Ulysses

At 13 years old, music was only a hobby for Brett during his 4th period band class.  It was nothing more than literal background noise in his daily life, a way to hang out with new friends, and an excuse to make obnoxious, goofy sounds on a hand-me-down trumpet from his father.  But the course of his life would change forever when he received a pep-rally song titled “Back in Black”.  To get a head start on his new assignment after school, he went home and searched for the song on YouTube to have something to practice with; and when Angus Young's famous riff started blasting on the family computer, music was no longer some hobby.  Music had become his whole life.

Leaving the trumpet behind, Brett set forth on his musical pilgrimage to become one of the rockstars he idolized.  With each newly discovered artist and musical genre his passion raged within him like wildfire, and when his father introduced him to the Beatles his passion evolved into obsession.  He quickly taught himself how to play his sister's neglected guitar, and upon discovering Queen, singing immediately followed.  After 3 years of honing his skills and studying his predecessors, he took the next logical step and started performing in rock bands in high school and college.  However, when he attended Ohio University the sounds of Appalachia surrounded him; eventually percolating into his musical appetite and fostering a deep reverence for storytelling and folk music.  Since then, he has proudly ventured down the path of the singer-songwriter.

Now, Brett writes and performs his own music that blends his roots of alt-rock and the elements of traditional folk storytelling.  His art is consistently sharpened and showcased by playing bars, breweries, and house shows in various bands or as a solo live-looping artist.  Whether it’s a street corner, a coffee shop open mic, or one of the main stages for the Pittsburgh Arts Festival, every song is performed as if it's his last.  Brett has found himself time and time again in a sound he can call his own and that he endlessly strives to perfect.  His music has provided a sense of freedom in what seems to be an increasingly artificial and formulated world.  And he hopes that those who hear him sing are able to feel that same sense of freedom.