Interview with Chris Bricks

Chris Bricks is a songwriter, music producer and a multi-instrumentalist who caters to a variety of music enthusiasts. Infusing the sounds of some of his influences (Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC/DC, Paul Cauthen, Morgan Wallen, The Black Keys, James Brown, The Beatles, Elvis, ELO, Rolling Stones, Nine Inch Nails, TOOL and MØ), Chris finds immeasurable enjoyment in crafting melodies for a vast array of music fans to enjoy.

Combining theatricality and infectious enthusiasm with heartfelt sincerity, the country rock recording artist brings his high-energy performances to the stage with innovative and dramatic flair. Having toured nationally as pop rock act Plaid Brixx, he opened for groups such as Smash Mouth, Cute Is What We Aim For and secured a 30-date tour with modern pop-punk icons We The Kings. The Chris Bricks live show highlights soulful sing along vocals, handstands, acrobatics as well as fan participation.

The Nashville based artist-producer has amassed more than 5 million on-demand streams and his country debut, “Rock & Roll,” offers a taste of what’s to come from Bricks’ waterfall series anticipated in 2024.

Who inspired you to make music?

I was inspired to play guitar after seeing Blink-182 on MTV around age seven.

What was the inspiration in writing your new/recent single; what is the song about?

My new single, “Rock & Roll,” is inspired by life and living in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, where live music and nightlife are inescapable.

How would you describe your style and the music that you create/record/perform?

I create country rock with pop-style vocals.

What is your creative process like (in both music and writing)?

I start by making instrumental tracks and then write melodies over the track before writing words to the melodies. Sometimes, I write melodies and build tracks around them or come up with a phrase and write the song around that.

What is one message you like to share with your fans?

I would like to share my gratitude with the fans and thank them for their support because their support is what makes me successful.

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

While the internet fundamentally changed everything about the entire business, it changed nothing about why people listen to music. Music was a retail business with each release being a physical product, but now with the ability to listen to any song ever recorded at will on your phone or anywhere, the business became more service-oriented. The live performance side of the business has not changed at all and can still be highly lucrative, and although live streaming has opened up access to watch live music online, there is no substitute for going to an actual live concert as the ultimate community, fan, music lover’s “experience.”

Do you have a ritual of sorts when writing or performing your music? Or just before taking the stage?

In terms of pre-stage rituals, I like to do stretches and vocal warmups, and I sit around making jokes with the team backstage to distract myself from any nerves.

What led you to become a music artist and what advice can you give to others aspiring to make it? What makes you confident in your decision?

I didn’t get into the business for ego or because I wanted to be cool; I got into it because I love the magical feeling of conjuring something no one has ever heard before.

As for advice, the melody is the most important part of any song; and you need to write a ton of songs before your music will be worth sharing. If you’re a singer, take vocal lessons.

When I started in the industry I was not sure if it was the right decision…I had even begun studying economics in college. I eventually switched to music production and business. When I received the nomination for the Independent Music Award, I was pretty sure I was doing the right thing.

In your opinion, how do artists in this industry stay on top of the game when faced with so much competition? What’s the secret to “rising to the top” to become successful?

This answer probably changes every decade, but right now and probably for the foreseeable future, the next generation of artists will be people who can crank out a large amount of video content. The quality of your video content, in my opinion, pretty much determines everything and the opportunities that come along. So, study up on what constitutes engaging content! Take notes on things you see your favorite YouTubers and streamers doing. Having quality music is extremely important as is a killer live performance.

When do you feel like you will have become successful?

I feel like I’m already successful because I love the music I make and I am heavily involved in creating and marketing it—it’s a process that has taken many decades to learn. Becoming proficient in a variety of skills has allowed me to create and build my country project very quickly; and that feels like success to me.

What is the best advice you’ve been given as it relates to your career?

The best advice I’ve ever received was from my parents when I was very young; they told me to always be kind and respectful to everyone you meet. I know it’s almost elementary-level advice, but I have met so many jerks over the years whom I’ve written off from ever working with again. So many people have trouble following this rule. They just can’t be nice and I think it ends up hurting their career and their chances.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

I would change the industry to prioritize great songwriters over great marketers. With that, we’d have a lot more quality songs becoming popular and enriching our society. To some extent, I think people with excellent songs and not a lot of marketing fluff still make it big. For every major country hit, there are usually two to three songwriters you’ve never heard of who wrote the song for the artist and I’d like to see them have careers as artists themselves.

What about your music is unconventional, or unusual, or a standout among other artists/recordings? What sets your music apart? What is unique, or at least uncommon?

