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Who is this guy?
I’m an independent musician
who writes and records his own music, for the fun of it, secretly hoping
that random people will stumble across the site, really dig the tunes, and
seriously consider buying an album from him. I’m a goofy, creative,
and determined intellectual (“determined” meaning I can’t believe in
free will) who is just having fun making a cool website full of attemptedly
interesting content.
What are you working on
now?
At the moment, I’m typing
the answer to this question. And now I’m writing another sentence
explaining what I’m doing after starting my reply.
Is there a musical
project in the works?
My seventh album was
completed in the final days of 2005 and it rocks. My 2006 project is
underway, albeit in pre-production stages (as of March). I’ve got
more than enough lyrics penned for the tentatively-titled eighth album E-mails
To Females and it will be complete sometime before 2007.
Is this a personal
website, or a corporate website?
In an effort to maximize the
usefulness of this site, I’ve combined both endeavors, personal and
business, into one official website. It’s my own
little playground wherein I may promote my music, inform about my
whereabouts, and rant about crap. The World
Bri’ed Records website is a mock-corporate-site, but don’t tell them
that!
Where can I buy your
music?
The answer used to be: “Currently, all four of my
previously available albums are up at mp3.com
for purchase. I make a whopping $2.50 from each disc sold from
them. They make much more.”
The answer now is: “Currently, my four earliest albums are not
available. This may be remedied if there’s a demand, however …
okay, please stop laughing. Hand Gestures & Sarcasm is available exclusively
from CafePress, for $9.99 plus S&H. My other latest releases can be
obtained if you contact me.”
 Your
album(s) are too
expensive … where can I rip you off and download all your hard work for
free?
I have songs on my Music
and Albums pages and also some at soundclick.com,
myspace.com,
download.com
and garageband.com.
Other than that, I would suggest the following: get one of your rich friends
to buy a copy each of all my albums, and then instead of ripping them to mp3
and burning you your own copy, your friend should buy copies of the albums
again, to give to you.
Can I see you perform
live?
Yes, because when I'm dead I
will be unable, unfortunately, to perform any of my music.
Do you play gigs
anywhere?
I often can be seen playing
headlining tours all across the country. Currently, I am planning an
extensive European tour with my opening act John Mayer. This weekend
I’ll be at the Universal Amphitheatre playing a sold-out show, so if you
can get some scalped tickets, more power to you.
You’re kidding!
Were you lying just there?
Yes. Yes I was.
And then I sat up straight and answered your question.
Are you always this
difficult?
No. Sometimes I come
with a study guide with all the terms you need to know in bold, so you can
just skim to get the information you need.
What the hell are you
even saying any more?
It’s a cry for help,
really. Nobody is reading this and nobody buys my music. It’s
truly a wonder I even have the strength to type this. For all anyone
cares, I’m dead in a ditch, playing air-guitar and singing out to the
dull, gray sky, in a hollow monotone, about loves lost and times passed
(which, after all, is very hard to do while dead).
I can’t tell from
just the website, so, what kind of songs do
you write: serious and arsty, or stupid and novelty?
 If
I were to summarize my style, I would say it’s very Spinal Tap; or, for
that matter, it’s like anything written by that songwriting team (the
songs from A Mighty Wind definitely included): insofar as a)
the lyrics have a subtext that isn’t blaringly obvious, but remarkably in
plain view; b) the music and arrangements take themselves seriously
and are actually well-done examples of solid songwriting, albeit
intentionally mimicking musical conventions; and c) the overall
character is just good, plain fun! To be a little more elaborate into
the innerworkings of my “craft”: If I have something to say,
some kind of stance or viewpoint, I’ll start writing lyrics, which are
very metered and rhymed in a poetic way. Then I’ll set them to music
and have a song. If I don’t particularly have anything to say,
I’ll tend to write “love” songs. But I always try to put some
twist to it so each song has its own character or quirk. I may fail at
this. I always strive to put wit in there, or crafty jokes, or puns or
turns of phrase, or something along those lines that give a funny, humorous
tone. I don’t make “artsy” music, but I try to implement actual
music theory and techniques along with creative and innovative sounds.
I don’t write pop songs, but I try to make music that is catchy and
“familiar” enough that I appeal to more people than just myself;
although I’ll never do anything that I wouldn’t listen to on my
own. If I don’t like my music, I can’t expect anyone else to.
