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Arts & Music

Gimme Five! Brice Randall Bickford

Brice Randall Bickford was once a struggler, but now he’s conquering the stage under his own name.  He’ll take his campaign to the Cat’s Cradle this Saturday, June 11th to celebrate the release of his new self-titled record. Before you rush off to note it in your calendar, see how Bickford tackles our five questions after the jump.

1. If your music were a monster, what sort would it be? (and why?)
Wilford Brimley from John Carpenter’s The Thing. My casting makes way better sense with time.

2. What are the pressures/pleasures of recording/playing out under your own name?
In the 90’s it was cool to play under a band name if you were a singer-songwriter, and I was influenced by that. You could cultivate a mystery plus also not feel so lame that you were just singing about yourself. Many things about the aughts made the band-in-name-only thing feel a little passé. Plus I felt like stepping out and owning the identity of a singular artist. I was finally old enough, maybe. Plus I’d just grown to hate the band name.

3. Describe the recording process of the new album.
I wanted to take a different approach and bring the songs to a real producer, and let him and some of the band collaborate with me to arrange the songs. I gave up a little control, which was scary but worth it. Like Burt Reynolds says in Deliverance, “Sometimes you have to lose yourself before you can find anything.” There were things that worked and things that didn’t, as with anything, but above all it was a great education you can’t get any other way.

4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that would really surprise people?
Are we talking mild surprise here? It’s tough to surprise people anymore. Look how hard everyone is trying. Two influences people might not automatically assume would be: Christopher Ryan and Spencer Wells. They’ve informed what I’m doing now in a big way, and should be read widely.

5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (how ’d that turn out?)
The first thing I probably really dreamed of being when I was a kid was a rock guitar player. Which I guess I sorta am, so that turned out alright.

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Charge on down to the Cat’s Cradle this Saturday, June 11th to celebrate the new record. And by all means, give BRB a high five when you see him!