Mark Brainard: Bio/Journal
Journal for November 2008
Happy November. It has been a few months since my last journal entry as I was busy buying a house and moving in. Gigs have been sporadic and some I didn't even put on the calender. (my apologies) Mark I. has filled in on drums a couple of times while Tony had other commitments. We have gigs booked through May of 2009 at Season Ticket. My main attention will be on finishing two recording projects. Brainard and Russell's follow up CD to Life In Java, and my solo CD A Musician's Son. The new B&R is almost 50% complete. We're excited about the new songs and have performed several of them live. I've written all the songs for A Musician's Son and have made several demos. Both will be released in 2009. I plan to play open mics weekly to showcase my new material. I can't post all of my open mic appearances, but if you are interested in coming, please email me. I just co-hosted the Beatles special on Rockin' Radio with Randy Tivens. If you are interested in listening, go to my link on Rockin' Radio. It is not to be missed. My primary future focus will be on original music projects as I want to follow my heart. I hope everyone comes along for the ride.
See you,
Mark
Journal for April 2008
Hi Folks! First of all I have to apologize for not updating my website for a while. It has been a whirlwind of a year so far. We've played a few gigs and our schedule is starting to pick up. I had a couple of physical issues and almost had to have surgery. After a second opinion I don't have to have surgery and I have a clean bill of health. I've written 3 new songs this year, and Tim and I have recorded a couple of more songs for our new CD. I performed a couple of solo gigs as well. I will be working on updating the website with more pictures and info soon. I finished the first draft of my book and continue to work on it from time to time. I'm hoping to release my solo CD and the book this year. Please leave inspiration for me in the guestbook area. I love to share my creations, especially with you sweet "K". I look forward to a very productive rest of the year. I'll check in again soon.
Mark
Journal for January, 2008
Welcome back. It has been a couple of months since I've updated this site. I hope everyone had a Happy Holiday Season. We're ready to go after a much needed rest. Tim is completely healed after major surgery and ready to perform again. We have booked three new gigs at Season Ticket with more to come. We've also been recording the past several weeks and are about 30% done with our follow up CD to Life In Java. I wrote 8 new songs in 2007 and I'm excited about showcasing them. I've also been writing a book about my life in music along with lyrics and poems. I hope to finish it this year along with my Musician's Son CD. Full Throttle has been discussing the possibility of recording another Christmas CD as well. It looks like a busy year for all of us. The Promises are starting to rehearse again and we'll be announcing our future gig plans soon. I am really energized about so many projects this year, and I just have to find my balance as I still have to go to work every day at my real job. I will be updating this site more often from now on. I would like to thank everyone for their support. Also, I would like to send my Get Well wishes out to you Kaitie.
Rock on,
Mark
Brainard and Russell
Mark Brainard and Tim Russell have been playing in rock bands together for over 20 years around the L.A. area, splitting their time between the original circuit, and with performing classic rock oldies for corporations and nightclubs. Their band won two Beatlefest "Battle of the Bands" competitions in the late 90's, and they also appeared on two Cheap Trick fan Tribute CD's. They have now come full circle, teaming up to create this all original acoustic based album titled "Life in Java". Discover this long awaited arrival direct from their hearts. This twelve-song package carries top-notch songwriting, feel good licks, and sing along choruses. "We blend our two acoustic guitars together to create a sound reminiscent of 70's California comfort, Classic Folk, and The British invasion."
Journal for October, 2007
Happy Autumn,
It's been a roller coaster summer to say the least. Tim is still recovering from an illness and we all hope for him to be back to his old self soon. (no age remark pun intended) We did manage to get in a few recording sessions during the summer and our still untitled new CD project is moving along. Tim and I have co-written a couple of songs that sound great and will be on our new CD. I have also finished writing 3 new songs during the summer, one of which was co-written with my friend Russ Neibert. We're still planning to record these Brainard / Neibert tunes at some point, new and old. Full Throttle is performing at the Halloween Harvest Festival at Pierce College on two different nights. (see calender). There should be a couple thousand people on hand as we rock from a nice size stage. I hope to see you all there. I'll be co-hosting a "Beatle Special" radio show in November with my friend, Randy Tivens for his RLT Archives program. I believe this is our 6th annual show together. We started to talk Beatles back in 1971 when Randy invited me over to his house to listen to John Lennon's new "Imagine" album. We haven't stopped talking about it since. I am so grateful to have so many "Beatle Friends". Although our gig schedule has been light lately, I see 2008 as huge in terms of gigging and recording. I hope to release a few new musicial projects in the upcoming year. I would like to give special note to a couple of other friends. Congratulations to Janine (of the Promises) and Ian on your new baby boy. Also, congratulations to Dan (of the Promises) and Eileen for the upcoming birth of your baby later this month. Last, I recently lost a dear friend (Kevin Kelly). He was another musician, who played a mean guitar, was a member of Speck (a Cheap Trick tribute band) a huge Beatle and rock and roll fan, and one of the most generous guys I ever met. My life is better for having known him. God bless you Kevin, and my prayers go out to your loving wife Susan.
