cutting room
1/24/03 ny, ny luna lounge
12/21/02 ny, ny luna lounge
12/07/02 ny, ny the cutting room
11/27/02 manayunk grape st.
11/09/02 ny, ny luna lounge
9/28/02 ny, ny the cutting room
9/14/02 philadelphia pontiac grille
8/03/02 los angeles the gig
8/08/02 los angeles the mint
8/24/02 ny, ny luna lounge
6/15/02 ny, ny luna lounge
5/1//02 ny, ny the cutting room
4/25/02 ny, ny the triad
4/13/02 ny, ny the triad
4/11/02 ny, ny luna lounge
3/27/02 brooklyn luxx
3/23/02 ny, ny the triad
2/01/02 ny, ny bar b
1/20/02 ny, ny luna lounge
1/06/02 ny, ny mercury lounge
12/19/01 ny, ny indigo bar
12/18/01 ny, ny sin sin
12/05/01 ny, ny the cutting room
1/17/01 ny, ny the cutting room
12/12/00 ny, ny the triad
11/18/00 ny, ny the cutting room
6/27/00 ny, ny the triad
QUOTES: "Bryan Master has been one of the most consistently successful acts the club has seen in past years - he is one of the only musicians who can consistently pack this room and is one of the most promising acts we showcase." - Steve Walter, Manager - The Cutting Room, NYC
"Bryan Master brings back the focus on a strong singer songwriter with an excellent group. His catchy pop hooks and clever tongue-in-cheek lyrics are filled with integrity and passion." -Rob Sacher, Owner - Luna Lounge, NYC
"...professional, personable, and songs that leave you humming. Bryan Master combines introspective lyrics with memorable melodies during his captivating performances. Bryan also has the most unique guitar technique I have ever witnessed. Did I mention the man can pack a room?” - Andrew Geigert, Booking Agent - Grape St. Philadelphia
"I was fortunate enough to see him live when I was up there in October. Unbelievable show! As you all know, I am a big Toad the Wet Sprocket fan and he and his band sound just like them." -DJ Digitz, Mix 94.7FM - Austin, TX
Hey Brian ~~! How's it Going "? Just wanted to say Hi and wish youa great night! Sorry I couldn't go to Saint rocke " Wanted to be there and seeing all of you on stage!! Hey Have a Great Sunday ! xo
HI Bryan!! Thank you,that was kind , and yes "Saint Rocke"was a great gig!! and Shaun's is amazinlly talented and you guys bleneded it so well ;)and it's a rarity and complemement to catch these gigs at these clubs ! i'll definetly enjoy seeing you play in town and w/ Shaun!That whole night had a great vibe!! Hey~{They hair looks great by the way~}Keep Rockin& n touch!!!!
Hey Bryan...How have you been???????....Just wanted to touch base with you....What is up??..Are you planning on coming to AZ EVER?????????..lol...drop me a line..Have a great night:-)
...
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