MUC Interview: Indie-Rock Artist Carter Brady Releases His Second Studio Album "Blue Reverb"

Here at Music Update Central we had the chance to chat with indie-rock artist Carter Brady about the release of his second studio album “Blue Reverb”, which is available now on all streaming & download services. You can check out the full interview below. Click here to stream “Blue Reverb”: soulspazm.ffm.to/bluereverb

What inspired you to make “Blue Reverb”?

I think it was a number of things, most notably being that because of the pandemic I had an excess amount of time to dedicate to making something as tedious and time consuming as a full-length album. I am someone who loves the process of recording music, particularly on a night when ideas are flowing and I am able to simultaneously lay down guitar tracks over a drum machine and then follow that with vocals. Having all that time was really a blessing in disguise for me, and I do believe that almost everything happens for a reason. So if things didn’t play out the way they did for me then I would have probably never written and recorded those songs in the exact way I did and had the willpower to go all in on making a record I am proud of. Another thing that inspired me was the fact that it was a nice outlet and way to express my feelings at that time in my life, and even though it hasn’t been long since then I think it was a great way to capture those moments musically.

What do you think makes you stand out from other artists in your genre?

There are so many great upcoming rock artists out there that have found a way to stand out in the scene, but I do think that my experimental lyrics and chord progressions along with the way I flavor songs with rhythm and lead guitar layers give me a distinct sound. I have never credited myself as being a great lyricist, but over the last year and a half I am much more confident when dealing with how lyrics fit with a certain progression. The music side of songwriting has always come first to me, so most of the time I tend to write lyrics that sound good with the music as opposed to the narrative it portrays. Having studied jazz guitar in college, I feel that it has translated well into my rock playing and given me a slight edge and more artsy dynamic to some of the songs. Being prominently a guitar player, I would be selling myself short if I didn’t try to find as many ways to incorporate transition guitar licks and solos into the songs. Some do and some don’t but I will always try to add it in if it fits with the song. Lastly, I didn’t mention it before but although it was never a strong point for me in the beginning I feel that my voice has definitely come a long way. Even though I was born with perfect pitch, a lot of times it doesn’t translate to a naturally good sounding singing voice. So the past couple years or so I’ve really had to work at it, but the last year in particular I think it has really paid off. I know that I’ll never have the range of someone like Dave Grohl or Kurt Cobain who can just belt it on cue, but I’ve been doing vocal training lessons and already have been able to expand my max range of pitch which has been very rewarding and fun.

Who has been your main influence throughout your music career?

I think that Foo Fighters have hands down been my biggest influence. They’re always going to be one of my favorite bands ever and their music still rubs off on me whether my songs sound exactly like them or not. Everlong is probably my all time favorite song, and being a guitarist I love that their sound is very guitar driven. The guitar tone in their songs is on another level, and I’ve definitely tried to emulate that in my own stuff. Dave Grohl is my idol so I’ve always aspired to be like him and play all of the instruments on my records when I’m able to.

Do you have a favorite track off your new album “Blue Reverb”?

That’s a tough question, I really do like all of them for different reasons so it’s hard for me to pick. But I would say from a commercial standpoint Bring Me Back To You is my favorite track and the one I’m most proud of and one of the reasons I made it first on the record.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you'd like to share with our readers?

Although I’ve been busy with grad school, I still have managed to find time to record new material over the past few months alongside finishing “Blue Reverb”. For what will be my third studio album, I am hoping to be able to release it in the spring, but no promises!

Connect with Carter Brady: www.carterbradymusic.com