Just me--- and whoever I need to play/sing anything I can't. This usually includes my Fiancee/drummer Tamara Bumann.
Influences
Classical: Beethoven, Haydn, Bartok, and many more
Film Composers: Ennio Morricone, Bernard Hermann, John Williams
Bands/Artists: Doors, Queen, Chet Atkins, Esquivel, Aimee Mann, Mills Bros. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and many more
Sounds Like
A quirky amalgem of vintage instruments playing everything from TV tunes to rock to psuedo-classical film scores--- and playing it with moods that swing from silly to sensible.
Hello, I'm Brad "The Professor" Gordon, a multi-instrumentalist musician and producer. I am currently working as the multi-instrumentalist (keys/Horns/accordion/Bvox/GTR) for the Hotel Cafe US and European tours. I've produced several artists such as Jim Bianco, The New Fidelity, and Quincy Coleman (the Come Closer album), and, most recently Raining Jane (The Paper Nest EP). Collectively, they've been played on dozens of major radio stations around the nation including KCRW and KROQ. They've also licensed their music to several televsion shows and movies including Men In Trees,Moonlight, Buffy The Vampire Slayer,Las Vegas, and Eli Stone, and one friend even won his category in The John Lennon Songwriting Contest with a song we recorded together at my Los Angeles Studio.
I often play on, and mix the records at my home studio in Echo Park neighborhood-- with occasional field trips to other studios for drums.
Here at my Magic Carpet Studios I also do tracks and arrangements for other artists records on real instruments -- horn sections, piano, keyboards, guitars, you name it-- and often send them back remotely over the internet. I have lots of real instruments at my studio to play with and am comfortable putting together a quick score or arrangement on the fly-- check out studio photos at thebradgordon.com.
I love making music in my studio. But I also like to get out in the world on a few carefully selected months each year travelling the world and performing live on tour, on the radio, and on televsion with artists I love and respect such as Jim Bianco, The entire roster on The Hotel Cafe Tour, and selectively with other individual artists that have included Quincy Coleman Kate Havnevik, Jesca Hoop, and Cary Brothers.
Here's a clip of me playing the Craig Ferguson show with the fabulous Jim Bianco Band.
And here's a little slideshow of some of my travels. I'm playing the part of the garden gnome from the film "Amelie"
Here's a live clip of me playing keyboards with Cary Brothers on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. You can also see my good friend Jason Kanakis on guitar, whom I also record and write with.
Notice the fine woodwork of my home made keyboard rig!
I've also been lucky enough recently to perform live on the radio several times recently on KCRW Los Angeles' influential Morning Becomes Eclectic with Jim Bianco, Quincy and Gus Black, and Jesca Hoop. While touring with Cary Brothers, we also had a chance to perform live on The Craig Ferguson Show on CBS and even at a private event for metaphysicist Depak Chopra!
The Hotel Cafe Tour is a bi-annual review style show with several artists rotating in front of the house band. This is the third year in a row I've been on these often sold out tours that give me a chance meet and perform with some amazing and diverse acts I love such as Cary Brothers (the tour creator), Jim Bianco, Ingrid Michaelson, Brian Wright and The Waco Tragedies, Brett Dennen, Kate Havnevik, Sara Bareilles, Dan Wilson, The Weepies, Jessie Baylin, Kevin Devine, Butch Walker, Josh Radin, Schuyler Fisk, Meiko, Jesca Hoop, Buddy, Rachel Yamagata, Steve Reynolds, and Tom McRae.
I'm originally from New Orleans, but I've been living and working in LA for about 10 years as a Producer/Composer/multi-instrumentalist and formerly as a piano teacher. My Magic Carpet Studio is here in the Echo Park neighborhood where I live.
In addtion to arranging and producing other artists, I also love to create much music of my own which has been used in several short films, TV, and DVD's, and as background for live radio segues by several deejays. I love to create instrumental music (featured on this site) that comes in a variety of forms that range from TV tune-type ditties and psychedelic pop-rock to old-time ensemble pieces and psuedo-classical and jazz scores. Some of it is just plain corny, but so much fun to make! I usually play all of the instruments on these pieces--including piano, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, trumpet clarinet, bass clarinet, accordion, organs, sax, percussion-- with some rhythmic help from my wife, drummer, Tamara Bumann.
I'm slowly building up a diverse and quirky sound library of original music that has started to get some licensing interest and use. Check my site to hear more www.thebradgordon.com.
Here's a 90 second clip of the Buster Keaton "College" I scored and performed myself with real instruments in my studio:
And Here's another silent film clip I scored/played/recorded-- this time for a Lon Chaney film called "He Who Gets Slapped".
In my spare time, I enjoy woodworking--mainly on musical instruments, vintage-style cases for non-vintage equipment, and studio furniture.
I love watching old movies (Spaghetti Westerns and silent films!)going to antique malls-- mostly in the hopes of finding more vintage instruments to supply the woodworking habit. Camping and going to Minor league baseball games with my wife is also a favorite pastime.
I like wearing vintage glasses frames and anything that fits in with someone who would wear such frames. Is this why everyone seems to call me The Professor?
Brad, nice to see you again at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill. Good luck on the rest of the tour! Hope to see you soon, I'm a big fan of all music you play!
Nice performance on the Craig Ferguson Show. Beautiful accordion and excellent clarinet. I guess I will forgive you for practicing clarinet while I was taking naps :) in the good ol' days.
Brad, Raining Jane were fantastic last night, I hadn't heard their music yet and I loved it! Congrats on the hard work producing, it really paid off, it sounded great!
