FEATURES
TWO TRACKS CURRENTLY IMPACTING TRIPLE A RADIO:
“LATE NIGHT” AND “NEXT 3”
Choosing progress over comfort and musical evolution over the same old, same old, singer/songwriter Brandon McHose made two major career decisions—one musical, one geographical—over the past two years.
With two tracks from his upcoming EP Late Night currently making an impact at radio and his eyes set on a Midwest tour, both are paying off big time.
After two predominately acoustic based full length albums, he pulled a complete 180, unveiling an explosive new, electric guitar driven sound on his upcoming new four track EP Late Night. The title track “Late Night” is currently in rotation at numerous college radio stations throughout the U.S. and “Next Three” shipped to Triple AAA on November 14.
Picking up and moving from Austin after five years, McHose high-tailed it back to his home region of the Midwest, choosing Chicago for a batch of exciting new career opportunities. Since hitting “The Big Windy” in 2010, the multi-talented artist has headlined at the Hard Rock Cafe, Taste of River North Festival and the House of Blues Foundation Room, in addition to creating successful residencies for himself in neighborhood venues (like the Citizen Room) that had never had music before.
While his sizzling guitar sound and powerhouse live performances have earned him hundreds of fans throughout the city, Chicago’s thriving indie music scene is also a springboard for McHose’s latest touring endeavors along the I-35 corridor, which stretches from Northern Minnesota through his home region of Central Iowa down to Southern Texas.
McHose launched his recording career with two well received acoustic based full length albums helmed by big name producers. Life Eclipse (2007) was produced by Chris Maresch, who has played with Eric Johnson; the set featured famed keyboardist Riley Osbourne, who once played with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band Double Trouble. Token (2008) was produced by Michael Ramos, a onetime member of The BoDeans whose credits include John Mellencamp and Los Lonely Boys.
Combining the melodically infectious, lyrically insightful vibe of classic singer/songwriters (James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon) with a Santana/Beck/Van Halen-like ability to shred, McHose has evolved into a multi-faceted artist in the tradition of his chief influences Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, Jimi Hendrix and—straight from his country phase—Vince Gill and Brad Paisley.
Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, Brandon McHose was introduced to the guitar by his father, once an aspiring guitarist himself. That’s a common story, a parent sharing passion with a child, but the guitar McHose his dad used to teach him, a 74 Les Paul, makes the history just a bit more extraordinary. His father’s eclectic music collection introduced the young musician to legends like The Beatles, Stones and The Who, but McHose says the reason he began playing more seriously was the solo he saw Joe Walsh do on VH1, in a clip from when he was with The Eagles.
McHose’s equal passion and skill in track and field earned him a full scholarship to Drake University, but he left after one year to ponder his musical future. His family sought professional advice by meeting with the Assistant Chair of the Guitar Department at the famed Berklee School of Music in Boston. After McHose auditioned, the professor’s professional opinion was that his skill and talent levels were far beyond that of a typical student; he recommended that the best road for him was not four years in college but to embark immediately on his career. McHose took this advice and chose Austin, Texas as the perfect environment to hone his craft. While making the connections necessary to launch his recording career, he worked his way up to playing live four nights a week, performing at such venues as The Saxon Pub and Threadgill’s.
“I felt that moving to a major market like Chicago would be a great step forward,” he says, “not only because of the many opportunities to perform in the city and surrounding area, but also because it’s centrally located, close to my hometown of Des Moines and a great centrally located base to tour from. That’s really where the excitement happens, up there onstage. I love feeling the energy from the crowd and trying new things with the songs and with my guitar every night.”
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