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The Amazing BrandO
As a kid my Gameboy
was my best friend, and I won’t lie, I was very fascinated at a young age by video
games. One thing that constantly caught my attention was 8-bit music, it would
draw me in and keep my listening. This fascination drew me to later on start listening to amazing
groups and people who would play around with these songs, and one day I
discovered BrandO on YouTube, and I’ve been listening to his songs ever since.
He mixed my two favourite things together into music, 8-bit and rock! So much
has changed in the years that have gone by, but I still love everything he’s
released! When I asked if he would answer a few questions he kindly accepted my
proposal, so here it is!
Interview With The Ammazing BrandO
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The Fancy Platypus: When did you get interested in music?
The Amazing BrandO: "I've been interested about for as long as I can remember. I used to sit and play in my dad's guitar case, and can recall trying to play his guitar. I had rhythm, but I didn't know any chords until I was about 13."
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The Fancy Platypus: What came first? Becoming a lyricist? Or a Guitarist?
The Amazing BrandO: "I played the clarinet in Elementary School. I traded my clarinet for a guitar and soon after formed a garage band with friends. I played guitar and sang; I was the only one in the band with the coordination to do both, and so I was the vocalist by default."
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The Fancy Platypus: When did you start writing your own music?
The Amazing BrandO: "After learning some chords on guitar and learning / playing cover songs with my first band, I went on to front a band called (after many name changes) Uplift. This was my first opportunity to write lyrics. I started writing my own music shortly thereafter, simultaneously learning the ups and downs of home recording in the process."
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The Fancy Platypus: Where do you get your inspiration from?
The Amazing BrandO: "Inspiration for what I do stems from all kinds of different places. With Uplift, my inspiration was being an angsty teenager. With Exit Mindbomb (my solo project during and after Uplift) my inspiration came from being able to write the music I wanted to hear. It was a bit more personal than anything I'd done; they're feelings frozen in time. Very few of the Exit Mindbomb tracks are based on any particular true story, but more of a concept art.
With The Adventures of Duane & BrandO, the inspiration was, of course, driven by nostalgia. Vocally and lyrically, I wasn't used to rap music. If I have rap influence, it's more on a rhythmic level than anything. The attitude and inflection in my voice is/was intended to be taken parodically.
For my newer solo VGM work, "The Amazing BrandO," I draw inspiration from absurdity. Where D&B was a kind of childhood attitude, I've found that my newer work reflects replaying my (still) favorite video games as an adult. It's a new take on nostalgia, stemming from childhood and evolving into a different personal viewpoint."
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The Fancy Platypus: Where did the idea of writing lyrics to game music come from?
The Amazing BrandO: "As a kid, I'd write words to the melodies in video games in my head a lot, but It wasn't until Duane came into the picture that everything came rushing back. Duane really taught me how easy it is to tell a story through rap music; he was the first person I'd ever heard rapping to video game music, and it was so hilarious that I gained more appreciation for it. He needed a producer, and so I set some beats, learned and recorded the parts, and eventually joined on vocals."
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The Fancy Platypus: How do you think of lyrics for songs?
The Amazing BrandO: "Syllables are very important in writing lyrics. The rest comes fairly easily. Lyrics don't have to be anything you don't want them to be. Rhyming isn't too difficult, especially these days with the world at our fingertips, but syllables are very, very important. With VGM, it's more of a "fill-in-the-blanks" but with original music, it's sometimes difficult not to fall into bad patterns. I definitely suggest reading. Not just poetry, but books in general. Literature is literature, and storytelling, descriptions, dialogue, and mood are just as important as syllable placement."
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The Fancy Platypus: On average, how long do you spend on a song?
The Amazing BrandO: "On average, I spend anywhere from 2 to 9 months on a song. I also produce my own video, which takes a lot of time and patience as well, especially since I've still got a lot to learn. I usually work on a song until I'm as happy with it as I can be."
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The Fancy Platypus: How do you feel about your fan base?
The Amazing BrandO: "I have the best, most amazing fans in the world. We all have something in common. I've never seen so many friendships take off and grow. It motivates me to carry on."
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The Fancy Platypus: What are some pros and cons of:
• Writing songs from video game music?
The Amazing BrandO: PROS:
- It's a learning experience for everyone, especially fans.
- The opportunity to tribute my favorite video games and their soundtracks is worth a lot of Exp.
CONS:
- Genres, subgenres, sub-subgenres...
- Expectations / requests
- Blisters x2
• Being popular on the internet?
The Amazing BrandO: "Fame is a double-edged sword. It almost feels like the more energy you put out, the easier it is to lose yourself. I became known as something I was parodying, and moving on from that has proved incredibly difficult. Fame does not always equal fortune. It's hard to keep moving sometimes, but when I recieve messages about making someone's day better, that's what really matters. That's what it's about."
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The Fancy Platypus: Do you control everything about your music? If so does that make you feel closer to your fans?
The Amazing BrandO: "Being a production company on legs allows me to release media I am proud of. However, it is very tiring and time consuming. By default, I have gotten to know my fan base pretty well. The D&B fallout was rough because, like I said before, I had become known as a parody. It has been difficult to help people understand where I'm coming from, and who I am as an artist and a person. It's also been difficult with as much work that goes into my productions not to take things personally, but overall, I feel closer to my fans than ever before. It's been a rough trip, and their support and understanding has kept me upright."
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The Fancy Platypus: What is your hope for the future?
The Amazing BrandO: "I hope to build and maintain a recording studio and/or record label. Hopefully, with awesome support, this can become a reality and I can do more with the talents I have to make the world a better place. I hope to keep doing what I love to do."
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The Amazing BrandO is just an amazing Artist. Be it lyrics to an OST, or one of his compositions, they're all fantastic and fun to listen to. I enjoy listening to him every chance I do and I do listen to his music quite on the often side. He's nice to his fans, and I enjoy the fact that he takes his time out of his day to even answer people when they ask him a question. If you're like me and you love rock music, but with some spunk The Amazing BrandO is the guy for you!
I would like to thank you all for reading my article and a very big thank you to Mr. Brandon A.K.A The Amazing BrandO For allowing me to interview him. It's been a pleasure everyone I'm sure! Now all you need to do is check him out!