My music is a hybrid of country, rock and pop styles. I have catchy pop melodies and themes with Queen-style harmony stacks on top of Lynyrd Skynyrd style instrumentation and I don’t know of anyone else doing that right now. I’m also super involved in the production process—I co-produce all of my tracks, play guitar on some and engineer and arrange all my own final vocals. I’m also extremely hands-on in directing the mix.

I’m also super involved in conceptualizing, writing, producing, costuming, casting, planning and executing my official music videos. I film and edit all of my own cover song videos. I also create my own album covers and painstakingly agonize over every detail of every song release.

Has your musical journey had a deliberate direction, or did it simply gradually evolve in whatever direction it found?

My musical journey has had many directions over the years, some deliberate and others less so. My country project is the most deliberate I have ever been in terms of steering my career.

What do you enjoy most about being an artist/performer?

Writing music is what I enjoy most about being an artist, followed closely by performing at shows. I’d say a lot of the other things I have to do as an artist, like make videos, I do because to stay competitive.

What does your music say about you?

My music says that I am meticulous in my attention to detail as an artisan who has spent decades honing his craft.

What are your overall ambitions as a songwriter/recording artist?

I’m ridin’ the wave all the way to the top!

When you create music, what is your personal purpose or goal?

I really enjoy the process; so, there is a level of love of the craft where my motivation is nothing more than the satisfaction of writing. For this project, my goal was to write relatable and fun songs that people will enjoy within a style of music that I love.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your career?

The most challenging aspect of my career has been learning every aspect of marketing and distributing content online.

Do you ever experience writer’s block, and if so, how do you “break through?”

I don’t believe in writer’s block. It’s a conspiracy theory that writers spend time worrying about instead of sitting down and getting to work. If you’re having trouble thinking of something to write about, pick an emotion or an inanimate object or place and get to work.

If you could pass on a nugget of wisdom to the next musical generation, what would it be?

Always make sure what you are writing about is relatable. If you get too abstract in your writing, people won’t connect with you or the song.

Would you have any advice for would-be artists or songwriters wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Learn to do everything yourself. YouTube will teach you any subject or skill to some extent and then the rest is consistency in practice. We have the largest repository of entirely free information ever known to mankind and all you have to do is type “How To ____.” There are no excuses—learn to edit videos 🙂

What is the most useless talent you have?

Tossing food up into the air and catching it in my mouth. Best done with grapes. (lol)

If you were to write an autobiography, what would the title be?

“Workin’ Hard”

You are a new addition to a crayon box. What colour would you be and why?

I’d be green because I love plants and gardening.

What would be a good theme song for your life?

“Takin’ Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

What historical figure would you like to see in 21st century life and why?

I would love to see Beethoven experience modern day music and hear his opinions of it. I don’t think he would really know what to do or how to interpret some of it and I think his reaction would be pretty funny. He never saw electricity, so his reaction to modern instruments/production would be amazing and I’d love to see him shred on an electric organ.

Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life and why?

Chris Pratt–he’s one of my favorite actors.

If you had to describe yourself as a flavor, what would it be and why?

My flavor would be blackberry cobbler because it tastes great and blackberries are my favorite. (Every year, I grow a large blackberry patch and harvest pounds of them.)

What’s your least favorite personality trait you like about yourself?

My tendency to obsess over health-related issues.

What makes you nostalgic?

I get nostalgic when they re-release old video games from the 90s with updated graphics.

If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be?

I would ask for the name of one stock to invest in.

If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?

I’d like to care less about what others think of me.

What was the last series you watched on TV?

The Expanse.

What do you think the greatest invention has been?

The greatest invention of all time is a tie between antibiotics and modern sanitation.

Do you have a nickname and how did it come about?

No, I don’t really have a nickname.

Do you have any lucky items, objects, or traditions?

I collect and save my good fortunes from fortune cookies.

What are your top two favorite songs of all time? Why those songs?

Two of my favorite songs of all time are “Tuesday’s Gone” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.

A newcomer to country music but no stranger to the music scene and streaming success stories, Chris Bricks tees up the pregame party anthem of 2024. Charged with stadium rock choruses, punctuated by “hell yeahs,” nasty guitar licks, rockin’ drum beats, the playful gem highlights Bricks’ knack to take each and every listener on a fun-filled ride and illustrates the electric energy and neon excitement of the downtown Broadway Nashville scene.

“I’m a resident of downtown Nashville, and my place is located in the midst of Music City ‘happenings.’ The storyline was inspired by the capital of country music, where the nightlife beams, music rings out from every corner and party buses travel every street,” Bricks said. “I wanted to paint a picture of downtown Nashville’s energy and nightlife; where tourists arrive to do what they do – rock and roll!”