See you,
Mark
Journal for April, 2007
Greetings, It's been a fun year so far. We've been playing steady gigs and more are on the way. I've started to write new songs after an eight month layoff. I feel refreshed and recharged. Tim and I are now recording a new CD to follow up our 2005 debut, "Life in Java". This new CD is still untitled but we're off to a great start. I'm still working on my EP CD "A Musician's Son", and I wouldn't be surprised if they were both released at the same time. I'm also looking to continue the songwriting project with my friend Russ soon. I'll be recording my 1st ever radio show in a couple of weeks called "Deep Album Tracks" to be aired on Rockin' Radio, via Live 365 in May. I look forward to sharing some great songs from my vast album collection that never get any airplay.
Happy Springtime,
Mark
Journal for June, 2007
It feels so good to be back into the full swing of things in the studio. Tim and I have been working on our new (still untitled) CD and we've layed down three new tracks as well as several demos. I can't begin to tell you how much fun it is to go through this process, but trust me, it doesn't get much better than this. Tim and I will be playing at Cafe Bellisimo in Mid- July. We'll be premiering some new songs as well as performing old favorites. I still have some other songwriting projects in the works, but moving and putting my condo up for sale has slowed me down a bit. We continue to sell downloads on itunes and other download sites for "Life In Java" music. I'll soon be adding some new links for many of these download sites. The Promises will be going on a brief hiatus after our June 16 gig to allow some members of the band and / or their spouses to have babies. I'm sure we'll be rocking again later in the year. I guess it gives me and Tim more studio time to finish our CD.
Take care,
Mark
Journal for January/February 2007
Happy New Year! Another year of rock and roll and folk music. I wish I could say that my CD is finished, but it's not. We do have big plans this year to finish several projects in the studio. We're putting the final touches on our Pro Tools upgrade, and should get back to recording soon. I want to finish "A Musician's Son" CD, Tim wants to finish his project, We want to start the follow-up to Brainard and Russell's "Life In Java", I want to complete projects with Denis Feehan and Russ Neibert, and Full Throttle wants to cut a new Promotional Demo. I think I'll call our new sessions "Anything Goes". I haven't written any new songs recently, but the creative juices are starting to flow again. I'm rehearsing with The Promises to increase our song volume and get sharp, and Full Throttle has booked several dates at Season Ticket. Yes, it looks to be a busy year. So much Fun !
Take care,
Mark
Journal for October/November 2006
Wow! A lot has happened the last several weeks. The Promises played a great Halloween Show. Okay, I dressed up as a green wicked witch. When I get brave enough, I'll put up a photo. Gayle's Perks closed down and I wasn't able to perform my solo show. I do have some great shows coming up though. Congratulations to Promises guitarist Dan Lake and his beautiful bride Eileen on their wedding. I feel privileged that Full Throttle got to rock the the house during their reception. Bad new struck us this week when Full Throttle guitarist and my duet partner Tim Russell had to have an emergency medical procedure and will be on the sidelines recovering for a few weeks. All our prayers are with him. It looks like I'll be playing the Cafe' Bellisimo December show solo. I'll surely dedicate a song to Tm. I will be performing in a holiday showcase at Juvenile Hall along with some good musician friends. I don't think we'll be performing Folsom Prison Blues, but we'll have some special songs up our sleeves. I'm also cllaborating with old songwriting partner Russ Neibert on a couple of new songs. We're looking at recording a special CD double single in dedication to his ailing Aunt including Russell's new lyric, "Copper Tears". As for my CD "A Musician's Son", I'm enjoying my demos right now while the studio finishes installation of our Pro Tools upgrade. Our number one priority is for Tim to get back to good health and we'll turn into a couple of recording monsters. God Bless Freedom! Mark