Who are your musical
influences?
They are the people I listen
to and subconsciously try to emulate, but that’s not important right
now. Musicians and bands I listened to a lot and still enjoy to this
day: Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Eric Johnson, Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits,
Barenaked Ladies, Guster, Tom Petty, They Might Be Giants, Tom Scholz,
Boston, Rush, 10,000 Maniacs, Collective Soul, Chip Davis, Mannheim Steamroller,
Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Tori Amos, Kristin
Hersh, Spinal Tap, Fountains Of Wayne, Fisher, Alison Krauss, Ludwig van
Beethoven.
Whose music does yours
sound most like?
Well, I sound like what you'd get if you Krazy Glued together some random bits and various elements of Spinal Tap, Boston, Barenaked Ladies, Guster, Eve 6, Ben Folds, Elliott Smith, Rush, They Might Be Giants, Nirvana, Fountains of Wayne, Tori Amos, and a leaf blower.
How soon ’til we
land?
I can’t tell you
that. Can’t you take a guess? Well, not for
another two hours. You can’t take a guess for another two
hours? No, I mean we can’t land for another two hours.
What equipment and/or
instruments do you use?
Everything I record was
either performed by me on one of my guitars, played out on my Korg keyboard,
or sequenced by me tediously in
MIDI. I do all my own singing, although it may be worth it to hire a
stunt double for the higher notes, and possibly the mid-range notes as well
(I’m more of a baritone than anything else, which I think is odd for a
solo, singer/songwriter type. No wonder I’m not more
successful!). I use Voyetra Digital Orchestrator (and Record Producer)
hard-drive recording
software and Sound Forge 4.5 on my 2.93GHz eMachine running Windows XP. All
guitars are actual guitars and all
synthesized sounds and drum patches are either from my Sound Blaster LIVE!
sound card, SoundFonts downloaded free from the Internet somewhere, or my
glorious Korg Triton Le-88. For complete (at least
further) details on all my guitars, visit the GuitARSENAL.
And for a thorough rundown of my entire workstation facility, visit Bri’s
Place Recording Facilities Workstation.
  However, here are two completely essential items in my possession.
These help define my signature sound, if I can be so bold as to call it
that. The Boss DD-6 digital delay pedal adds depth and
spaciousness to guitar tracks and all my vocals now. And the Rockman
Guitar Ace by Tom Scholz give me that rockin’ sound that makes me
scream out to the world, “ROCK & ROLL IS HERE TO STAY, DUDES!”
What is the air speed
velocity of an unladen swallow?
What do you mean?
African or European swallow?
Do you really record
everything on your own?
Yes. I spend no money
on studio time since it’s all done on my computer. I pay no one to
mix or master my music for me, even though it wouldn’t hurt to have it
done properly. I have full creative control over the whole process,
which is nice. And when it’s all done, I have only myself to thank,
so it’s a pride issue. I’m fully open to collaborate or expand my
projects to include more talented people, but for now, I’m not going out
of my way. I like being self-reliant. It’s a hobby, after all.
Why isn’t your new
album done yet?
Because I’m still recording
it. See, the order works like this: first I write the album, then I
record it, then I’m done. The being-done part comes last, and in the
nature of last parts, it happens when everything else is not happening any
more. Since the recording-it part is still happening, the being-done
part has not come.
Would you like to
increase your bust size three inches without surgery using a new drug
available legally in the U.S. for the first time?
No thank you. I already
bought the Viagra, enrolled in the porn site, and my pre-approved home loan
hasn’t come in yet. But do keep me constantly informed, like every
day, at least, please, otherwise I just might forget.
Can I donate money to
you for no reason at all?
Yes, you can. I have a
PayPal account that you may use your credit card to give money to, as often
as you like. It is all part of the Give Bri Money
fund, a charitable organization, limited in scope, but charitable
nonetheless.
Would you answer a
question of mine and post it on this page if I submitted it to you by
e-mail?
I thought you’d never
ask! Yes, yes I will. Although I use my own discretion as to
what I’ll post up here, I’ll answer any e-mails you wish to send
me. SUBMIT TO ME TODAY
… an e-mail, I mean.
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©2003 Brian Michael
Weidemann