Michelle Schrotz (photograph by David Wright)

I'm really excited about this new album for a lot of reasons.  It's the first time that we've done everything on our own (production and recording wise) and honestly the end product exceeded my expectations.  I'm proud of what we were able to accomplish and I'm also excited about what we've learned and what the future holds for us in terms of releasing new music (hey maybe the next full length album won't be a 10 year wait! :)   This album is very diverse, there is something for a wide range of music listeners in this collection of songs.  There are some quiet and beautiful moments and also heavy moments with big guitars, drums and bass. 

One of my favorite songs on this album is "Mystery".  Starting off with a big guitar groove, and then there are these fun "The Edge" like guitar slides, the speaking parts during the verses (that we referred to as the "cockpit chatter" like what you'd hear the pilots say during your last flight) and ending with a "gospel" choir, it's such a fun little song.  It's also the second time in our 20 year band history that my Dad wrote the lyrics for us!  He writes a lot of lyrics, poems, stories, etc., but the lyrics for this song seemed to fit perfectly with the music and I love how it turned out.  (If anyone is wondering what the other song was that he contributed lyrics for, it was "New Beginning" from the "Searching for the Sun" album.)   

Another favorite of mine is "Race to the End" where for the first time I sang a duet with Rain Irving who I also have had the pleasure of singing with in While Heaven Wept.  I knew I wanted to sing with Rain on the album and had debated for a long time which song seemed right.  I'm glad "Race" ended up being the winner because I think it was the perfect song and what he added to it was amazing.  I love singing with his "big" voice. I think the tone of our voices are actually very similar but his voice is so big and powerful and mine is much softer and yet somehow I don't think we off set each other, it works.  I'm really glad we were able to work together on this one.  

There are a lot of song highlights for me on this new album and we have a lot more to come.  As we started working on "the calm | the storm" we had about 30 songs and ended up with 10. We are working on the next batch of songs now and seeing which ones will make the final cut for the next release. Looking forward to getting out there and playing more live shows too.  THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us over the years and we hope to see you at a show soon!  <3

Suvo Sur (photograph by David Wright)

Perhaps my favorite track on TCTS is Feel the Rain. In the 20+ years Brave has been in existence, FTR is really one of the first songs that allowed us to explore various textures and structures on the fly without any of the annoying constraints of tight deadlines or a ticking studio clock that bleeds our funds dry. So we were really able to push some boundaries with this one. I'm looking forward to keeping that creative drive strong and challenge ourselves (and the listeners) with an impending shit-ton of new immersive soundscapes, textures, and fresh sonic environments in future releases.

In this next blog post we have some thoughts on "the calm | the storm" from our guitarists, Scott Loose and Matt Kozar.  Enjoy!

Scott Loose (photograph by David Wright)

I've been questioning lately why I am compelled to write, record and perform music.  For me, it's not for the stereotypical purposes of money or fame or whatever, but I do think there's an element of legacy involved when you record something that will likely endure, in some format or another, long after we are gone.  So anyway, for me Brave is in part a statement of who we are and what we want to express, and it's a projection of these ideas out into the world--but I remain cognizant of this idea that once recorded it is not bound to a particular time.  When it comes to some of the inspiration behind the lyrics and music, it is also not restricted to an attempted connection with other people.  In 'Electric Ravens,' for example, it's really about finding a connection to the greater universe, and about finding a place among it all and being comfortable in something so vast.  I get sort of tired of our human-centric society, and so for me I've attempted to create something with a broader 'audience' in mind.  All of that said, as a musician I have found it to be equally gratifying when there is a genuine connection to other people.  I do really appreciate it when people 'get it,' and if some of these ideas that we have also resonate with others - ultimately, this is the most rewarding thing.  It's a form of communication, which is beyond mere conversation, and can connect people on a deeper level. 

Our new album, 'the calm | the storm' is a culmination of some of these ideas which developed over more than 10 years.  Of all of the recordings that I've been on, this one is the most special to me.  Part of that is because Brave consists literally of my family and close friends, which is why we're still doing this, but also because we did everything from the recording to the artwork on our own.  Our last full-length release 'Monuments' was in 2008, so we've accumulated a lot of ideas since then.  Our new album is really just scratching the surface, as we have a lot more material in various stages of completion waiting to be recorded.  For our listeners, and those who appreciate our music, thank you very much for your continued support.  And for those who maybe have just discovered us, we've got quite a long history of material for you to check out!  Regardless, we're riding a pretty strong wave of momentum now, so stay tuned for more music from us in the near future.

Matt Kozar (photograph by David Wright)

I love how the new album takes chances and really explores a variety of musical tapestries.  You can hear the evolution of our influences and tastes come through in the songwriting, as well as the different layers and sounds used throughout.  We made a purposeful attempt to experiment with new sounds and each song has its own unique flavor while maintaining a consistency that makes the album, as a whole, work.   My favorites songs are the bookends of the album.  "I Will Wait" immediately smacks you in the face and creates an energy that never lets up. "Feel the Rain" takes you on a journey through an ethereal soundscape the hypnotizes the listener into wanting more.  Looking forward to our next musical journey...

Greetings!

We are so happy to finally have our latest album drop this week!  "the calm | the storm" is our first full length album in 10 years and we'd like to share some insight from each of us over the next few days. First up, the rhythm section: Ben Kelly(bass) and Trevor Schrotz (drums).

Ben Kelly (photograph by David Wright)

"the calm | the storm"  is my favorite Brave album for several reasons... but most notably, because of all the hard work that went into it.  It's our first effort to be entirely produced and recorded in a home studio. 

We all contributed so much of ourselves to make this album as great as possible, and to that end, I think we succeeded because it sounds incredible! 

We spent countless hours writing, performing, recording, mixing, rewriting, and redoing parts to make sure the vibe was just right. 

"the calm | the storm" is also one of our most diverse and dynamic records to date - from heart thumping tunes like "I Will Wait" and "Summertime" - to more relaxed melodic jams such as "November" and "Feel the Rain"; this album has a little something special for everyone. 

However, one of my favorite songs on the album has to be "Race to the End."  Aside from being a Brave first, (a duet with the amazing vocal talents of Hank Rain Irving of While Heaven Wept) this song transformed my sound and inspired me to evolve as a musician. 

An early recording of Race to the End (while running direct) required some software magic to boost the bass signal, which inadvertently included some distortion.  The grit and growl that this filter added, made this tune so heavy, I thought it was a must-have for the final version. Thus inspiring me to experiment with my tone and approach for this album.

Trevor Schrotz (photograph by David Wright)

"the calm | the storm" is a balanced musical record, as the name implies, with music that is more driving as well as less so, but the intensity of the compositions still pull the listener into another mind space.  Brave has always been a more contemplative musical project straying away from the whimsical towards the serious while still rocking and grooving.  My favorite song at the moment is "Electric Ravens" simply for the feel and the changes that are interesting and fun.

Greetings, and welcome to the new BRAVE website!  We are long overdue in reaching out to our fans and friends to provide an update to our recent activities--and while things have been quiet on this end, we have not been idle.  We have been busy writing, recording and mixing the new album 'the calm | the storm'

What can we say about the new album?  Well, after 10 years of writing and refining this music, it continued to develop right through the recording process.  We explore a fairly wide dynamic range on this album, from a very minimalist acoustic/vocal track called 'Bay Song' to more dense compositions such as the opening track 'I Will Wait.'  In all, the new album will feature 10 new songs and will be released in all the standard formats on January 8, 2019.  

Expect some new samples to be posted on bravemusic.com very soon!